The Benefits of Custom Floor Plans

School buildings are always changing. Every year, changes in enrollment, technology and even curriculum have an impact on how we use our buildings. Even the best floor plan is only as good as the last update that was made to it. When first responders arrive at the scene of an emergency, their first job is to locate and get to the source of the problem. Conversely, the job of faculty and staff is to get their students away from danger, as quickly and safely as possible. This can be particularly difficult in a school setting, where multiple floors, similar-looking hallways and multiple exits can compound the problem of getting out safely.

Pennsylvania Public Schools

Our floor plans can help your district comply with the Safe Schools code (Chapter 10). The code requires that by September 30th of each year, districts must make floor plans and aerial maps of their facilities available to local first responders for use during emergencies. These plans must also include the locations of fire alarms, sprinkler systems and potential command post locations. Our floor plans are designed to meet the requirements of Chapter 10, and can help your district maintain compliance and stay safe.

Preparedness

initial response

When an emergency occurs, you have two priorities: alert first responders, and keep students and staff as safe as possible until they arrive. Our floor plans can help with both of these tasks. Sharing floor plans with first responders before an emergency occurs ensures that they will be able to locate the incident quickly. And having access to building floor plans can help your staff make quick decisions about how best to keep themselves and their students safe. As you can see in the photo above, unlike traditional construction blueprints, our floor plans provide your staff with exactly the information they need to be able to respond to any emergency.

emergency planning

In addition to knowing the layout of a building, floor plans can be a useful tool for planning. Evacuation routes, shelter-in-place locations and reunification plans can all be shown on additional layers, keeping employees and first responders on the same page during a crisis.

Coordination with first responders

Once first responders arrive on scene, your floor plans become even more critical. From navigating around the building to locating trapped victims, floor plans are an essential component of a safe and efficient emergency response. Our scalable, compact PDF floor plans can be quickly and easily shared with first responders. Smartphones, in-car computers and computer aided dispatch (CAD) systems can all access our PDF plans. Printed versions can be stored in your school's Knox® Box, given to first responders for inclusion in their map books, or even used in conjunction with devices such as the Wrist Resource™.