I. Introduction Loss Prevention Surveys



Yüklə 2,18 Mb.
səhifə15/31
tarix17.08.2018
ölçüsü2,18 Mb.
#71497
1   ...   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   ...   31

Performance:

It is vital for the safety of all employees that hotel evacuations occur smoothly and with

minimal delay. For this reason, a detailed evaluation should be made after every fire drill

and kept in a fire drill log. This log should include recording the date and time of the

drill, a list of the participating hotel staff and the total elapsed time from the initiation of

the alarm to the evacuation of the last hotel employee. In addition, input should be

solicited from employees and supervisors as to how to improve the procedure. These

suggestions should be evaluated and incorporated, as necessary, into the hotel’s

emergency procedures manual. Copies of the fire drill log should be kept on file.

Fire Safety

IX-5


Due to the varying size of hotels, a common standard cannot be set for an acceptable

length of time needed for a successful evacuation. Every effort should be made to

evacuate the hotel as quickly as possible.

Sample Fire Drill Checklist:

In the days prior to the drill:



  • Set date and time for fire drill

  • Notify hotel personnel that a fire drill will be taking place on this date

  • Prepare a letter for guests notifying all check-ins who are scheduled to stay in the

  • hotel on the day of the drill and present this to them as they check-in.

  • Call the fire department and inform them when you are going to have the fire drill and

  • ask for their input and participation.

  • Decide how the alarm is to be activated (will hotel management sound the alarm to

  • begin the drill; or will a mock fire need to be discovered by a member of the hotel

  • staff, who will in turn activate the alarm).

  • The day of the drill:

  • Call the fire alarm monitoring company and inform them that you are about to

  • perform a test of the system and that you will call back when finished.

  • Station an observer in the rally point area to begin timing the drill as soon as the

  • alarm sounds.

  • Initiate the alarm.

  • Evacuate the building

  • Verify that all employees have been evacuated

  • Record evacuation time (from the initial alarm until the final employee has checked

  • in)

  • Obtain feedback from employees about the drill (what worked well, what needs

  • improvement, how can changes be implemented, etc.)

  • Post drill:

  • The drill should be evaluated

  • Consider suggestions for improvement

  • Make applicable changes in hotel policy

  • Update the hotel’s Emergency Procedures Manual

  • Train staff in any changes

The drill should be documented to identify the effectiveness of the procedures, areas for

improvement and any problems with equipment.

A sample fire drill report form is included in the appendix.

Fire Safety

IX-6


Sample Lobby Sign:

Sample Guest Letter:

Sample Post Drill Evaluation Form for Evacuations:

Date: _________________

Shift: _________________

Time initial alarm sounds: _________________am / pm

Time evacuation is complete: ______________am / pm

Total time to complete evacuation: _________



< 4 min: Excellent

4 – 8 min: Acceptable

8 – 12 min: Needs Improvement

> 12 min: Unacceptable

(Note: These times will vary depending upon building size and complexity. Check with

your local fire marshal to determine what is acceptable for your hotel.)

Employee Suggestions:

Changes implemented:

Updated training completed on: ___________________

Dear Guest,

While you are staying at our hotel, we will be performing a fire drill. The drill will occur on (insert day

and date here) at approximately (insert time here). Hotel participation in the fire drill helps ensure that

our staff is adequately trained in the event of a fire. Please excuse any inconvenience this may cause you

while staying at our facility. We will make every effort to minimize the impact upon your stay. Your

participation is appreciated but is not required. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to

contact me through the hotel operator.

Sincerely,

__________________________

General Manager

To help ensure guest and employee safety, the hotel will be

practicing a fire drill today at (insert time). Your participation

is appreciated but is not required. We apologize for any

inconvenience this might cause. If you have any questions,

please see a member of the hotel staff at the front desk.



Fire Safety

IX-7


Fire Prevention

Flammable Liquids

The use of flammable liquids should be minimized whenever possible. Often, nonflammable

paints and chemicals may be easily substituted. The following should be

required when handling or storing flammable liquids:



  • Flammable liquids should be stored in their original, closed container.

  • A flammable liquid storage area should be selected for the hotel.

  • The storage area should be free of ignition sources; outside and away from the hotel

  • when possible.

  • Signage indicating "NO-SMOKING" and "Caution - Flammable Liquids" should be

  • conspicuously posted.

  • All flammable liquids should be stored in an approved fire rated flammable liquids

  • storage cabinet.

  • A minimum 4A-20BC fire extinguisher should be installed at the entrance to the area.

Often, the hotel may have a need for the storage of gasoline for yard maintenance, snow

removal and other equipment. When gasoline is required, the amount should be limited

to a maximum of 5 gallons. Gasoline should be stored in an approved safety can. Plastic

and non-rated containers should be avoided.



Laundry

Greasy kitchen rags are a major cause of laundry fires. The presence of grease on

combustible material, in a closed environment creates the potential for spontaneous

combustion. Rag fires usually occur when they are washed at the end of a shift and then

placed in a driver over night. The heat from the dryer begins the combustion process. It

may take several hours of the rags smoldering before full ignition takes place. To prevent

greasy kitchen rag fires from occurring, the following procedures should be implemented:


      • The rags should be brought down to the laundry at the end of the business day.

      • Rags should be soaked in a degreaser overnight.

      • In the morning, they should be removed and washed.

      • Rags should be placed in the dryer and allowed to complete the cool down cycle.

      • Once dry, they should be removed and inspected to ensure the heat has dissipated.

      • Rags which are retaining heat should be spread and allowed to cool before folding.

Since it takes a long time for the combustion process to begin, by washing the rags in the

morning, staff will have ample notice of a problem before a fire can ignite.

Another cause of fire in laundry rooms is a buildup of highly combustible dryer lint. To

prevent this, dryer lint screens should be cleaned at the beginning of each shift.

Secondary traps and filters should be inspected and cleaned on a regular basis.
Fire Safety

IX-8


Laundry & Trash Chutes

To help prevent smoke spread during a fire, the terminus of laundry and trash chutes

should be equipped with a fire rated door and self-closing mechanism. The door should

only be held open with a fusible link to ensure it will close during a fire.

Laundry and trash chute doors located on guest floors should be equipped with fire rated

doors and self-closing/self-latching hardware. The doors should remain closed at all

times to help limit smoke spread. To help prevent unauthorized use or guest injury,

either the chute door or the door leading to the chute area should remain locked at all

times.

Kitchen

Grease, if allowed to accumulate in kitchen hood, creates a significant potential for fire.

Regular maintenance is necessary to limit this hazard. Kitchen hood filters should be

removed and cleaned on a daily basis. The hood and duct system should be

professionally cleaned by a third party on a quarterly basis. Additional cleanings may be

necessary depending on operations.

Kitchen hoods and ducts should be protected by a full surface extinguishing system. The

system should be inspected on a semi-annual basis.

Many gas lines are equipped with devices which will automatically shut off the flow of

gas in the event the kitchen hood extinguishing system activates. In systems which lack

this feature, the manual gas shut off should be conspicuously labeled and easily

accessible.

Deep fryers should be protected from sources of open flame. The fryer should either be

eighteen inches from all open flame appliances or an eight inch high baffle should be

installed between the fryer and the open flame equipment.

Cooking food should never be left unattended. When the kitchen closes, care should be

taken to ensure all cooking appliances are turned off. Non-kitchen staff should not be

allowed to enter the kitchen or prepare food after the kitchen is closed.



Public Areas

Adequate receptacles for smoking materials should be available and maintained.

Material should not be stored in stairwells or guest corridors.

Smoking Policy

Smoking is the number one cause of accidental fires. For this reason, the hotel should

establish a specific smoking policy. Smoking should be allowed in designated areas

only. This helps to ensure a safe working environment. Employees should be informed

at the time of orientation where the designated smoking areas are and when they may use

them. If the smoking area is outside of the hotel, consideration should be given to

providing the employees with some level of protection from the environment.

Employees should be informed that the smoking policy is not designed to inconvenience



Fire Safety

IX-9


smokers or to isolate them from other employees, rather it has been established to save

lives and property.

A sample Fire Safety Inspection Report is available in the appendix.

Fire Alarm Systems

Early notification of guests and employees to a potential fire is necessary to ensure their

safety. All fire alarms should be reacted to as if they are real and fully investigated.

Alarms both false and actual should be documented in an alarm log along with the date,

time, and cause of the alarm.

The MOD or other designated individual trained in the operation of the fire panel should

inspect the fire panel once per shift to ensure it is operating normally. Trouble alarms,

tamper alarms or other problems indicated on the panel should be investigated

immediately. The panel condition should be documented in a log along with the date,

time and individual inspecting the panel.

If the fire alarm system becomes inoperative, immediately notify the General Manager,

the fire department and the Risk Management Department.

The repair company should be contacted and asked for expedited service. One or more

persons should be given the responsibility for a fire watch that patrols the affected

area(s), and necessary precautions should be taken to maintain the safety of employees

and guests.

When the repairs are completed and have been satisfactorily tested, written certification

from the servicing company of the repairs that were made and that the system was made

fully operational should be obtained and filed.

All aforementioned persons and organizations should be informed of the return to normal

operations.

If local officials of the fire marshal's office inspect the hotel and indicate that additional

fire protection equipment is necessary to comply with the local fire code, please contact

the Loss Prevention Department for assistance.



Fire Safety

IX-10


Smoke Control

Smoke control is essential for saving lives in the event of a fire. In the majority of all

fires, more injuries and deaths occur from smoke inhalation than from the actual fire

itself. Smoke control is accomplished through the concept of compartmentalization. The

following components are important to ensure proper compartmentalization of the hotel:

Fire doors including stairwell, guest room, storage and mechanical room doors should

be equipped with self-closing and self-latching hardware and should not be propped

open.


Laundry and trash chutes should be equipped with self-closing and self-latching fire

rated doors. Doors should not be propped open.

Unprotected openings in fire rated walls, floors and ceilings including pipe chases,

ductwork, cables and conduit should be sealed with an approved fire stopping

material.

Means of Egress

Places of assembly shall have three (3) exits (on opposite ends) for 300 - 1,000 people

and two (2) exits for between 50 and 300 people. All EXITS should be properly

identified and illuminated.

Corridors, stairways and aisles should be free of temporary or permanent blockages such

as chairs, tables, linen, trays, trolleys or trash. To provide illumination in the event of a

power failure, emergency lighting should be available in all meeting and public areas.

Entry and exit doors should not be held open with wedges or latch bolts. If required to

remain open, they should be held open magnetically and close automatically upon

activation of the fire alarm system. Exit doors should not be locked or secured in a way

that could prevent egress at any time. Doors to exit stairs should close and latch

automatically after.

Exits should be clearly labeled. Care should be taken to ensure directional arrows lead to

the exit.

Doors, which may be mistaken for an exit, should be clearly marked "NOT AN EXIT"

or should be marked by a sign indicating its actual use e.g. "STORAGE ROOM" .

Care should be taken to ensure that items such as decorations or furnishings do not impair

the visibility of the exit.



Exit doors should remain free of obstructions and should only be secured through

the use of panic hardware.
Fire Safety

IX-11


Banquets, Meetings & Functions

During banquets, parties and other functions the hotel should consider:

Decoration materials should be flame-retardant. Minor decoration materials that are

not flame retardant should not be located near spotlights nor any other possible

ignition sources. Note: Temporary flame-retardancy can be achieved through

chemical treatment.

Booths, stages, etc. constructed of readily combustible materials should not be

permitted. Example: Styrofoam.

Adequate services and facilities should be available for the removal of packing and

other combustible materials before an exhibit opens, and no such materials should be

permitted to accumulate.

Preferably, there should not be more than 14 seats between aisles and no more than 7

seats between a wall and an aisle.

Where necessary, maintain a fire watch in the exhibit areas during set-up, while the

exhibit is open, and during exhibit breakdown.

Local codes and ordinances should be observed regarding the use of flammable and

combustible materials as a part of the meeting or exhibition.

In rooms seating more than 200 people, the chairs should be fastened to each other to

maintain safe egress.

Spread of fire from potential ignition sources, such as open flames from handy fuel

for chafing dishes, flambé cooking, candle-light dinners etc., shall be prevented by

providing flame-retardant decoration materials, full sprinkler coverage, and fire

detection and alarm systems. Such ignition sources shall be remote from any flame

supporting material.

Gas and charcoal cooking in areas not designated for this purpose, as defined by the

NFPA, should not be permitted. Protected outdoor areas are excluded from this

requirement.

Buffets and other temporary set-ups should not obstruct access to exits, electric

panels and fire fighting equipment such as hoses and fire extinguishers.

Movable electric cooking, heating or warming equipment is not to be connected or

used in a manner that may present a fire hazard.

Secure ladders and platforms should be used in the erection of materials on walls and

ceilings.

Pyrotechnics (fireworks) within function rooms are not permitted, and their use

outdoors on hotel property should be carefully monitored by specialized professionals

retained for their use.

Precautions should be taken to ensure that only authorized people are admitted to

function areas.

Function rooms not in use should remain locked. While occupied, all exits should be

unlocked.



Fire Safety

IX-12


Self Inspection

To assist your safety committee members in conducting inspections of the property, a

Loss Prevention Checklist is provided in the appendix. This checklist should be revised

by individual General Managers to conform to their property requirements.

It is suggested that a different member of the safety committee be requested to complete

this checklist each month and present the results at the safety committee meeting for

discussion.
Fire Safety

IX-13


Maintenance

To help ensure the availability and functionality of life safety equipment, it should be

inspected and tested on a regular schedule in compliance of local codes and brand

standards. The following is a suggested inspection and testing schedule:

Kitchen - Dry or Wet Chemical - 6 Months

Automatic Sprinkler System - 6 Months

Fire Alarm - 6 Months

Fire Pump - 12 Months

Hood & Duct System (cleaning) - 3 Months

Emergency Generator (load test) - 12 Months

Portable Extinguishers - 12 Months

Guest Room Smoke Detectors - 3 Months

All inspections, with the exception of guestroom smoke detectors, should be conducted

by a licensed and insured contractor. Guestroom smoke detectors may be tested inhouse.



Work Orders

To help ensure that prompt attention is given to any life safety issue, and to help maintain

a safe environment for guests and employees, each hotel should have a work order

prioritizing system. This system should designate all life safety work orders so that they

receive immediate priority when scheduling repairs. There are many ways of designating

life safety work orders, such as having life safety work orders be a different color or be

placed into a separate bin. Upon receipt of the work order, the Chief Engineer or their

designee should give immediate attention to the life safety request. These work orders

should take precedence over other maintenance issues.

Fire Safety

IX-14


Sprinklers

Many hotels are equipped with automatic fire sprinkler systems. These systems are

designed to contain a fire until the fire department can respond. Sprinklers operate

individually and are activated by the heat created by a fire. When a sprinkler head reaches

the set temperature, the head opens and water will begin flowing. This will send a signal

to the fire alarm indicating a sprinkler head has activated. Water will continue to flow

until the system is shut off.

If a head malfunctions or if it is damaged by a guest or employee, there is significant

potential for water damage. Selected members of staff and MOD's on all shifts should be

trained how to respond when a head malfunctions. A map of the hotel indicating the

location of sprinkler isolation valves should be posted at the fire panel. Care should be

taken to isolate only the affected section of the system. After a section has been isolated

the procedures outlined in the "Impairments" section of this manual should be

implemented.



Smoke Detectors

Hotels have been provided with smoke detection equipment. There are two basic types of

smoke detectors in use:

The photoelectric detector operates on a simple mechanism, which transmits a beam of

light from one cell to another. As the smoke enters the light chamber, the intensity of the

light beam is reduced. This reduction of light causes the detector to alarm.

The ionization detector operates by ionizing the air in a special chamber. Smoke particles

entering the chamber upset the normal ionization, which results in an alarm condition.

Hotels should be equipped with in-room smoke detectors for the guestrooms. These are

typically “stand alone”, “hardwired” smoke detectors. That is, these smoke detectors

typically only sound a local alarm within the room in which they are located, and they are

connected to the hotel’s electrical system and equipped with a battery back-up.

In addition to guestroom smoke detectors, hotels may also be equipped with “system”

smoke detectors located in the guestroom corridors and throughout the rest of the hotel.

These smoke detectors are connected to the fire alarm panel and will activate a general

alarm throughout the building. They are powered by the alarm system.



Fire Safety

IX-15


Fire Fighting Equipment

Portable Fire Equipment

Fire extinguishers may be designed to work with one or more of these types of fires.

Care should be taken to ensure that the appropriate class of extinguisher is available for

the hazards in each area. The most common extinguisher is the multi-purpose

extinguisher typically these are designed to fight ABC or BC type fires.

Each hotel should have a full complement of fire extinguishers in compliance with local

codes. Extinguishers should be visually checked on a monthly basis to ensure they are in

place and fully charged. Missing or defective extinguishers should be removed and

replaced. Extinguishers should be serviced annually be a third party.

A fire extinguisher can only be as effective as its operator. All employees should be

familiar with the use and operation of the various types of fire extinguishers on the

property.



Yüklə 2,18 Mb.

Dostları ilə paylaş:
1   ...   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   ...   31




Verilənlər bazası müəlliflik hüququ ilə müdafiə olunur ©muhaz.org 2024
rəhbərliyinə müraciət

gir | qeydiyyatdan keç
    Ana səhifə


yükləyin