Scenario A: There’s a fire raging in Oakland, and it’s headed towards the Berkeley Lab main site. You’ve received a LabAlert on your phone or email to evacuate the Lab.
Scenario B: There’s a nearby building fire in Emeryville and you’ve received an order to evacuate your building in EmeryStation East.
Scenario C: The fire alarm in your building is ringing.
In all three scenarios, the response is to evacuate. But what exactly does that mean? What about the equipment you were working with? Do you need to turn each piece of equipment off? And where do you evacuate to?
“The main priority in any fire response is life safety; property protection is secondary,” said Ian de Vries, a fire protection engineer at the Lab. “If you’ve received an order to evacuate or if the fire alarm is going off, then exit as soon as possible.”
If the evacuation is triggered by a fire alarm, individuals should exit the building promptly and gather at a nearby Evacuation Assembly Area (EAA), then wait for additional instructions. Ensure you are familiar with the EAAs near the work locations you frequent so that you know where to go during a fire alarm.
In scenarios where a wildfire is threatening the Lab, LabAlert notifications will be sent to staff, instructing personnel to evacuate the Laboratory. The goal in these situations is to evacuate the Lab calmly and without delay, moving to off-site areas that are not threatened by the wildfire. In short, grab your essentials – keys, wallet, phone, badge (and go-bag if you have one) – and go. It is important to pay attention to LabAlert instructions and monitor status.lbl.gov to know the proper course of action for the specific emergency condition.
If evacuation from the Lab is required, individuals should be prepared for potential traffic delays due to the limited egress routes from the Lab and the busy city streets below. Please remain calm and patient during this process.
What about the research equipment?
For those who are concerned about the physical lab or what to do with equipment in case of a fire, Ian notes that a good portion of the Lab’s fire response system is automated. For example, overhead fire sprinklers activate automatically. Fire doors have automatic closing mechanisms to automatically shut in the event of a fire, preventing the spread of smoke and flames. And some hazardous equipment at the Lab is connected to the fire alarm system. For example, the hydrogen generation system in Building 30 automatically shuts down when the fire alarm system is activated.
If you are carrying out a procedure that would result in a hazardous condition by your immediate evacuation, you may take a very brief time to bring your area to a safe condition before leaving (for example, turning off a Bunsen burner or pushing the Emergency Power Off button in the room).
However, if your procedure would not result in a hazardous condition upon immediate evacuation, you should leave without delay. Even if you believe the fire is far enough away to allow you time to finish, don’t. Ian warned winds can change the direction and speed of a fire in a matter of minutes.
Ultimately, the longer you take to begin your evacuation, the longer your overall evacuation will be and the greater at risk you will be to being exposed to wildfire. Your own safety and the safety of your neighbors should be considered at all times.
At your next team meeting, it may be helpful to discuss your specific lab environment so that you know what to expect and what to do in case of a fire threat.
What if it is unsafe to evacuate?
For scenarios where evacuations can not be safely performed due to roadway conditions or rapid fire spread, LabAlert notifications will be sent to staff instructing them to relocate to one of the Wildfire Temporary Refuge Buildings across the Lab. Wildfire refuge buildings are constructed with noncombustible materials like concrete and metal, and are maintained with prioritized vegetation management to create defensible space and resist wildfires.
Personnel should shelter in the interior areas of these buildings, away from exterior windows and doors. Ian notes that in wildfire scenarios, fire alarm systems may activate due to small amounts of smoke entering a building. It may be hot and smoky inside of the buildings, but it is much safer inside a wildfire refuge building than being outside or in your personal vehicle. Occupants should remain inside of the buildings and wait for additional instructions, unless it is unsafe to do so. Once it is safe to evacuate, personnel will receive a LabAlert notification with further evacuation instructions.
Familiarize yourself with multiple Wildfire Temporary Refuge Buildings so you can quickly reach one, regardless of your location at the Lab.
Sign up for LabAlert phone alerts
One of the most important things you can do to prepare for an emergency at the Lab is to sign up for a phone alert. All Lab personnel are automatically enrolled with their work contact information. Adding your mobile phone ensures that you will receive emergency notifications in a timely manner.
“Wildfires can move quickly, and you may have little time to prepare,” said Ian. “Knowing ahead of time what to do in a fire situation can make a big difference.”
For more information
Know your Evacuation Assembly Area.
Know your Wildfire Temporary Refuge Building on the main Lab site.
