It may be necessary to evacuate Walterdale Theatre in response to an emergent situation, system failure, natural occurrence, or other circumstance or set of circumstances.
The overriding objective of a building evacuation is the safety of Walterdale theatre patrons, members, volunteers, passersby and any other individuals.
The general objectives of an evacuation are:
- Ensure the safe exit from the building of all individuals, and once they are safe, to deal with first aid needs
- Contact the appropriate professional emergency response personnel
- Assess, and to continuously update the ongoing situation
- Deal locally with the situation to the appropriate level, with ultimate hand-off to professional emergency response personnel
- Security of Walterdale Theatre Associates property
These objectives may be addressed in sequence or in combination as the situation demands.
Types of Incident
Among the possible occurrences that may make a building evacuation desirable are fire, natural gas leak, a catastrophic systems failure, imminent severe weather, or occurrences in the vicinity of Walterdale Theatre. It is impossible to anticipate or create a comprehensive list of all possible occurrences, or combination of occurrences. Each incident must be assessed on its own merits and the situation obtaining at the time.
Two general categories of evacuation emergencies exist:
- When the building is in use and open to the public, with members of the public present
- When the building is in use, but not open to the public
This may be further divided as to the activities that may be occurring in different areas of the building: rehearsal, set building, cleaning or maintenance, etc.
General Procedures
These are general in nature; specific responses shall be developed in response to the development of specific possible situations, or as analysis of specific actual occurrences.
Responsibilities
In both categories of evacuation emergencies, a responsible person must assume ultimate control of the situation as the Emergency Manager. This person becomes the communications hub; the person who makes the decisions to meet the evolving circumstances of the emergency; the person to whom professional emergency personnel are directed to get information; the person to whom are referred the decisions as to security and further steps.
There may be others designated as responsible for the emergency within certain parameters or particular areas. For example, when the building is open to the public the Front-of-House Manager is responsible for evacuating the Front-of-House and the Stage Manager is responsible for evacuating for the rest of the building. It may be the case that one of these also assumes the overall management of the emergency. In cases when someone is working alone in the building, that person is the Emergency Manager until there is, on site, another person who assumes that role.
Individuals who should be trained to assume management of an emergency include the President, Vice-President, Building Director, Shop Supervisor, Technical Director, Past-President, Administrator, Board Members, Production Managers, Stage Managers, Directors of Plays, production teams and casts, and members.
Developing Expertise
The list of possible scenarios is very long, and the combination of uses that can be occurring in the building on any given day is very great. Walterdale Theatre Associates will, on an ongoing basis, develop expertise and create draft scenarios available for study so as to be constantly improving its anticipation of and its ability to respond to evacuation emergencies.
An Emergency Response Committee shall meet from time to time to develop evacuation scenarios and to then communicate procedures to the members of the Walterdale community.
Communications
Information Safety information, including evacuation information, will be shared via appropriate media with the membership and patrons of the building including, but not limited to, those items listed below:
- Walterdale Theatre Associates will keep emergency response lists displayed by every telephone
- Walterdale Theatre Associates will ensure that updated evacuation guides are displayed prominently throughout the theatre building
- Emergency evacuation procedures will be available in the building for members to familiarize themselves with possible emergency scenarios and actions to follow
Volunteer Orientation
Various media will be used to communicate emergency procedures to volunteers and patrons making use of Walterdale Theatre. In particular, all casts and production crews, and Front-of-House managers will be oriented for emergency situations, including evacuations. This information will include location of exits, location of an external evacuation muster point, location of telephones, location of protective equipment, location of first aid kits and other information.
Appendix A
Actions in support of the objectives in the event of an evacuation:
- When an evacuation is decided upon, the safety of human lives or physical well-being is paramount before any consideration of security of objects
- A responsible person shall assume the role of the emergency manager and shall direct actions to meet the emergency
- The Stage Manager and the House Manager, or those individuals as directed by the Emergency Manager, shall combine to ensure the safe and timely exit from the building of all individuals
- Patrons and volunteers will be informed that an emergency exists and that they are to exit the building in an orderly fashion
- Patrons and front-of-house volunteers in the theatre shall be instructed to exit the theatre auditorium to the lobby and then via the nearest accessible building exit
- Actors, crew and other individuals on the main floor, including the stage, the shop and in the bell tower will exit via the ground level backstage building exits
- Individuals on the second floor shall proceed immediately to the nearest accessible building exit
- Emergency response services will be contacted
- Individuals exiting the building will be directed to the muster point, the Gazebo in McIntyre Park
- If this is determined not to be a safe muster point, the Emergency Manager shall designate an appropriate alternative located at a safe distance from the building
- Individuals shall not return to the building unless the Emergency Manager or professional emergency response personnel deem it appropriate to do so
- First aid emergencies shall be dealt with
- Information and updates will be passed on the Emergency Manager
- Professional emergency response personnel will be directed to the Emergency Manager, who will pass the handling of the emergency to them
- Once all the danger has passed, the Emergency Manager will secure the property of Walterdale Theatre Associates.