The 101 on being an emergency warden
Congratulations - you’re a warden! What’s next?
If you are a warden in your facility you have a critical role to play in ensuring the safety of the building, and its occupants during an emergency prior to the arrival of emergency services. You form a part of what is known as the Emergency Control Organisation (ECO) for your facility.
To be compliant as a warden you must have successfully completed a training session within the past 12 months (if you haven’t, then head over to our training page and we’ll get you booked in). During this training there is a great deal of information that you will need to take on board, so this article is designed to give you an overview only and is not recognised as a training course.
The first thing all ECO members should understand is your facility’s emergency plan. This is a document that covers:
Emergency contacts – ECO, utility companies, tradies, hospitals, neighbours etc.
Site procedures for managing various types of emergencies
Emergency resources available on site
Site layout, showing exits, assembly areas, hazards etc.
Training register
Evacuation procedures
Evacuation diagrams
Communications systems
PEEP’s
Any other critical information that you will be required to know during an emergency should be included in this documentation.
If you’re not familiar with your emergency plan then go and find it and get to know it. If you don’t have one, then the time to act is now – before an emergency occurs – get in touch with us today. Building occupants may be at serious risk if there is no emergency plan, and this is a legislative requirement for most facilities in Australia.
What do I have to do during an emergency?
That depends on your facility and the type of emergency. We will list some basic duties of each member of the ECO, but remember to follow your emergency plan, and never put your safety at risk.
The first thing you should do is ensure your own safety, remember that during an emergency you could face many hazards.
Wear your ECO identification so people know you are a designated person to control the emergency.
Chief Warden
Ascertain the nature of the emergency to determine what actions are required
Ensure you call emergency services 000 (or delegate someone to do this)
Report to the facility emergency control point (this may be the fire alarm panel or EWIS)
Alert ECO members and instruct them on what actions they shall take
Order evacuation (if required)
Record details of evacuation (reporting any unaccounted persons to emergency services)
Handover to emergency services (they may need keys, or someone to guide them to the affected area)
Floor/Area Warden
Ascertain nature of the emergency and actions required (as instructed by Chief Warden)
Remain in a central location as your Wardens will be reporting back to you
Instruct Wardens what actions are required of them
Commence evacuation (if required)
Ensure all Wardens have checked their designated areas (including toilets)
Ensure PEEPs have been assisted
Report evacuation status to Chief Warden
Proceed to the assembly area
Conduct roll call and report any unaccounted persons to Chief Warden
Warden
Ascertain nature of the emergency and actions required (as instructed by Area/Floor Warden or Chief Warden)
Assist with evacuation as soon as and when directed
Search your designated area to ensure everyone is out
Report evacuation status to Area/Floor Warden (if applicable)
Proceed to the assembly area
It is important to note, that if at any time you feel unsafe then you must evacuate and report to the Chief Warden immediately. While these are typical actions, your facility emergency plan may have specific ECO duties for you to conduct (eg. evacuate immediately upon hearing evacuation tone, don’t wait to be instructed).
Practice
The best way to ensure people in our facility are prepared for an emergency is to practice.
You should conduct a trial evacuation at least once every 12 months (more regularly for some facilities) Safety 101 can coordinate and report these trial evacuations for you.
Training your ECO: ensure you receive training every 12 months to ensure you retain the critical safety requirements, as well as familiarising yourself with the team who you will be working with during an emergency.
Remember, you must ensure the 4 stages of emergency preparedness are covered in your emergency plan:
Prevent
Prepare
Respond
Recover
Contact Safety 101 today if you identified any concerns regarding your emergency preparedness - we’d love to help you.