Personal Emergency Egress Plans (PEEPs). 

Personal Emergency Egress Plans (PEEP's) are ‘personal’ plans and are tailored to an individual’s needs and help address the challenges that an individual staff member may have to face in evacuating a university building in an emergency.

PEEP's are advisable for staff who suffer from a sensory, physical or medical impairment that may make evacuation of a building in an emergency more challenging.

People have disabilities of various types and of varying levels of severity. These disabilities can take the form of:

• mobility impairment, where the range or speed of movement is affected to varying degrees;
• sensory impairment, where the ability to gather information through the senses such as sight or hearing is affected;
• cognitive or mental health impairment, where the capacity to process information and react appropriately is affected; and
• hidden disabilities, where the disability is not physically apparent, but the stress of an emergency situation may trigger the condition. Hidden disabilities could include such conditions as asthma or heart problems.

The presence of a disability can have a very significant impact on the time it takes for someone to escape in an emergency. Developing a PEEP that is tailored to an individual’s needs will help to address the challenges that an individual may have to face in evacuating a university building in an emergency.  

The requirement for a PEEP may be temporary or long term.

Assembly Area

Assembly Areas are designated areas of safety where people assemble following an evacuation. The individual evacuation assembly areas for each building in UCD are listed and shown in an interactive map. For further information click here.

Compartment

A part of a building (comprising 1 or more rooms, spaces or storeys) constructed to prevent the spread of fire or smoke from another part of the same building.

Evacuation Procedures

UCD's Evacuation Procedures outline what to do if you hear a fire alarm or if you observe a fire and the location of the nearest Assembly Area. These procedures are available in the fire evacuation notices displayed locally in UCD buildings or your local area safety statement.

The primary fire safety strategy for every building is that persons exit when the fire alarm activates.

Fire Marshal

Fire Marshals are designated individuals who assist with the evacuation of a building in an emergency, where possible and safe to do so.

Fire marshals direct all persons to leave the building and go their Assebly Area. They also identify any persons present who are unable to leave, directing them to a refuge area. Upon leaving the building, the Fire Marshal reports to the Campus Duty Manager or the emergency services any persons who are unable to leave the building and their location.

PEEP

A Personal Emergency Egress Plan (PEEP) is a 'personal' plan and is tailored to an individual’s needs and helps to address the challenges that an individual staff member may have to face in evacuating a university building in an emergency.

Refuge Area

A Refuge area is a location (a place of safety) where those who cannot evacuate a builidng during a fire or other emergency, can safely wait for assistance. Refuge areas can be designated spaces or other suitable spaces such as a fire protected stairwell.

Refuge areas are located in areas of relative safety, separated by fire resistant construction and provided with a safe route to a building exit.

Click here to see images of UCD Emergency signage.

Any person who may find evacuating a building in an emergency challenging, should consider the following items and can discuss the preparation of a PEEP with the (opens in a new window)UCD SIRC Office. 

1. Locations

Identify your primary building location and all other locations in which you are located for work.

Consider your location/s within the building/s e.g. the floor on which you are located, your movements from location to location, and if you can safely exit these buildings during an emergency. Familiarise yourself with alternative exit routes from your location as many large buildings have multiple exit routes.

It is important to note that the building lifts CANNOT be used during a fire alarm activation. 

2. Evacuation Procedures

Familiarise yourself with UCD’s emergency evacuation procedures and how they apply to you personally. See here for more details.

3. Refuge Areas

If you are unable to safely exit the building, identify your nearest refuge area to your primary and other regular working areas. This may be a protected stairwell on an emergency escape route. See here for images of UCD Refuge areas. 

In the event of an emergency, you should go to this refuge area. Where possible tell someone (a colleague or fire marshal) where you will be located. When safely at the Refuge Area, contact the UCD Emergency Line Number (see below)

4. UCD Emergency Line Number

Please ensure that you have the UCD 24 hour Emergency Line number (01) 716 7999 saved in your phone. In the event of an emergency evacuation of the building that you are in, please contact Campus Services on this number to let them know your location.

Click (opens in a new window)here to familiarise yourself with UCD's Campus Services UNICARE community which promotes the personal safety of all students, staff, and visitors of University College Dublin. 

5. Additional Assistance

Consider any extra requirements that you may have to ensure your safe evacuation from a building during an emergency.

Checklist 

• Have you identified all of your working locations?

• Can you safely evacuate all locations in the event of an emergency? (Noting that the building lifts CANNOT be used during a fire alarm activation)

• Have you considered how you would respond to a fire alarm activation when you are in your working areas and where you might seek refuge? 

• Is the campus services emergency number (01) 716 7999 saved on your phone?

• Have you familiarised yourself with the UCD Evacuation Procedures and locations of Assembly Areas? https://www.ucd.ie/sirc/healthsafety/emergencyresponseprocedures/.

• Do you have any additional requirements to ensure your safe evacuation from a building?

Staff who would like to discuss the preparation of a PEEP should contact the (opens in a new window)UCD SIRC Office.

UCD Emergency Response Procedures

In the event of an activation of a building fire alarm, the primary fire safety strategy is that all persons exit the building.

Campus Services and the Campus Duty Manager are automatically alerted to a fire alarm activation and will immediately initate a response. Campus Services will investigate the cause of the activation and manage the emergency response including contacting the Emergency Services and communicating with fire marshals and other building occupants. 

In all instances contacting the Emergency Services must be done via the (opens in a new window)Campus Services 24-hour Emergency Line extension 7999 or 01 716 7999 from a mobile. Campus Services personnel will then contact the Emergency Services and ensure that they are met upon their arrival on campus and are escorted to the correct location of any incident.

UCD's Emergency Response Procedures outline what to do if you hear a fire alarm or if you observe a fire, and the location of the nearest Assembly Area. These procedures are available in the fire evacuation notices displayed locally in UCD buildings or your local area safety statement.

A Refuge area is a location (a place of safety) where those who cannot evacuate a builidng during a fire or other emergency, can safely wait for assistance. Refuge areas can be designated spaces in newer buildings or other suitable spaces such as a protected stairwell. Refuge areas are located in areas of relative safety. 

Refuge areas are areas within a building, separated by fire resisting construction and provided with a safe route to a building exit, where people with disabilities or mobility issues can await assistance to evacuate. Refuge areas may be within the enclosure of an escape stairway, within a protected lobby or corridor leading to an escape stairway, or in a compartmented part of a building that contains an escape stairway.  

Click here for images of refuge areas.

All persons should familiarise themselves with their closest refuge area or place of safety. As part of the development of any PEEP, the refuge area(s) in the building(s) under review will be identified.

Once in your refuge area contact UCD Campus Services at 01 716 7999 to report your location. Some refuge areas have dedicated communications equipment designed to be safely used in a fire that connects either to a dedicated point near the entrance to the building or directly to UCD Estate Services. However, for most buildings, you will need to use your mobile telephone.