Evacuation Drill 

For your safety, Regions Center will conduct an evacuation drill annually, during normal hours, to include every floor of both buildings.  The Evacuation Director will contact all tenants one week in advance of the scheduled drill and then again 24 hours in advance of the drill.  All Tenant Emergency Personnel should participate the drill as if it were an actual emergency.  Remember, drills are the only opportunity for practice.  Tenants should include the following in their evacuation drill preparation and activities:

• Prior to the drill, review and update the Emergency Personnel Notice and Disabled Personnel Notice and submit to the property management office.
• Review the location of fire alarm pull stations on your floor.  Discuss with employees how these are the simplest way to sound an alarm in the event fire is discovered.
• Review the location of the fire extinguishers on your floor.  Simulate the proper use of the fire extinguisher.  Point out that fire extinguishers work best when pointed at the base of the fire. 
• Disabled persons who have been identified as requiring assistance and the Disability Aides assigned to assist them should be included in the evacuation drill, but should not evacuate the building.  Instead, they should assemble near the stairwell that will be used for evacuation (preferably the one nearest the service elevator) and discuss what they would do in a real emergency.
• Practice closing, but NOT LOCKING all interior doors prior to evacuating, as would be done during a real emergency.
• Practice turning off all electrical equipment except lights prior to evacuating during the drill as would be done during a real emergency. 
• One of the most important parts of the drill is to make sure that all employees participate.  All employees should proceed to the nearest stairwell exit and move at a steady, but safe pace down the stairwell. Occupants should form a single file staying close to the outside of the stairwell. As evacuees approach the next landing, they should be prepared to move to the center (toward the inside) of the stairwell, if necessary, to allow any evacuees from that level to move to the outside of the stairwell.
• REMEMBER TO INSTRUCT YOUR EMPLOYEES, IN A REAL EMERGENCY, DO NOT ENTER THE RESTROOMS, EVACUATE TO THE ROOF, OR USE THE ELEVATORS AS A MEANS OF EVACUATION.  FIRE TRAVELS UP AND RUSHES INTO ELEVATORS.
• Disabled persons and their aides should simulate discussing with Fire Department personnel which elevators may be used for the evacuation drill or if persons with disabilities will have to be chair carried down the stairwell.
• Remind employees that in an actual fire, if caught in heavy smoke, take short breaths, breathe through your nose and crawl to escape.  Air is better near the floor.  
• A recommended safety tip is to count the number of doors from your company’s exit to the stairwell door so that you can “feel” your way out in the event of heavy smoke. 
• Once you have exited the building, proceed to the Safe Assembly Area designated by your Fire Warden and report that you have safely evacuated the building.