Annual Fire Drill on Tuesday, February 26th at 9:00am
The Grande North staff, Siemens, and San Diego Fire Department will be hosting its Annual Fire Drill on Tuesday, February 26th at 9:00am.
During this exercise we will simulate the alarms and reset after the fire drill is complete.
The 2019 Building Fire Drill is around the corner and Management wanted to provide the details for the upcoming drill so all staff members and residents can get the most out of the exercise. The purpose of this drill is to replicate a true emergency and have everyone safely exit the building so emergency personnel can enter our building and help our residents for whatever emergency is presented. Below are the building emergency instructions we want each resident to follow along with some helpful information regarding building emergencies. Please read through this information and take a look at where the closest stairwells are, so you are ready for the drill on the 26th. We also attached the full high rise procedures manual for your records. This document has a ton of helpful information, we suggest you keep this document handy so you are prepared in case an issue arises.
NOTE: This fire drill is completely voluntary for residents, however, we encourage as many people as possible participate as the process is very helpful in case you ever have to evacuate the building during a real emergency. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this information, please reach out to management for assistance.
During our Fire Drill Alarm Event at the Grande North the following will occur:
o All of the elevator lobby fire doors, on each floor, will automatically close even if there is no emergency event on that floor. The doors will not be able to be propped open until the system has been reset by our building engineer or the fire department as the doors are held open by an electro-magnet. If you are in the elevator lobby when the doors close, you can open them to get out.
o The elevator cars will go to the ground floor, meaning that the emergency stair wells are your only means of exiting the building. The stair wells are pressurized to minimize the smoke entering the stair well during a fire emergency. ALWAYS EXIT DOWN THE STAIRS AS THERE IS NO ROOF TOP ACCESS OR ESCAPE. THE ROOF IS LOCKED AND CANNOT BE OPENED BY A RESIDENT!
o The System will automatically sound and play a pre-recorded announcement regarding the event. ONLY the ceiling speakers on the “Impacted Floor(s)” (both in your unit and the common area halls of the impacted floor(s) will sound the announcement. The alarm will not sound on the non-impacted floors.
o In addition to the Impacted Floors, the System will simultaneously sound the alarm in (a) both emergency stair wells, (b) the elevator cabs, and (c) the front lobby area.
o The common area HVAC System vents on all floors will close and the emergency stair wells will pressurize to try to minimize the smoke entering
o The emergency stair wells will begin to pressurize to keep smoke out of the stairwells.
WHERE TO GO:
Under any evacuation conditions, Grande North residents should go to the parking lot on the south side of The Grande South (corner of Pacific Highway and Broadway) so that a management staff member or First Responder Committee Member can get the identification and a head count of all residents who exited the building safely. Report to Staff or First Responders the condition on your floor as you left. This information will help the fire department. DO NOT CONGREGATE IN THE FRONT CIRCLE AREA. FALLING GLASS AND DEBRIS IS THE BIGGEST RISK IN A HIGH RISE EVACUATION. GO TO THE PARKING LOT ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE GRANDE SOUTH South (corner of Pacific Highway and Broadway) AWAY FROM THE FRONT OR SIDE OF THE BUILDING.
Grande North residents unable to exit their units or use exit stairwells because of physical limitations or obstructions, are best advised to:
(a) immediately call 911, (b) stay in your unit with the door securely shut. If the fire is in your unit, you should leave the unit, shutting the door behind you and either go to a neighbor’s unit or wait on the stairwell landing. If you hear the alarm, and the fire is not in your unit, you should close as many doors as possible in your unit. Closed doors will slow down the spread of smoke and flames. Place towels or pillows at the bottom of your front door and the door of the room you are in, to fill any space that smoke may come through. Sit as close as possible to the floor where the air is coolest and fresher and wait for further assistance. Don’t break windows, this could allow smoke from outside the building to enter. Placing something colored and noticeable in the window or from your balcony will help notify the Fire Department of your location. If smoke begins to enter the unit, call 911 from the phone and report the situation to the dispatcher. If you are forced out to your balcony area, your biggest risk may be exploding glass. Take heavy blankets or jackets with you to cover yourself and stay down low.
FIRE DRILL COMPLETION:
This drill should take 30-45 minutes and once we are certain most of the resident participants have come to the parking lot on the South side of the Grande South, Management will alert the resident the fire drill is over and they can go back to their units.