The alarm had been tested several times during the prior months and each time we were told that they were false alarms or practice runs.  When we heard the alarm, we were not alarmed and simply assumed it was another false alarm – but as trained under our fire and safety evacuation procedure, we moved downstairs (although not in a hurry) to our designated location where we met the other tenants in our building. 

Following a 5-minute waiting period (prior to the firemen authorities arriving) we were told by the building's appointed fire manager that it was just another false alarm. We casually moved back to the office with the alarm still activated. Several minutes later a gentleman rushed into our office and we were told with concern… evacuate the building – ‘There is a fire in the building'.

The fire had started as an electrical fault in the lift shaft (which was a real concern as I had used the lifts during the fire alarm – not a smart thing to do) and was spreading across the roof shaft to the offices. Three fire trucks arrived, the police closed the street and our office building fire made the local news. The building was closed for the day and no-one was able to return to their office.

We were lucky that no-one was injured and that the fire was contained to the front section of the building not affecting our office except for the smell of smoke.

As our office is located in a large commercial building complex, the managing agent had invested the time (as required at law) to hold a fire and safety meeting, appointed fire and safety managers within each office and issued a summary document of what you must do in the event of the fire alarm being activated, so the process was clear to everyone.

However, if there was a fire in your building or an emergency situation arose, would your team know what to do? Do you have written procedures for your team's health and safety (OHS) in place and more importantly, has your team been trained in them?

• What do you do in the event of a fire? What happens with the computer back up disk?
• What do you do if there is an armed hold up in your office?
• What do you if an abusive or threatening tenant, landlord, client or customer enters your office?
• What do you do if a team member is injured at work?
• Do you have a fire, health and safety appointed officer?

It is important that all team members are aware of these safety procedures and we strongly recommend that you utilise this week's meeting to review and discuss your OHS procedures.