Explanation Of Fire Alarm Safety for the WRC
Where we were (May – June 2018)
• There were no fire lane markings on the Southern end of Olive Road on the High School side of the road. The only fire lane markings in the WRC parking lot were on the High School pavilion at the West end fire lane entrance to the parking lot. This fire lane extended about eight parking spaces into the parking lot, and by the 26 foot extension convention overlapped those parking spaces by about a foot.
• There were no audible or visual outside fire alarm devices to warn patrons in the parking lot that a building evacuation was in progress.
• With no fire lane markings painted on the pavement of the WRC parking lot patrons were free to wander about freely on foot or back out of parking spaces at will and thereby obstruct the progress of fire trucks emerging from the West entrance fire lane. With no audible and visual outside fire alarm patrons in the parking lot, both on foot and in vehicles, were oblivious to a fire alarm and a building evacuation, this enabled patrons to proceeded with a “business as usual” approach resulting in freely walking and crossing the center lane of the parking lot and backing out of parking spaces, without regard to oncoming fire trucks.
• Evacuation procedures did not task WRC staff with caring for patrons once outside the building other than guiding building evacuees toward the tennis courts. Patrons already wandering the parking lot were on their own.
• “No parking” signs did not exist around the cul-de-sac circle or at the end of Olive Road, so it was used as an auxiliary parking area.
• On Mondays and Wednesdays at 10 AM all parking spaces in the WRC parking lot were occupied and 20 to 30 vehicles were parked on both sides of Olive Road and in the cul-de-sac circle. This made Olive Road into a one lane road too narrow for large fire trucks to pass.
• Fire trucks could still access the WRC parking lot by using the West end fire lane connection between the High School parking lot and the WRC parking lot.
• Fire trucks that managed to arrive at the middle of the WRC parking lot could suppress fire at the Southern side of the High School building but could only do so from behind parked vehicles in the Northern parking spaces of the WRC and at about 26 feet from the curb.
evergreensafetywatch
7/31/18