- Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan ("PEEP")
A personal emergency evacuation plan (PEEP) is an individualised emergency plan for a building occupant with a disability who may need assistance during an emergency. A PEEP is described in Australian Standard AS 3745, and should form part of the facility's emergency plan.
AS 3745 identifies occupants who may need a PEEP. They include people who:
- are accompanied by an assistant or use a guide or companion animal;
- have a vision, hearing or ambulatory impairment, or use a wheelchair or scooter;
- use alternative forms of communication;
- tire easily, or may experience acute anxiety or extreme confusion in an emergency.
A PEEP is developed with the occupant, who contributes to the individualised strategies to suit their needs and approves the completed plan.
Information from each PEEP must be shared with everyone responsible for carrying it out, and the emergency plan records where PEEPs are held (typically with the Chief Warden and Area or Floor Warden).
AS 3745 provides an example PEEP template. It covers:
- Identification and location: the occupant's name and location (building, floor and room), and whether an assistance animal is involved.
- Communication: how the occupant prefers to be notified of an emergency (for example visual alarm, vibrating device, theephone call or SMS), and how they receive updates to procedures (for example text, email or Braille).
- Assistance and equipment: the type of assistance required and any equipment needed for evacuation.
- Designated assistants: their contact details, and whether they're trained in the emergency response procedures and the evacuation equipment.
- Egress: a step-by-step egress procedure and a diagram of the preferred route for assisted evacuation.
Sign-off: issue and review dates, with approval by the occupant and the chief warden.
Where a PEEP is in place, it should be covered during occupant refresher training (skills retention). AS 3745 and AS 1851 recommends periodic (yearly) refresher training for each workplace at least every 12 months, so the occupant and the people assisting them continue to be familiar with the plan.