* EC: EC Toolbox: Fire drill matrix (PDF)[REF: EC] EC News, August 2016, Vol 19, #8, Pg 5 JCe1608_B5

This installment of the EC Toolbox series offers a matrix that was developed to help TJC’s life safety code specialists survey the fire drill requirements of EC.02.03.03. According to the article, one of the “biggest fire drill compliance problems” is the organization’s failure to build in the variation (i.e., 50% or more unannounced, and drills conducted at unexpected times under varying conditions) that is required by standard to help make the drills truly effective. The matrix is an uncomplicated spreadsheet that was specifically designed to collect and display key required data points that not only confirm the occurrence of drills and their level of compliance but also makes it easy to see the presence or absence of required variation. As such, it is a useful survey preparation tool. It should also be noted that the LSC surveyor may hand out this matrix for the facility to complete during survey.
Tip: Copy the ‘Sample of a Fire Drill Matrix’ on page 7 of this article; use it to document your fire drills on an ongoing basis and have the most current version available for sharing with the LSC surveyor as needed.
Ask for: A copy of our mock up of the Fire Drill Matrix[®] based on this article.