According to a statistical analysis from NFPA in 2005, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated 1,602,000 fires. These fires resulted in 3,675 civilian fire fatalities, 17,925 civilian fire injuries, and an estimated $10,672,000,000 in direct property loss. What do these fire frequencies mean? Every 20 seconds, a fire department responds to a fire somewhere in the nation. A fire occurs in a structure at the rate of one in every 61 seconds. In particular, a residential fire occurs every 80 seconds. Fires occur in vehicles at the rate of 1 in every 108 seconds, and there’s a fire in an outside property every 39 seconds.
Fire continues to be one of the high-ranking risks an organization faces. However, with adequate controls, much of the risk could be terminated. With frequent checks and follow-up visits conducted by representatives from the fire department, fire as a risk could be adequately mitigated.
Here are some questions risk managers should look into proactively over and above the guidance provided by the fire department to evaluate their fire risk management plan to determine its efficacy.
The organization wherein the authors implemented the risk management plan got a "wow" rating from the fire marshal who was called during an evacuation drill in May 2007. "Haven’t seen such detailed planning before" was the pat on the back for the authors coming from the fire marshal.
Evaluation criteria: Total all the points for every question that leads to a satisfactory answer.
STRATEGIC LEVEL: Was a strategic fire risk assessment covering the following topics conducted?n Definition of the overall strategic goal of the fire risk management exercise (1 point)
n Identification of potential areas or activities that could ignite a fire and cause injury to people or property (1 point)
n Calculation of the impact of the risk if the threat was to exploit the vulnerability (1 point)
n Determination of existence and adequacy of existing fire precautions or controls (1 point)
n Study of the cost benefit ratio of various options against the criteria set in establishing the context or overall strategic goal (1 point)
n Determination of whether any risk requires immediate attention (1 point)Enter your score for this level:
n Adherence to all regulatory requirements (1 point)
n Selection of the fire alarm equipment based on the risk acceptance of the organization (1 point)
n Selection of the fire suppression equipment based on the risk acceptance of the organization (1 point)
n Installation of proper fire safety signage (1 point)
n Maintenance of procedure to review fire risk assessment (1 point)
n Maintenance of comprehensive fire alarm and risk assessment records(1 point)
n Training of staff on fire safety (1 point)
n Easy access of firefighters to organization’s premises including safe areas (1 point)
n Selection of evacuation routes, assembly areas, and safe areas based on the number of employees (1 point)Enter your score for this level:
OPERATIONAL LEVEL:How comprehensive are the floor plans? Do the floor plans:
n Exist for every wing (smallest unit that could be managed during an evacuation) of each floor (1 point)
n Show the following routes
u Primary route of evacuation (1 point)
u Secondary route of evacuation (1 point)
u Do the routes lead to assembly areas (1 point)
n Have positions of the following individuals marked
u Location of the people (YOU ARE HERE) (1 point)
u Location of floor marshals (1 point)
u Location of individuals needing assistance (1 point)
n Have the following areas marked
u Safe areas (1 point)
u Assembly areas (1 point)
u Hazardous materials area (1 point)
u Vital records area(1 point)
u Smoking areas and facilities provided (ashtrays) (1 point)
n Indicate:
u Location of fire suppression equipment (1 point)
u Location of the fire alarms (1 point)
u Location of the annunciators (1 point)
u Location of cut-off switches (1 point)Enter you score for this level:
How comprehensive are the head count lists?
n Floor marshals have a head count roll for employees in the area of responsibility (1 point)
n Head count rolls indicate the seating arrangements of every employee (room number/cubicle number) (1 point)
n Head count rolls have the project manger listed so that the project manager can be contacted in case an employee is not present in the assembly area (1 point)
n Head count rolls have the contact phone numbers listed of the employee (1 point)Enter your score for this level:
Miscellaneous planning
n Floor marshals have been trained in handling of the fire suppression equipment (1 point)
n Floor marshals have placards that they carry in the assembly area for segregation of employees for easier head count (1 point)
n Visitors whereabouts and care being considered (1 point)
n Building has ramps and lifts suitable for wheelchair access (if applicable) (1 point)
n Fire alarm system give a visual warning for fire for those who are profoundly deaf (if applicable) (1 point)
n As an aid to those who are sight impaired, tactile guide strips present at the top and bottom of each flight of stairs (if applicable) (1 point)
n Fire exit doors kept unlocked at all times (1 point)
n Escape routes unobstructed (1 point)Enter your score for this level:
Testing
n When was the last time the fire risk mitigation plan was tested? Typically we suggest that the fire risk mitigation plan be tested at least twice a year (2 points)
n What was the scope of the last fire risk mitigation exercise? The scope should include:
u testing of the fire alarms (1 point)
u the response time of the fire emergency monitoring response providers (1 point)
u the coordination with the local fire emergency teams (1 point)
u complete evacuation of the building with a head count in the assembly areas accounting for every individual and a head count in the safe area (1 point)
u a copy of floor plans made available to the fire response teams(1 point)
u visitors log book inspection in the assembly area (1 point)
n What were the lessons learned and follow-up actions? Is anyone monitoring that? (1 point)Enter your score for this level:
|
LEVEL |
SCORE |
||
|
|
Hard work brings luck |
Devil lies in the details |
Hope is a strategy |
|
STRATEGIC |
5 |
3-4 |
<3 |
|
TACTICAL |
8-9 |
5-7 |
<5 |
|
OPERATIONAL |
|
|
|
Floor Plans
|
14-16 |
10-13 |
<10 |
Head Count Lists
|
4 |
3 |
<3 |
Miscellaneous
|
7-8 |
5-6 |
<5 |
Testing
|
8-9 |
5-7 |
<5 |
|
|
You can trust your fire risk management plan. |
You need to get into details and cover the gaps. |
You are an optimist. |
Joseph McHugh is the executive deputy director operations for Judiciary Information Systems (JIS) of the State of Maryland Judiciary. With more than 30 years of IT experience, he is responsible for providing mission supportive facilities and infrastructure, ensuring security and optimizing operations at JIS. He is the project champion for business continuity management system implementation project at JIS. McHugh can be reached at joe.mchugh@mdcourts.gov.
Freyae Jones is the senior manager data center operations for Judiciary Information Systems (JIS) of the State of Maryland Judiciary. She is the project manager for BCMS implementation project at JIS. Jones can be reached at Freyae.jones@mdcourts.gov.
Sandesh Sheth, CISA, PMP, Six Sigma Black Belt is lead consultant with Enterprise Risk Management Group of Satyam Computers Services Limited, developing and implementing business continuity management systems for organizations worldwide. Sheth can be reached at sandesh.sheth@yahoo.com.
"Appeared in DRJ's Fall 2007 Issue"
