These instructions are part of the Emergency Plan for Newberry Plaza Condominium Association. These instructions are for your safety so please review them in detail now and keep them in a convenient location for review during real emergencies. Should you need additional assistance in the event of an emergency please call the office at 312/787-1040 to be placed on our list of residents with special needs. These instructions should be followed in the same manner for emergencies both during and after office hours.
1. Fire in Your Unit
If a fire occurs in your unit and you are not safely able to smother the fire or extinguish it with a private fire extinguisher, call 911 and give the Fire Department the following information:
Location
Street Address (1030 North State Street)
Your Full Name
Floor
Unit Number
a. Exit your unit, leave the front door closed but unlocked, take your keys and a flashlight with you.
b. Exit using the stairwells, not the elevators. Stay calm, stay to the right of the stairwell.
c. Follow instructions given by Official Emergency Personnel or building staff.
d. Call the Front Desk at 787-1062 if time and personal safety permit.
e. Do not break or attempt to exit via windows. Both are likely to
decrease rather than increase your safety.
Take your keys and close your unit door. DO NOT LOCK THE DOOR. Proceed immediately to the stairwell. Do not use the elevator. Upon reaching the lobby, please notify the Door Staff of the situation.
Do not stop to collect belongings because precious Fire Department response time may be lost.
Do not return to the unit until instructed to do so.
2. Other Fire Emergencies
The following are the procedures to follow in the event of a fire NOT in your unit:
a. The Fire Department recommends that you keep a flashlight, whistle, towel
and 2” roll of duct tape in an easily accessible kit in case of emergency. The duct
tape should be used across the top and sides of the door and a wet towel placed
along the floor to prevent smoke infiltration.
b. Keep keys near you at all times.
c. Call the Fire Department at 911 and report the following information
Location
Street Address (1030 North State Street)
Your Full Name
Floor
Unit Number
Suspected location of fire, if known.
d. Follow instructions given by Official Emergency Personnel or building staff.
If Official Emergency Personnel instruct you to vacate your unit, use the stairs not
the elevators. Stay calm, stay to the right side of the stairwell and bring a
flashlight with you. Before trying to leave your unit, place the back of your
hand on the door. If the door feels warm to the touch within five seconds,
do not attempt to open the door as it may indicate the presence of a dangerous
fire condition in the corridor. Should you encounter this scenario, stay in
your unit and hold fast.
e.Call the Front Desk at 787-1062 if time and personal safety permit.
f. Do not break or attempt to exit via windows. Both are likely to decrease rather than increase your safety.
g. Stay inside your unit where it is safest (each unit door is fire rated for 2-3 hours) and serves as an area of refuge. If you must leave your unit move to a
stairwell and go to at least three floors below the location of the fire.
If you smell smoke, stay in your unit for further instructions. Keep your keys nearby at all times. You will want to take your keys with you during emergencies so that you can return to your unit, if necessary.
If you see heavy smoke in the corridor of the building return to your unit, call 911 and report the fire as described previously. Wait in your unit for instructions from emergency personnel or building management staff. If smoke begins to infiltrate your door, you should place tape across the top and sides and wet towels around the bottom of the door to hold out the smoke.
If instructed to evacuate the floor, crawl on hands and knees below the smoke, exit and go down to a lower floor, as instructed. In the unlikely event that smoke is in the stairwell, crawl to the stairwell located on the other side of the floor and go down to a lower floor. Once on the lower floor, stay in the corridor for further instructions. The building is designed for residents to stay on non-involved floors rather than to evacuate. Most often full building evacuation is impractical.
If smoke comes in around the door, place wet towels/duct tape around the door to block out smoke. In this instance call the Fire Department at 911 and the front desk at 787-1062 and let them know that you are located in your unit.
3. Evacuations
The potential need for general evacuation of a high-rise building is remote. However, if evacuation is necessary either Management or Official Emergency Personnel will direct you to use stairwells or elevators. Representatives of the building staff (or Official Emergency Personnel) will go from floor to floor with a bull horn to facilitate communication. Please note that each elevator has an emergency intercom with the Front Desk. Stairs must be used in the event of fire and power outages as well several other types of situations; elevators may be available if no safety issues are presented by their use.
If you are instructed to fully evacuate the building, proceed to the fountain at Mariano Park, located east of Newberry Plaza and north of Gibson’s. Mariano Park has been designated as Newberry Plaza’s rally point in the event of evacuation. Building Management and the Chicago Fire Department will update you at that location regarding the extent of the fire and when you can expect to return to the building.
CHICAGO FIRE DEPARTMENT
911
NEWBERRY PLAZA MANAGEMENT OFFICE
(312)787-1040
24-HOUR DOOR STATION
(312)787-1062
4. Electrical Outages
Residents should do the following in an electrical outage occurs:
- Stay in the unit and await instructions from Building Personnel. Representatives of the building staff will go from floor to floor with a bull horn to facilitate communication.
- Locate personal flashlights.
- Do not light candles (Fire Hazard)
- Do not dial the front desk, as it will tie up the telephone lines.
During an electrical outage, the safest place is inside the unit where you will not disturb those responding to the emergency.
5. For Your Protection
Newberry Plaza is designed with many safety features, these include:
Smoke detectors in all units
Corridor/Unit Smoke Elimination System
Fire Extinguishers in all stairwells
Fire hoses in all stairwells
Fire resistant (concrete) floors and walls
Fire resistant stairwells
Fire resistant floors help to limit fire from spreading from floor to floor. Fire resistive walls between the corridor and the unit also help to limit fire from spreading on any floor. Stairwell signs designate the exits on each floor. Residents should be aware of the number of doors between their unit and the stairwell.
Each unit has a smoke detector. Residents should check these regularly to insure that they are properly functioning. The upkeep of unit smoke detectors is the responsibility of residents. If requested, the Maintenance staff will replace batteries/detector units. Please contact the Management Office for pricing information. Maintenance recommends replacing batteries every six months and the smoke detector unit every ten years.
Newberry Plaza has an Emergency Team to assist residents during emergencies. The Maintenance Department, Doormen and Building Management have specific duties during an emergency and will be on hand to assist both residents and Official Emergency Personnel (i.e., Fire Department and Police Department).