Formal Report

paper discusses a formal report (FR) piece of technical writing. The report topic itself concerns the organization of a training and familiarization session for tenants in a residential high-rise apartment building. The FR is designed to educate the tenants on what to do in the event of terrorist or other emergency type event that requires evacuation. The stimulus for the report is a physically disabled individual who resides in the building.

Introduction

The purpose of this report is to explain the steps to be followed in evacuating residents from a building, for an audience of people that live in a building who need to learn how to evacuate and to do so in a way that is ongoing and protective of all residents of the building. Proper evacuation of the building is issue of death and life and an economic issue. When a building is properly maintained, it promotes health, presents feel of safe, and saves money.

I am a resident caregiver for an elderly resident of the apartment high-rise building of which you are the board of directors. This elderly resident is physically disabled and completely immobilized not even being able to utilize a wheelchair. As such, I have noted that the other residents and employees within the building are not very familiar with the procedures relevant to facilitating the proper care and oversight of such individuals under normal circumstances, much less during emergency situations such as fire, earthquake, or terrorism. My concern is that under such circumstances the welfare of such residents who are physically unable to secure themselves would be completely overlooked during such an emergency.

The average building is installed with the basic equipment needed to evacuate residents and to keep them safe. Knowing how to maintain the building keeps the users safe and saves money in the long run.

The first concept to learn concerns the chemicals used to treat the fire. The use of chemicals can be confusing to many people. Some may believe that all they have to do is keep dumping chemicals into the fire, while others believe you have to be a fireman to know what to do. Both are wrong. High-rise residential buildings are constructed to be fireproof. Most of what is inside the buildings, including furnishings and belongings, can burn and produce a tremendous amount of heat and smoke.

Ways to Keep Apartments Safe

* Never keep rubbish in the hallway. Make sure it is stored properly and collected regularly.

* Don't put items in the trash chute that are too big and may get stuck. Things caught in the chute easily can turn a fire in the basement into a fire on your floor.

* Be careful not to overload electrical circuits. Short circuits are the cause of many fires.

* Cook with care. Keep a small portable dry chemical fire extinguisher readily available (Class B or K extinguisher). Baking soda is also a handy household item that can be used to smother stove fires.

* Never smoke in bed and make sure that there are no smoldering butts when you empty ashtrays.

* Test smoke detectors weekly and replace batteries twice a year (the beginning & end of Daylight Savings time).

* Make sure that your apartment door is a tight-fitting self-closing type of door in compliance with the fire code. Should your door not self-close, request this repair from your building manager.

* Inspect your exit stair doors. They must be self-closing, snap shut and unlock from both sides. If they don't meet this standard, report it to the superintendent or the Fire Department.

If The Fire is in Residents Apartment

* Get everyone out. Stay low as you go out. Close but don't lock all doors in the apartment as you leave.

* Alert others on the floor by knocking on doors. Activate the fire alarm if there is one.

* Go down the nearest STAIRWAY, holding the railing.

* Call the Fire Department from a floor BELOW THE FIRE or from a street fire alarm box outside.

If the Fire is NOT in Resident Apartment

* Stay inside rather than entering smoke-filled hallways, especially if the fire is on a floor below your apartment.

* Keep your door closed.

* Seal the door with duct tape or wet sheets and towels. Seal ventilators and any other openings where smoke may enter.

* Turn off air conditioners.

* Fill your bathtub with water. If the front door gets hot, wet it down.

* Unless flames or smoke are coming from below, open your windows a few inches at the top or bottom. Don't break