The position of Floor Captain is that of a volunteer, providing aid to other building occupants, visitors and students in the event of an emergency. Floor captains are responsible for knowing all exit locations from occupied areas of their building. Floor captains are NOT, however, expected to risk their personal safety by delaying their own evacuation from a building in order to perform rescue or structural firefighting activities for which they are neither properly trained, nor equipped.

To help achieve safe, orderly evacuations and provide the best possible aid to others, Floor Captains are to implement these steps whenever a fire alarm begins to sound:

1. At the sound of the evacuation alarm, proceed to an exit and verify it is usable, i.e. free of smoke and obstructions. (For information on the evacuation routes for your building, please review the Emergency Evacuation Maps for your building.)
2. Calmly and clearly announce that the building must be evacuated and direct people to leave via this exit in a calm and orderly fashion.
3. Caution occupants against the use of elevators.
4. With evacuation underway, quickly check their assigned Floor area to make certain that no one is left behind.
5. As soon as their assigned area has been checked, complete their own evacuation of the building.
6. If the recommended evacuation route should become blocked, carefully reroute all evacuees to another available exit.
7. Encourage people to move at least 100 feet away from the building and away from the building entrances.*
8. Re-entry into the building is not permitted unless authorized by Fire Department personnel.

REMEMBER: At all times, your personal safety is of paramount importance. At no time should any of these activities be undertaken if your personal safety will be at risk.

*The Department of University Safety and Assurances is in the process of assessing the locations that has been designated as "Areas of Assembly" for campus buildings. These designated assembly areas are located in an open area away from the building and out of the way of responding emergency personnel vehicles, fire lanes, fire hydrants and equipment staging areas. There may be more than one assembly area designated depending on the size of the building, type of evacuation event and the location of the exits. These proposed locations will be evaluated to determine their suitability.

Once these "Areas of Assembly" have been evaluated and final locations selected, information on the locations will be shared with the building occupants. Floor captains should become familiar with the designated "Areas of Assembly" for their building and will assist occupants in moving to the assembly area(s) during an actual evacuation.

Floor captains will serve as the contact people within the building to receive information (phone call or email) from the building chair giving indication of an emergency situation. Your role will be to make a sweep of the floor to which you are assigned to ensure that everyone is leaving the area and proceeding to the shelter and aid in the move to shelter or in the evacuation of their floor, assuming safety permits such action. Not everyone will be familiar with the shelter location(s), so you may need to direct people to the shelter area.

The floor captain is to check each room on their designated floor to ensure that all occupants are aware of the emergency and the need to move to shelter. The captains are responsible only for warning all individuals on their floor, but are not responsible for convincing or forcing people to take shelter. Ask people to move quickly and calmly to the shelter area using the nearest stairwell.

Notify the building chair or emergency responders of any suspected or known unsafe conditions present on their floor.

REMEMBER: At all times, your personal safety is of paramount importance. At no time should any of these activities be undertaken if your personal safety will be at risk.

The Department of University Safety and Assurances (US&A) has established a program to team up with Building Chairs to quickly and effectively address safety issues. This program is entitled the "Campus Community Health and Safety Liaisons". Each campus building is assigned a liaison from the Department of US&A. In the event of a safety, health or risk management concern regarding your building your University Safety and Assurances building contact will function as a primary contact to help resolve that concern. Staff members meet with the building chairs throughout the year to discuss new departmental initiatives and to increase awareness of safety concerns.

Should you have any questions concerning Floor Captain responsibilities, please contact the Campus Community Health and Safety Representative for your building.