FEMA 453 Design Guidance for Shelters and Safe Rooms

3.5 opeRaTionS anD MainTenanCe
For a shelter to be successful, it is critical to have an understanding
and dedication to operations and maintenance.
Depending on the shelter type, specific operations instructions
and maintenance are needed.
m Instructions and checklists. As a minimum for operating
procedures, the condensed operating and maintenance
instructions should be posted in each safe room. The
operating instructions should explain the steps of placing the
safe room into operation and may be as simple as a one-page
typed checklist; instructions that should be included are safe
room operating procedures, a list of doors to be secured, a
list of switches for fans to be turned off, stations/channels for
emergency instructions, emergency phone numbers, and dates
by which filters should be changed, if applicable.
m Status indicators. For safe rooms that require multiple
automatic dampers to isolate the safe room from the HVAC
ducts in the protective mode, status lights and/or visual
indicators should be used to show the position of each damper.
Indicators can also be used to show door position, if there are
multiple boundary doors in the safe room. Each status light
should be marked with a reference number corresponding to
a diagram so an operator can easily determine the location of
any damper/door and conduct troubleshooting if problems
occur. The indicator lights should have push-to-test capability
for the light bulbs of the status lights.
m Public-address system. For safe rooms in large buildings,
a public address system is the most efficient means of
instructing building occupants to proceed to a safe room in
an emergency. Telephone or audible alarm systems can also
be used, but they are less efficient than a broadcast voice
system. Communications systems (telephone, alarm, and mass
notification systems) should be tied to emergency phone
systems. Non-verbal warning systems are generally less effective
CBR ThReaT pRoTeCTion
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