Rules and Procedures to be Followed in Case of Fire, or Other Disaster

January 29, 1999 REVENUE MEMORANDUM ORDER NO. 23-99 SUBJECT : Rules and Procedures to be Followed in Case of Fire, or Other Disaster TO : All Internal Revenue Personnel and Others Concerned In order to enable the personnel and the general public to vacate the National Office Building, Data Processing Center Building, Revenue Computer Center Building and the National Training Center Building in an orderly and peaceful manner in case of fire or other emergencies when the public safety so demands, the following FIRE/DISASTER PLAN is hereby adopted and made effectively for guidance of all concerned: I. Objectives : This Order is issued to: 1. Safeguard the lives of every revenue personnel. 2. Inform all firefighting crews of their duties and responsibilities. 3. Safeguard property, documents and taxpayer records. II. Organization : The Assistant Commissioner (Financial & Administrative Service) shall be the Building Fire Marshal. He shall be assisted by the Chief, Assistant Chiefs of the General Services Division, who are hereby designated as First Assistant Building Fire Marshal and Second Assistant Building Fire Marshal respectively, and a staff consisting of the BIR medical group, maintenance group and Chief, Internal Security Division. There shall be designated and organized in each floor of the National Office Building, DPC Building, RCC Building and the NTC Building the following: a. One (1) Floor Marshal and Assistant Floor Marshal b. Firefighting Crew c. Evacuation Group d. Physical Security Force The Floor Marshal and their Assistants shall be designated by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue upon the recommendation of the Building Fire Marshal. Each Floor Marshal shall immediately organize his own Fire Fighting Crew and Evacuation Group. For purposes of uniformity, the Building Floor Marshal shall draw up an organization chart of the BIR National Office Fire/Disaster Brigade together with a concise definition of the duties and responsibilities of its members for the guidance of the Floor Marshals in organizing and directing the activities of the Firefighting and Evacuation Units. The Building Fire Marshal shall in turn furnish the Commissioner of Internal Revenue a consolidated list thereof. prcd The Physical Security Force shall be composed of the present members of the BIR Security Force and such augmentation troops as may subsequently be assigned by the proper authorities. III. Functions : A. Building Fire Marshal Takes charge of all matters pertaining to fire evacuation and organization, coordinates the activities of the Floor Marshals, Firefighting Crews, Evacuation Groups and Physical Security Force, seeing to it that all security measures/plans adopted to implement this Order are strictly enforced. 1. Enforces the discipline and conducts training of the personnel; 2. Plans and programs the conduct of fire drills; 3. Plans and programs the conduct of fire drills; 4. Liaisons and coordinates with the Fire Department and other government and civic agencies concerned in fire safety and fire suppression; and 5. Plans and supervises the procurement, installation and maintenance firefighting equipment, alarm system and other devices to be used in case of fire and disaster, in coordination with the Bureau of Fire Protection Office (DILG). ( Not all firefighting devices specifically fire extinguishers are multi-purpose ) B. First and Second Assistant Building Fire Marshal : The first Assistant Building Fire Marshal in his absence, the Second Assistant Building Floor Marshal shall take over the functions of the Building Fire Marshal in case the latter is absent or unavailable. C. Floor Marshal : 1. The Floor Marshal shall be responsible for the peaceful and orderly evacuation of all occupants of his floor when public safety so demands. He coordinates the activities of the Firefighting Crew on his floor until the regular firefighters shall arrived; 2. Supervises the sounding of the alarm when fire occurs on his floor or jurisdiction; LibLex 3. Selects and designates the exists to be used by the occupants of the floor; 4. Familiarizes and instruct the occupants in the use of all means of egress and all routes; 5. Enforces discipline with the floor occupants during evacuation; 6. Supervises the training of his firefighting and evacuation crew; and 7. Coordinates with the Building Fire Marshal and/or the Assistant Building Fire Marshal on all matters concerning their functions. D. Assistant Floor Marshal : The Assistant Floor Marshal is the principal assistant to the Floor Marshal and shall perform the functions of the latter when absent or unavailable. E. Firefighting Team Leader : 1. Trains members of the firefighting crews; and 2. Directs and supervises the performance of the firefighting crew during fires and/or fire drill. F. Assistant Firefighting Team Leader : 1. Assists the Firefighting Team Leader and performs the duties assigned to him by the latter; and 2. Acts as Firefighting Team Leader in the latter's absence. G. Firefighting Crew : The Firefighting Crew shall take charge of all fire fighting equipment until the regular firefighters shall have arrived. The members thereof will be designated by the Floor Marshal from among the personnel of his floor. 1. Fire Extinguisher Handler: 1.1 Trains on how to handle and operate the portable fire extinguishers; 1.2 Upon the sound of fire alarm, take fire extinguisher assigned to him and proceeds to the scene of fire if it is located in his floor or area of assignment; and 1.3 If the fire is in other floors or areas he stands by with the fire extinguisher assigned to him and awaits orders of his Firefighting Team Leader. 2. Fire Hose Handler: 2.1. Trains on the handling and operation of the fire hose; 2.2 Upon knowledge of a fire in his floor or areas, pulls out the fire hose assigned to him and trains it on the fire; 2.3 For fires on other floors, he stands by the hose assigned to him and awaits the order of his Firefighting Team Leader; and 2.4. Coordinates among crew members for the efficient handling of the hose. H. Evacuation Group Leader : 1. Reports to the Floor marshal for orders at the sound of the alarm; and 2. Organizes his group and directs his Assistant and/or Room Captains to move their respective groups to its assigned evacuation groups/to its assigned evacuation area upon order to evacuate. I. Evacuation Group : 1. Evacuation Group Team Leader 1.1 Heads the Evacuation Group and takes charge of the orderly evacuation of all the occupants on such floor not otherwise assigned to the Firefighting Crew or Physical Security Force when the public safety so demands. 2. Room Captain 2.1 Whenever the floor is subdivided into two or more rooms, there shall be Room Captains in each room who will see to it that each movement corresponding to the alarm signal is promptly executed; and 2.2 Reports to the Evacuation Group Leader on his floor for instruction. 3. Monitors 3.1 Take charge of squads of occupants not to exceed 30 personnel in any squad; 3.2 See to it that the members of their squad quickly fall in line, to abreast as designated by the Floor Marshal; 3.3 Cause visitors on the floor at the time of the alarm to join the line and march them together with regular occupants through corridors and stairways as directed by the fire exit guards to the assigned evacuation area; 3.4 Enforce orderliness and discipline among those in their charge; and 3.5 Return to their respective floors/rooms as the head of their squads when the proper signal is given. 4. Fire Exit Guards 4.1 Receive order from the Floor Marshal; 4.2 Help maintain discipline and supervises the orderly march of evacuees from the rooms and in the stairways. 4.3. They will be stationed as follows: One guard at the exit door who opens the door promptly after the first signal and keeps the door open until all the occupants shall have left the room; closes the door thereafter; Guards in corridors and on stairways, landing or turns who will follow the rear of the evacuating column and assist stragglers. 5. Searchers 5.1 There should be at least one man and one woman searcher on each floor; 5.2 Report to the Evacuation Group Leader for orders at the sound of the alarm; 5.3 Search the rooms, Offices, washrooms and other spaces where there may be persons who did not hear the alarm and are not aware of the evacuation orders; and 5.4 Advise the exit guard and join the evacuation column at its tail when the floor or room is cleared. 6. First Aid Doctor/Nurse 6.1. Provides first aid treatment; 6.2 Assists in the evacuation to the nearest hospital of injured personnel and others; and 6.3 Joins the evacuation column upon orders of the Building Fire Marshal. J. Security Group : 1. This will comprise the entire BIR Security Force in the National Office. It will be its duty, among others, to secure the building and cordon the area to prevent from looting, etc. until the fire shall have been placed under control or the emergency shall have subsided; 2. Enforces traffic control within corridors, exits, other egresses and through stairs within the premises, 3. During the fire, the security guards shall keep the traffic clear for responding vehicles. K. Maintenance : 1. Elevator Operators 1.1 Close all elevators cages and will not allow its use during the fire. 2. Electricians 2.1. Once the fire alarm has been sounded, the electricians shall immediately shut down the electrical current in the building. dctai 3. Mechanics, Drivers 3.1. Mechanics and/or drivers shall remove or cause the removal of unnecessary vehicles from the fire lanes and keep BIR vehicles ready for the eventual transfer of valuable records and materials to a safe place. IV. Evacuation Plan Once the alarm is sounded, the Floor Marshal will immediately activate the Firefighting Crew and Evacuation Group within their respective area of responsibility and alert the personnel and other persons who happen to be on their floor and oversee their orderly and peaceful evacuation. V. Firefighting Equipment The Building Fire Marshal shall see to it that the firefighting equipment and facilities installed in the National Office Building, DPC Building, RCC Building and NTC Building are inspected and checked periodically and properly maintained to insure their adequacy, serviceability and effectiveness at all times. VI. Color Coding All equipment/furniture/fixtures and documents inside the rooms shall be marked with different colors, to enable the firefighting crew to identify which equipment are to be brought out/prioritized. e.g. Red colors - 1st priority Green colors - 2nd priority Gold colors - 3rd priority Blue colors - 4th priority VII. Evacuation Drills An evacuation or exit drill shall be conducted at least once every three months, provided arrangements for such drills shall be made at an early date after the promulgation of this Order. Posters and diagrams of the evacuation plan shall be posted in conspicuous places on every floor of the National Office Building and a similar diagram shall be posted on all floors of the DPC Building, RCC Building and NTC Building indicating the exit for public convenience. Only half of the corridors and plain ways shall be used by the evacuees in leaving the building and the other half shall be reserved for responding firefighting and rescuers. LexLib The Quezon City Fire Station shall be notified of the fire drill scheduled. For emergency, dial immediately telephone No. 117. (open for 24 hours). VIII. Effectivity This Order supercedes Revenue Memorandum Order No. 23-82 dated April 29, 1982 and shall take effect immediately. The Assistant Commissioner (Financial & Administrative Service) shall cause the printing of adequate copies of this Order so that each revenue personnel shall have a copy thereof. He shall also prepare a schedule of seminars in order that the contents of this Order can be properly disseminated and explained. (SGD.) BEETHOVEN L. RUALO Commissioner