Fire Alarm, Smoke in One Stairwell, and an Asthma Collapse
At 10:15 on a Tuesday, the fire alarm activates on the ninth floor of a 14-story office building. The security officer at the lobby fire command station sees a trouble signal for zone 9 and a call from a tenant reporting 'smoke coming from the pantry.' The building has two stairwells: Stair A shows a light haze of smoke on the ninth-floor landing; Stair B is clear. About 60 employees are in the ground-floor cafeteria for a scheduled event, and the lobby has 15 visitors. The public-address system works, but the building's emergency generator is under maintenance and the elevators must not be used. A woman in Stair B collapses on the third-floor landing and says she has asthma; she is conscious but breathing in short gasps and has no inhaler with her. The fire brigade is 8 minutes away. The officer has a fire extinguisher, a first-aid kit, and a radio. The building's fire safety plan designates the cafeteria and the front parking lot as assembly areas.
1. What should the officer announce and do in the first two minutes? Address evacuation routes, the cafeteria group, visitors, and the use of elevators.
Read the worked answer
Confirm the alarm at the panel, call 911 or the fire brigade, and announce a full evacuation using Stair B; Stair A is contaminated with smoke and should be closed off. Announce that elevators must not be used, and direct the cafeteria group (about 60) and lobby visitors (15) to the front parking lot assembly area by the nearest safe exit. Send floor wardens to clear the ninth floor and check restrooms, but do not send anyone into smoke. Keep the fire lane clear for the fire brigade and station someone at the entrance to guide them. Do not silence the alarm until the fire service authorizes it. The cafeteria group should leave food and service equipment; no one should return for belongings. Begin a head count at the assembly area and report missing persons to the fire brigade, not to uncoordinated search teams.
2. The asthmatic woman is on the third-floor landing. How should the officer prioritize fire evacuation and first aid, and what first-aid steps are appropriate?
Read the worked answer
Life safety first: move the woman out of the stairwell to a clear, smoke-free area near the exit, or assist her down if she can walk; do not leave her on the landing where evacuating crowds may trample her. Call EMS and report an asthma attack with smoke exposure. Sit her upright, loosen tight clothing, calm her, and help her use her own prescribed inhaler if she has one-do not borrow someone else's inhaler or give medication by injection. If trained, give oxygen. Monitor breathing and consciousness; if she becomes unresponsive, start CPR and use an AED if available. Do not use the elevator. Do not delay her removal from smoke to complete paperwork. Document times and care after she is transferred. The officer should not abandon the fire command post without notifying a supervisor; assign another trained person to stay with her.
3. After the fire brigade declares the building safe, what should the officer include in the incident report and what mistakes should be avoided?
Read the worked answer
Report the alarm time, zone, location, smoke conditions, evacuation routes used and closed, number evacuated, head count, injuries, first aid given, fire brigade arrival and clearance, equipment used, and the status of the generator and elevators. Attach the alarm log, PA announcement times, and witness statements. Avoid guessing the cause, stating 'false alarm' without fire service confirmation, or disclosing the woman's medical diagnosis beyond 'asthma complaint.' Note that the generator was under maintenance and elevators were out of service because those facts affected the response. Correct any inaccurate entry by supplemental report, not by overwriting. Preserve CCTV and fire panel data.