RACE – A Fire Safety Plan
- Diana Adespei
- Nov 21, 2022
- 5 min read
What does RACE stand for?
Rescue or Remove
Alarm or Alert
Contain or Confine
Extinguish or Evacuate
A building fire can cause those who work or live there to form feelings of intense anxiety. In their confusion, many can be injured or lose their lives. Prevention of tragic incidents like The Grenfell Tower Fire, governments have implemented policies that form a detailed Emergency Evacuation Plan. The plan must be easy for everyone to read, accessible on all floors and known by all on the premises, including customers. The instructions, according to law, need to show the building's strategy for an exit: a suitable meeting point, how and where to report, and other specific instructions to exit the building safely.
RACE shows hospitals and nursing homes how to evacuate patients. It became so effective and popular that it transferred to every area of business and life. Teaching methods are accustomed to all ages and the steps to creating and following a fire safety plan. The steps are easy to remember, employee training would happen before a fire could occur, and it is always beneficial to have them available to diminish any information lost. These plans will often be in every communal area, in plain sight and highlighted by bold red, blue, yellow, green, or white colours.
The acronym tool created the above steps to:
Remove or rescue the occupants of the building and ensure everyone is in a safe place that can identify anyone who may be missing.
Alert the authorities (999, 000, 911, etc.) and sound internal and external alert systems.
Once everyone is safely at the assembly points and authorities are called, confine the fire by the fire doors, sprinklers, and other fire containment equipment available.
Extinguishing the flames should only be done by trained staff who can operate fire extinguishers if there is an opportunity to do so without endangering their life. If unable to safely tackle the blaze, evacuate to a designated meeting point and wait for the authorities.
Legislation
Article 24 of the Fire Safety Order, under Section Seven, Part One of the United Kingdom’s code of practice. It states that the party responsible must know whether training is needed and how to give the training with a complete understanding. Extra precautions on top of the RACE Formula are essential by creating a report with all the information needed to keep everyone in the building safe.
The report details the expectations of the plan by ensuring all staff and other occupants are knowledgeable or trained in:
Registration of others to assembly points
Using a fire alarm, panel, equipment etc.
You are being a Fire Marshal and understanding any other duties specific to the evacuation. Such as a separate plan for the vulnerable or disabled.
Direct those who do not frequent the premises.
The RACE evacuation procedure should never replace the detailed training needed before, during or after scheduled and random drill tests. Over half will know how to handle a fire. In an emergency, ideally, you want everyone to use a fire extinguisher and find the correct assembly points. A huge problem will arise when only a percentage of people who live or work in the building know where the fire extinguishers and alarms are. While the RACE acronym is the perfect tool for helping aid those in an emergency, the detailed training required is vital for those designated roles.
The RACE Committee
A committee is often essential and law in many countries to oversee and appoint roles specific to Emergencies. The function of a committee is to keep up with legislation and practice updates promptly and to implement any new practices added to the Emergency Evacuation Plan. Depending on the establishment and whether it is for commercial or domestic uses, the committee will work to keep the plan appropriate and straightforward to follow.
They will work together with the owner of the building and external evaluators to keep the plan to the following rules:
Clear and concise identification of handling. Where staff and residents should assemble, the steps of being the first person to recognise the crisis and how any other occupants will be warned and alerted of key evacuation routes and assembly points.
What if an evacuation route is compromised? How to fight a fire to escape? If trained, specifically in firefighting?
The roles and responsibilities of critical members trained in fire evacuation understand their duties and can identify those who are at substantial risk of injury or death.
What must be off to contain a fire? What contingencies are for when specific fire safety tools and systems are malfunctioning?
Who calls and meets with the authorities, giving them the necessary information and whether there are increased risks in the building? Such as flammable objects or trapped and injured persons.
The training needed and who will be the appropriate person to give it. Designed or updated evacuation plans to include areas that may need phases and what to do after everyone has left the premises.
In a small establishment, for example, a shared house, the committee or evacuation plan and report are not critical. However, it is still in your best interests to identify a plan for dealing with children, pets, personal belongings, and dangerous weather. How would you safely get away from the building and stop others from trying to join or find their friends and family? The notices created by the RACE acronym will be more than enough for smaller buildings, but trained staff in the procedures with appropriate assessments and drills in place for practice.
The PASS Acronym
To effectively teach all ages how to operate a fire extinguisher, the PASS steps on small fires are sufficient because they have a limited capacity compared to the tools used by firefighters. Many establishments will have fire extinguishers near places that are likely to cause fires. But specific training is essential for showing those trained in tackling fires to identify which extinguishers will help and which could exacerbate the situation. To use a fire extinguisher with the PASS method, the operator must:
Pull - the pin from its place, usually located at the top of the extinguisher.
Aim - the nozzle at the base, getting a solid grip.
Squeeze - both handles tightly together using your free hand.
Sweep - the nozzle back and forth, keeping to the bottom of the fire.
Equipment for the RACE Acronym
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