Discussion
Hi all
Any fire wardens on here to help with some advice?
Company of 70 people in an office & finally getting round to doing things 'properly' as far as fire wardens, H&S etc is concerned - how do you track who's in & out of the office on a daily basis? How do you track coming & going throughout the day i.e. going out for lunch, going to a meeting, etc? We have a swipe entry so we can see when everyone enters the office at whatever time (the toilets are communal so they then have to swipe in again) but press button to get out & if more than one person comes in together only the first person has swiped in.
TIA
Any fire wardens on here to help with some advice?
Company of 70 people in an office & finally getting round to doing things 'properly' as far as fire wardens, H&S etc is concerned - how do you track who's in & out of the office on a daily basis? How do you track coming & going throughout the day i.e. going out for lunch, going to a meeting, etc? We have a swipe entry so we can see when everyone enters the office at whatever time (the toilets are communal so they then have to swipe in again) but press button to get out & if more than one person comes in together only the first person has swiped in.
TIA
There are around 300 people in my office, over 2 floors (fairly small space) and we have several wardens who have their 'zones'.
The warden will sweep their zone and make sure everyone gets out in the event of an evacuation. They also sweep the toilets on their way out. We don't have a register to check who's supposed to be there to check against who is actually outside at the gather point. The assumption is that if the office is empty, that's good enough. Visitors are signed in when they arrive but we don't do a headcount for them either.
We're more concerned with people carrying drinks down the stairs and people not using their nearest exit (and using the overcrowded main stairwell instead), than keeping track of who's in the office.
I think as long as you can show you're taking h&s seriously, you're doing ok.
The warden will sweep their zone and make sure everyone gets out in the event of an evacuation. They also sweep the toilets on their way out. We don't have a register to check who's supposed to be there to check against who is actually outside at the gather point. The assumption is that if the office is empty, that's good enough. Visitors are signed in when they arrive but we don't do a headcount for them either.
We're more concerned with people carrying drinks down the stairs and people not using their nearest exit (and using the overcrowded main stairwell instead), than keeping track of who's in the office.
I think as long as you can show you're taking h&s seriously, you're doing ok.
There’s a move away from in/out registers as they provide false assurance that people are out. As discussed above, a warden jisnrequired to clear zones and check every room. It also works to “zone” your assembly point (by department or team for example) as colleagues are more likely to be able to identify who is missing and where they are likely to be quicker than a person with a log book.
Nickbrapp said:
You can get access control systems that will print data of who’s swiped in in the event of a fire
Fit a swipe to both the entry and exit side of the door
Fit a swipe to both the entry and exit side of the door
- fire alarm ringing*
As said above in a few posts we have wardens to sweep the server room and toilets then gather outside. Visitors have a chaperone to ensure they are accounted for.
colin79666 said:
- fire alarm ringing*
As said above in a few posts we have wardens to sweep the server room and toilets then gather outside. Visitors have a chaperone to ensure they are accounted for.
I work in a school. Everyone signs in and out via their ID cards which they swipe, so there’s a quick and easy electronic record of who’s in and out. Visitors do the same manually on a keyboard to get their ID badges. No-one is ever in the building unaccounted for.
In an evacuation form tutors do roll calls of students at the muster points and then report via year heads and walkie-talkies to the fire wardens wether everyone’s present and correct. If there is anyone missing predetermined wardens search for them and report.
Our muster point is a four minute walk from the furthest point of the building and all roll calls are completed within six minutes. We have half a dozen staff members with defined roles and carry out drills at least once every half term - I think we’re pretty good and follow it up with a full report that goes in the fire log.
However, as mentioned that’s for a school. I’d imagine it’s a completely different operation for a company or shared office building.
In an evacuation form tutors do roll calls of students at the muster points and then report via year heads and walkie-talkies to the fire wardens wether everyone’s present and correct. If there is anyone missing predetermined wardens search for them and report.
Our muster point is a four minute walk from the furthest point of the building and all roll calls are completed within six minutes. We have half a dozen staff members with defined roles and carry out drills at least once every half term - I think we’re pretty good and follow it up with a full report that goes in the fire log.
However, as mentioned that’s for a school. I’d imagine it’s a completely different operation for a company or shared office building.
Sweepers / wardens reporting to single point of contact for Fire and Rescue to confirm building clear.
Visitors need a buddy as they may not be familiar with alarms and exit routes,etc
Most important to run regular drills. Record outcomes and debrief.
Has your building got a fire risk assessment?
Have all staff been trained?
Keep records of all activities.
Visitors need a buddy as they may not be familiar with alarms and exit routes,etc
Most important to run regular drills. Record outcomes and debrief.
Has your building got a fire risk assessment?
Have all staff been trained?
Keep records of all activities.
Fire wardens are expected to do a 'sweep' of their floor/area to confirm empty and be the last to leave behind the rest of the staff. If they pass a toilet en route to the exit, they're also meant to shout in/check that it's clear. No need for a register, just a visual check of the areas.
In a multi-let building, such as the one I work in, each individual tenant has a warden or two who then reports to the warden for the building to confirm their floor/office is clear. Having 20 people report that their office is clear is much easier than 500 each saying "I'm out!"
In a multi-let building, such as the one I work in, each individual tenant has a warden or two who then reports to the warden for the building to confirm their floor/office is clear. Having 20 people report that their office is clear is much easier than 500 each saying "I'm out!"
Nickbrapp said:
colin79666 said:
- fire alarm ringing*
As said above in a few posts we have wardens to sweep the server room and toilets then gather outside. Visitors have a chaperone to ensure they are accounted for.
I think I have heard of muster points where you swipe.
We have a list (just something created in excel) of all employees who work in the office. This is by the fire exit so department manager takes the list on the way out and starts to do a roll call. If people are at lunch/ill etc their dept colleagues will tell you
At the same time, Fire Warden does sweep of the office and takes the visitors book where people have to sign in and checks any visitors are accounted for
At the same time, Fire Warden does sweep of the office and takes the visitors book where people have to sign in and checks any visitors are accounted for
I'm a Fire Warden for our office, our duties are to sweep the office to confirm that everyone is out and then reporting that to the building manager (we don't log who is in or out of the building).
If there are no fire wardens in a certain area at the time of the alarm then the building manager will tell the fire brigade that those areas haven't been checked.
The wardens should be aware of colleagues with special needs (in the past I've worked with a deaf person (who had a pager linked to the alarm) and someone with reduced mobility) and what you need to do with them (eg. just get them through the fire doors rather than outside).
If there are no fire wardens in a certain area at the time of the alarm then the building manager will tell the fire brigade that those areas haven't been checked.
The wardens should be aware of colleagues with special needs (in the past I've worked with a deaf person (who had a pager linked to the alarm) and someone with reduced mobility) and what you need to do with them (eg. just get them through the fire doors rather than outside).
Fire warden here.
160 people on the 29th floor of a high rise in London. Always dread the alarm going off.
8 other wardens, each given a zone to clear with a map on the card. One stays at reception and when everyone returns with their card the floor is clear.
We do have another person at our meeting point with an employee list but as we work in the city everyone tends to go to the nearest coffe shop or pub.
160 people on the 29th floor of a high rise in London. Always dread the alarm going off.
8 other wardens, each given a zone to clear with a map on the card. One stays at reception and when everyone returns with their card the floor is clear.
We do have another person at our meeting point with an employee list but as we work in the city everyone tends to go to the nearest coffe shop or pub.
Ask your access control contractor is "anti passback" can be implemented.
That way if someone forgets to swipe out for toilet then they can't get back into the office.
Once everyone's used to it then it's pretty foolproof. Let the access control system do the job.
The hardest part will be getting the people to leave in a fire in the first instance!!
That way if someone forgets to swipe out for toilet then they can't get back into the office.
Once everyone's used to it then it's pretty foolproof. Let the access control system do the job.
The hardest part will be getting the people to leave in a fire in the first instance!!
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