As building owners and managers begin to welcome tenants back to their properties, there are many adjustments that must be made. Procedures are being developed to encourage physical distancing and ensure the safety and well-being of the tenants. BOMA International has created a set of guidelines to guide building owners and managers as they develop plans for an important procedure: mandatory fire and evacuation drills.
Over the next several months, many properties will need to conduct a fire drill or an evacuation drill. In order to perform these drills safely and in compliance with the recommended COVID-19 physical distancing guidelines, BOMA International has compiled a guidance document with information from the International Fire Code, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Coronavirus Resource Center, the International Code Council and the National Fire Protection Association.
This guide is just one more tool for members to use when strategizing about their re-entry guidelines. Fire and evacuation drills are mandatory for many properties and are sometimes required to be carried out multiple times a year. However, with new physical distancing guidelines, many of these drill procedures will need to be altered to ensure the health and safety of all tenants, staff and visitors.
Once an evacuation drill has been altered, it is important to make sure the new instructions are thoroughly communicated to all persons who have chosen to re-enter the property. Beyond the BOMA International guidance document, it is important to check with local fire officials for recommendations and to ensure a property is adhering to local fire codes.
“We think it is important for our members to be equipped with as many resources as possible as we enter this new phase of re-entry,” BOMA Georgia Executive Director Gabriel Eckert said. “Guides like this one help our members create cohesive plans as they open their buildings that focus of the health and safety of their occupants.”
Find out more by reading the BOMA International COVID-19 Emergency Evacuation Guidelines.