QHA_March 2018_Electronic_s

FOCUS
ARE YOUR EMERGENCY
PROCEDURES
GOLD MEDAL WORTHY?
Three years in the planning and now with just a few
short weeks to go before the Commonwealth Games
commence, the excitement in Queensland is palpable.
So too is the level of activity and preparation to ensure
that everything is ready and running smoothly for the
biggest international sporting event staged in Australia
for a decade, and the largest ever hosted by the Gold
Coast.
With more than 6,600 athletes and team officials from
70 Commonwealth nations and territories, 15,000
volunteers and in excess of 100,000 visitors and media
representatives expected to descend on the Gold
Coast plus the 1.5 billion people that will tune in across
the world to watch on TV, the success of this event is
likely to be measured more by what doesn’t happen
than by how many medals are won…
Events with large groups of people necessitate specific
safety requirements and the world will be watching
to see how prepared we are. Not only do the sheer
numbers of attendees pose a challenge to emergency
responders but the event type, venue and location
can present its own set of hazards,and safety is
not something you want to assume is being done
correctly.
A carefully collaborated approach by QFES and
thousands of man hours have gone into ensuring all
competition venues and other important sites and
precincts achieve building fire safety compliance,
effectively covering the safety of the general public and
athletes attending the Games. But what of the tens of
thousands of room nights required for the event?
There will be 100 per cent occupancy across the
Gold Coast and event cities Brisbane, Cairns and
Townsville, and acording to a recent media report,
many Class Two buildings which cater for mainly
permanent residents, are being increasingly used for
short-term accommodation through sites like Airbnb
without conforming to higher fire safety legislation.
One of the important obligations of business owners,
managers, and accommodation providers is to ensure
that visitors, staff and occupants are safe in the event
of an emergency. If it hasn’t been done already, now is
the time to ensure that all safety features are compliant
and maintained.
In addition to the equipment, all employees must be
trained in fire safety and understand the appointed
evacuation strategy.
Are evacuation routes clearly marked? In
accommodation buildings, are evacuation diagrams
correctly placed and orientated? Are the exits signs
and emergency lighting undamaged and maintained?
Have general evacuation and first response
instructions been given?
Has an evacuation practice been conducted? This
should be done annually, and prior to the Gold Coast
2018 Commonwealth Games would be ideal. Training
is readily available and there are a number of options
for you to investigate, but make sure your workplace is
emergency ready and that your team know what to do
in the possible event of a fire or emergency situation.
If a fire occurs, working fire protection systems
can mean the difference between a minor fire and
a devastating blaze. There is no better time to get
prepared.
Do your research, make some plans, get some advice
and make sure you are prepared for one of the biggest
events to hit the Gold Coast and your business.
Call 1300 80 FIRE and be ready.
Australian Fire Protection are proud members of
the QHA who specialise in preparing people for
emergencies through training, independent auditing
and thorough evacuation diagrams.
Preparing people for Emergencies
australianfireprotection.com.au
Ph:1300 80 3437
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