Fire training: and individual approach to safety

In March 2014 New St. Isaac’s held a series of fire-safety training sessions.

Usually, when it comes to fire safety, business centres just carry out evacuation drills, turing on the emergency alarms so that all tenants can practice leaving the premises. Actual training on what actions to take in an emergency situation is usually reserved for those responsible for fire safety within a firm. The administration of New St. Isaac’s decided not to simply rely on those responsible for fire safety, and instead developed special fire safety instructions for each office. Each office has a specific plan, particularly because our building is from the 18th century and the fire exits tend to have their own peculiarities. The fire safety instructions have become an effective learning tool, illustrating the location of emergency exits on photos, and explaining how the exits open. The concise and specific instructions address the most important questions: who to call, what buttons to press, how to open doors, and where to go in the event of a fire.

The fire safety training began with email instructions, followed by the theoretical part, with a briefing on evacuation procedures. Next came the practical part, when, upon hearing the emergency alarm, people should leave their offices and the building and gather on the opposite site of the street (don’t stay in the inner courtyard!).

During the training sessions we successfully drilled 192 people in evacuation; that makes 96% of the workforce active in New St. Isaac’s. The fastest evacuation time recorded was 2 minutes, and the slowest was 6 minutes.

«Мы благодарны нашим арендаторам, которые проявили высокую сознательность, присутствовали на инструктаже и внимательно слушали, задавая вопросы. Это предварительное обучение повлияло и на высокий процент участвовавших в самой эвакуации, и на скорость покидания помещений. Важно отметить, что мы делали акцент и на редко используемые запасные выходы, предлагали эвакуироваться новым непривычным путем».

A fire safety audit was carried out by the firm “Alternativa” in 2013. At this time luminescent evacuation plans were installed, in accordance with GOSTa requirements. The northern rooms were fitted with fire-proof doors. On the recommendation of our partner, each office was equipped not only with an OP-4 powder fire extinguisher, but also with the “Shar-1” automatic extinguisher. This system is activated on contact with an open flame; all you need to do is throw or roll it towards the source of the fire and it will explode and extinguish the flames. In addition, for the occupants of the upper floors in multi-floor offices, "Feniks” hoods – designed for individual protection of the respiratory system – were purchased and made available. The transparent masks are made from fire-proof material; they can survive high temperatures and, by protecting the user from sparks and open flames, simplify evacuations.