Handbook

Floor Response Team

At the time of move-in, each tenant is asked to complete the Emergency Response Team Form designating personnel that will be responsible for taking charge in the event of an emergency. It is up to each tenant to assure that this form is updated when designated personnel leave employment of the firm or for other reasons are no longer able to perform the outlined duties of emergency personnel.

While the Management Office may periodically host Emergency Response Team training, the general responsibilities are outlined here. It is the responsibility of all Emergency Response Team personnel to familiarize themselves with these guidelines as well as all of the building’s Emergency Procedures.

There are 6 primary Floor Response Team positions. All positions may not be possible for a smaller office, in which case the ‘Floor Warden’ or ‘Suite Monitor’ is the most important.

Other response positions include:

Floor Warden (Suite Monitor) – Responsible for controlling staff in event of emergency and explaining/overseeing all emergency actions. Each tenant should designate an alternate Floor Warden in case the Floor Warden is out of the office when an emergency occurs.
Runner - Travels from the Designated Meeting Area to the Offsite Command Post (Whole Foods – 1701 Wewatta Street) and reports to the Building Representative that all occupants are accounted for at the safe area, or not. Waits at the Command Post for further instruction.
Stairwell Monitor – At direction of Floor Warden, leads employees to exit stairwells and monitors the safe and efficient evacuation via stairwells.
Elevator Monitor – Is positioned at elevator banks and ensures that no one uses the elevators during an emergency.
Searcher – After all personnel have evacuated the suite, the searcher returns to the office suite to ensure that all have in fact evacuated and that there are no injured persons left behind.
Assistant to the Physically Impaired – Assists any handicapped individuals during an emergency and/or building evacuation.

Floor Warden Responsibilities

Each member of the building’s Floor Response Team has an extremely important job to perform in the event of an emergency. Each Floor Response Team designee should become familiar with the following duties:

Appoints personnel to the emergency team and fills all vacant positions.
Maintains an updated roster of Floor Response Team personnel.
Keeps Management Office updated on any changes in Floor Response Team personnel.
Alerts Floor Response Team designees of potential emergencies.
Supervises the activities and training of Floor Response Team.
Responsible for informing and training Floor Response Team in emergency procedures.
Ensures that Floor Response Team knows their assigned duties and locations in case of an emergency.
Pre-plans the handling of physically impaired personnel during evacuation.
Responsible for the evacuation of Floor Response Team.
Responsible for notifying Elevator Monitor to evacuate.

Runner Responsibilities

Travels from the Designated Meeting Area to the Command Post and reports to the Building Representative that all occupants are accounted for at the safe area, or not.
Waits at the Command Post for further instruction.

Stairwell Monitor Responsibilities (if applicable)

Takes position at assigned exits and assists in the evacuation of all personnel.
Feels stairwell door with back of hand for heat. If no heat is detected, opens door slowly to inspect stairwell for possible heat and smoke conditions before evacuation.
Instructs personnel to form single file lines in stairwell and directs personnel to exit along the right side of the stairwell.
Supervises and monitors evacuation flow while remaining calm and encouraging others to remain calm and orderly during evacuation.
Remains at exit until Searchers have cleared all personnel for the floor.

Elevator Monitor Responsibilities (if applicable)

Under the supervision of the Floor Warden, Elevator Monitors are responsible for ensuring that no one uses the elevators during an emergency.
Is positioned at the elevators and directs employees to the nearest stairway.
Must be familiar with the building’s emergency procedures and the location of all stairwells.
Remains at designated post until instructed to evacuate by the Floor Warden.

Searcher Responsibilities (if applicable)

Under the supervision of the Floor Warden, Searchers are responsible for finding and evacuating all personnel from the floor, specifically from remote areas such as storage rooms, file rooms, coffee/break areas, restrooms, etc.
Check all rooms including restrooms, conference rooms, reception areas, offices and remote areas.
Close, but do not lock, all doors after you have determined that the room has been evacuated.
Place a “searched” sticker or note on doors at knee height to indicate a room has been searched and evacuated. (In the event of an actual fire, the floor may be filled with smoke by the time firemen reach it and the lower the “searched” sticker is placed the easier it will be for them to see it.)
Advises any remaining personnel on the floor of the emergency and insists on their evacuation.
Evacuates non-employees found on the floor.
Must be familiar with the building’s emergency procedures and the location of all stairwells.

Assistant to the Physically Impaired Responsibilities (if applicable)

Under the supervision of the Floor Warden, the Assistant to the Physically Impaired is responsible for the safe evacuation of any physically impaired personnel, through the assistance of the Denver Fire Department.
Maintains an up-to-date list of impaired employees.
Moves all wheelchair bound personnel to the Refuge Area and waits with them until emergency personnel arrive.