Laboratory Fire Procedures

In the event of a fire in a chemistry laboratory, do the following things:

1. Assist any person in immediate danger to safety, if it can be accomplished without risk to yourself.
2. Immediately activate the building fire alarm system.  This will sound the fire alarm bells or horns to evacuate the building and will automatically notify the Campus Police, OSU Environmental Health & Safety and the Stillwater Fire Department.  It is best to have these agencies respond and not be needed than it is to have them arrive too late for potential rescue.
3. If the fire is small enough, use a nearby fire extinguisher to control and extinguish the fire.  Don't fight the fire if these conditions exist:
   *  The fire is too large or out-of-control.
   *  If the atmosphere is toxic.
4. If the first attempts to put out the fire do not succeed, evacuate the building immediately.
5. Doors should be closed as the last person leaves a room or area of a lab.
6. You must report all fires to OSU Environmental Health & Safety.  All large fires will be investigated by OSU EHS officers and/or the local fire marshal.

If you are in a chemistry or biological laboratory and hear the fire alarm, do the following things:

1. All containers of infectious materials shall be placed into autoclaves, incubators, refrigerators, or freezers.
2. Doors should be closed as the last person leaves a room or area of a lab.
3. When they hear the fire alarm sound, all personnel in the affected areas shall evacuate the building immediately.
4. Do not use elevators--use building stairwells.
5. Upon evacuating the building, personnel shall proceed to the designated meeting area (at least 150 feet from the affected building) where the supervisors are responsible for taking a head count and accounting for all personnel.  Anyone missing should be noted and reported to the command post immediately (any emergency response officer can direct you).
6. NO personnel will be allowed to re-enter the building without the permission of OSU Environmental Health & Safety or the Stillwater Fire Department.

Laboratory personnel evacuated from the building in an emergency who may be contaminated with an infectious agent due to an exposure or release must do the following things:

1. Prevent others from becoming exposed or contaminated.
2. Take self-protective measures by removing contaminated clothing if possible.
3. Wait for emergency decontamination by emergency response personnel.
4. Under no circumstance should emergency response personnel be exposed or contaminated without their knowledge.

OSU EHS and the Stillwater Fire Department will be following this order of events:

1. Setting up a command post outside the building and outside the HOT zone.
2. Isolating the building and surrounding area.
3. Identifying the material.
4. Rescuing, decontaminating, treating, transporting anyone injured.
5. Stabilizing the incident.

Any laboratory personnel having specific information on missing people or on the situation inside the building (what occurred, what material is involved, where the situation is, when the incident occurred, etc.) should report the information to the Incident Commander at the command post.  Any emergency response officer should be able to direct you to the command post.

Preventing Laboratory Fires