Rank: Guest 
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Good morning all - warm and sunny day here (south of England).
Now, my building (privately owned) has a ground floor swimming pool and for years during the winter if the fire alarms go off any employee swimming has been required to immediately leave and go to the fire assembly point on a field adjacent to the pool.
As you can imagine the swimmers assemble in their costumes and freeze to death during the role call.
The swimmers cannot go to the changing rooms as they will be going deeper into the building. I am aware of foil blankets and one size fits all footwear which can be placed at the fire exit. BUT....
Has anyone (particularly if they work in the leisure industry) got any views on a "Stay Put" polcy and indeed has anyone instigated such a policy.
Thanks, Rich
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Rank: Super forum user 
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Good morning Rich, sunny here in Wirral as well. Lucky you having such a nice facility. It really depends on your fire risk assessment and any procedures you have in place as a result.
I suggest you review the fra and see if it is possible to introduce fire wardens who will search and sweep the premises once the alarm has operated, with particular regard to ensuring the pool area is not affected by a fire. If you are then happy that persons in the pool area are safe they can remain in the pool area but put on standby in case they need to evacuate.
Ensure other persons outside the pool area do not see this as a safe area and then use the pool as an excuse not to evacuate.
You could also issue SCUBA gear to enable them to go underwater for the duration of the alarm (joking of course) :-)
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Rank: Super forum user 
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Please consider the impact of smoke migration - the real killer. Avoid the double jeopardy of being overcome by smoke - and then drowning.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Tongue firmly in cheek ..... is hypothermia a better way of dying than drowning? Discuss!
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Rank: Forum user
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I worked in the Leisure Industry many moons ago as a lifeguard and we were required to evacuate the whole building in the event of a fire. To avoid anyone from "freezing their big toes off" we had a supply of those foil blankets that we would distribute to those that required them. I have certainly not come across a "stay put" policy except for those suffering mobility problems and leaving them with another person in a stairwell providing it had fire proof doors (then when emergency services arrive inform of where they are located).
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Rank: Super forum user
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colinreeves wrote:Tongue firmly in cheek ..... is hypothermia a better way of dying than drowning? Discuss! I think it is less desirable as it takes longer to die. One question - is there a door from the pool leading directly to outside? If so evacuation could be quite swift therefore a "two stage" alarm with fire wardens might work? On hearing the first alarm the pool is evacuated with people standing by near the exit, once evacuation is confirmed as necessary they all leave by the exit to the assembly point. Not rocket science. However if the exit from poolside leads to another room/area then probably best to evacuate on first alarm. Can a shelter be provided? I believe the final exit should lead to a place of ultimate safety therefore a field on a cold day for people soaking wet would not be suitable. For once I'm trying to be positive and helpful.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Rich,
I'm not sure the 'stay put' policy would be so good if the structural integrity of the building was compromised by a Fire!
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Rank: Forum user
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Why not ask your local Fire Safety Officer from the Fire and Rescue Service for their advice.
Son of Skywalker
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Rank: Super forum user
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son of skywalker wrote:Why not ask your local Fire Safety Officer from the Fire and Rescue Service for their advice.
Son of Skywalker Because he/she will probably ask to see the fire risk assessment and then advise to use the fire risk assessment to make the decision yourself.
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Rank: Super forum user
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This is a hard one to comment on with out knowing lots more details. But as someone has suggested if you have a final exit straight from the pool to outside then a stay put policy could be workable. How good is the fire detection within the premises does it have automatic detection or does it just have manual call points. If it has just manual call point then a fire could be quite developed before it is discovered. If automatic detection with good coverage then the fire would be discovered in it's earliest stages.
Do you have issues with false alarms as possible this might be the real reason not wanting to evacuate the pool knowing it has been deliberately set off. Is there not a near building or property that you could have prior arrangement with so you can take people straight to rather than the normal assembly point.
Also lets not forget it can get cold here in the UK but i certainly remember being at school and trudging through the snow to the outside pool for swimming lessons so why I'm not saying it isn't a consideration and think the use of foil blankets and a nearby premises that could be used shouldn't be to much of an issue.
Phil
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Rank: Super forum user 
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Rich, I infer from your post that fire alarms operating is a "not infrequent" event. Perhaps if the cause of the presumably false alarms could be removed the problem would be solved. If there is a greater reliance that an alarm sounding means a real emergency then evacuating to a safe cold place is a better option than staying put in a smoky dangerous place.
Regular drills can be dealt with by closing the pool 15 mins prior to any drill.
However, as others have previously said, if your own risk assessment indicates that the risk of fire/smoke spread to the pool area is very low then a trained fire warden able to take an informed decision to implement a stay-put procedure may be appropriate. The size of your premises, fire compartmentation, fire alarm information (i.e. exact location of activated device), affected population should all contribute to your decision.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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A evacuation system based on phased or progressive horizontal evacuation would be useful if the building & fire alarm can support it.
Hospitals rarely evacuate to outside immediately but move people away from the fire and behind substantial fire separation.
It's a nonsense to evac virtually naked people outside during inclement weather - even if wrapped in Bacofoil* (*Other cooking foils are available)
I daren't mention the 'C' word here (after a recent loooong thread), but a detailed assessment would be required by a duly competent person to justify this control measure
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