Smoke in Stairwell B During a Factory Evacuation
It is 14:20 on a Tuesday at a four-storey garment factory. You are the lobby guard when the fire alarm sounds. The floor warden on level 2 does not answer the radio. Through the stairwell B door you see light grey smoke and smell burning plastic. Stairwell A is clear. About 180 workers are on site, and a supervisor tells you that one worker on level 2 uses a wheelchair. The designated assembly point is across a 20 m road in front of the factory. The fire service has not been called. The main gate is closed and a delivery truck is waiting inside the yard. You have the alarm panel key, a radio and the emergency contact list. Your instructions say to treat every alarm as real until confirmed otherwise.
1. What are your immediate actions in the first two minutes?
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Treat the alarm as real. Confirm the alarm location on the panel, call the fire service and state the address, building, floor and smoke condition. Activate the full evacuation alarm if it is not already on, and radio all floors. Do not investigate the smoke alone. Send someone to meet the fire service at the main gate and open the gate for them. Keep the delivery truck driver away from the building and direct him to the assembly point. Record the time of the alarm and the call. Because the level 2 warden is silent, assume that floor is not being cleared and send a second warden or go yourself with a radio, but only if the lobby remains controlled.
2. How should you route the evacuation, and what special steps are needed for the wheelchair user?
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Direct everyone to stairwell A, not B, because B has smoke and smoke can be hot and toxic. Tell people not to use the lift, not to stop for belongings, and to stay low if smoke enters. For the wheelchair user, send two trained staff and do not attempt to carry the person alone; use the agreed assisted-evacuation method and keep the chair controlled. If stairwell A becomes smoke-filled, use the alternative exit or a refuge area and tell the fire service. At the assembly point, count workers by department and report missing persons to the fire officer. Do not let anyone re-enter the building, even if they claim to have left something behind.
3. What should happen after everyone reaches the assembly point?
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Keep the assembly point clear of the road and the gate. Do not re-enter even if the alarm stops; only the fire officer can declare the building safe. Record names of missing persons, their last known location and the time. Brief the fire service on the smoke in stairwell B, the wheelchair user and the delivery truck. After the incident, write a factual report and preserve the alarm log. If the alarm was false, still record the cause and the response. The test is not whether the alarm was real but whether the response protected people and produced a clear record.