Hills Plaza

Evacuations - General Procedure

In cases of building emergencies, the Fire or Police Departments take complete control of the building and environment upon their arrival. According to the Fire Department, on the average they will arrive at the building within 3 minutes of receiving an emergency call. Typically, a company officer and four firemen arrive with one truck.

In case of a fire, bomb, gas leak, water leak or power outage, the City and/or the General Manager at Hills Plaza have the authority to decide if an evacuation (partial or full) is needed. Typically, only four floors will be evacuated in the event of an emergency, fire or smoke in this building. These four floors consist of the emergency/fire floor, one floor above this floor, and two floors below the fire/emergency floor.

For example, if an emergency or potential emergency is detected on the 3rd floor and a partial evacuation is announced, the evacuation will occur as follows:

Click here to view images of the Evacuation Locations

When strobes and signals sound on your floor, immediately proceed to your evacuation location via the exit stairs, do not use the elevators. Stay at your evacuation location until you are asked to return to your floor.

Persons Needing Assistance/Mobility Impaired

Each floor’s Floor Warden(s) must collect the names and locations of all visitors and regular building occupants who have voluntarily requested special assistance in case of an emergency. Examples of these persons would include those with:

• Mental impairments, who might become confused or disoriented.
  
• Vision impairments, who may require assistance in locating exits.
  
• Hearing impairments who may not hear the alarms or announcement clearly.
  
• Cardiac or respiratory conditions who may require extended time to evacuate.
  
• Varying degrees of mobility impairments such as a broken leg/arm or wheel chair bound.
  
• No or very limited understanding of the English language.
  
• Children.

The (Assistant) Floor Wardens should update this list as necessary and not later than every 6 months. As additional Evacuation Assistants are needed, the (Assistant) Floor Warden shall identify volunteers for each individual requiring assistance, and communicate these changes to the Management Office.

What To Do For Someone Who Refuses To Evacuate

During an emergency where evacuation is required, if an occupant refuses to evacuate, any tenant that encounters this person or is informed of this situation shall immediately report the name and exact location of this individual to the floor’s Floor Warden or Assistant Floor Warden and the Management Office. Floor Wardens should then communicate this information to the Fire Department. Await instructions from City authorities.

Announcement Scripts

When an emergency or potential emergency occurs in Hills Plaza, tenants can expect to hear various announcements over the public address system from the Management Office. The announcement will depend on the extent, location, and type of emergency.

Sample messages are provided below. Tenants should become familiar with these to know what to expect. Upon hearing these messages, the (Assistant) Floor Wardens shall coordinate the response, per the Management Office instructions. The Floor Warden shall be responsible for assisting any non-English speaking tenants or visitors.

For a partial evacuation an example of a message that you may hear from the Management Office is:

“Attention all persons on the _____ floor. Attention all persons on the _____ floor. May I have your attention please? Please exit the floor using the nearest stairwell. Proceed to your assigned meeting location in an orderly manner and await further instructions.”

In the event of a full evacuation, an example of a message that you may hear from the Management Office is:

“Attention all persons on the ____, ____ and ____ floors. Attention all persons on the ____, ____ and ____ floors. May I have your attention please? As a safety precaution, we are asking you to safely evacuate the building. Proceed to your assigned meeting location as given to you by your Floor Warden or Assistant Floor Warden. Wait there for further instructions.”

In the event of a full evacuation, the (Assistant) Floor Wardens evacuate the building and congregate at a pre-designated off-site location specific for their group.

Either the on-site city authority or General Manager issues the “All Clear” to those building occupants whom have been evacuated in any crisis situation. The example message (below) for recalling all the tenants using the Management Office after a fire emergency:

“Attention, all tenants of Hills Plaza. Attention, all tenants of Hills Plaza. May I have your attention please? There is NO danger to you or any other occupants, and you may return to the building. The elevators have been restored to full service and are available for your use. Please contact the Management Office if you have any further questions. Thank you.”

This message will be given at the assigned meeting location.