SERVICES MARKETING

Evacuation Experts

Fire Evacuation Services

Abdullah Nawab, Ali K. Ahmed, Alina N. Khan, Anum S. Ahmed, Riyan D. Sidhwa

12/17/2012

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................................................... 2

1.1 The Service Concept ............................................................................................................................................ 2

1.2 Need Identification .............................................................................................................................................. 2

1.3 Positioning and Target Audience ......................................................................................................................... 2

1.4 Core service ......................................................................................................................................................... 2

1.5 Supplementary service: ....................................................................................................................................... 2

1.6 Type of service..................................................................................................................................................... 2

2. Product Elements .................................................................................................................................................. 4

2.1 Training ........................................................................................................................................................ 4

2.2 Consultancy .................................................................................................................................................. 4

2.3 Evacuation Drills ........................................................................................................................................... 5

2.4 Equipment .................................................................................................................................................... 5

3. Place and Time ...................................................................................................................................................... 6

4. Price and other User Outlays ................................................................................................................................ 7

4.1 Discount Schemes ........................................................................................................................................ 7

4.2 Special Offers ............................................................................................................................................... 7

5. Promotion and Education ..................................................................................................................................... 8

5.1 Promotion .................................................................................................................................................... 8

5.1.1 Personal Selling ................................................................................................................................... 8

5.1.2 Corporate Website .............................................................................................................................. 8

5.1.3 Brochures ............................................................................................................................................ 9

5.1.4 Word-of-Mouth, Referrals and Testimonials ...................................................................................... 9

5.1.5 Demonstration Stalls at Educational Expos ......................................................................................... 9

5.2 Education ..................................................................................................................................................... 9

5.2.1 Pakistan Fire Safety Day ...................................................................................................................... 9

6. Physical and Virtual Environment ....................................................................................................................... 10

7. Process ................................................................................................................................................................ 11

7.1 E.E. and Client’s first encounter ................................................................................................................. 11

7.2 Training provided to the school wardens .................................................................................................. 11

7.1.1 Training about classes of fire ..................................................................................................................... 11

7.2 Consulation ................................................................................................................................................ 11

7.3 Floor mapping ............................................................................................................................................ 12

7.4 Evacuation Strategies ................................................................................................................................. 12

7.5 The Evacuation Drill ................................................................................................................................... 12

7.6 Certification ................................................................................................................................................ 13

7.6.1 Benefits of the course ....................................................................................................................... 13

8. People ...................................................................................................................................................................... 14

8.1 Certified Trainers ............................................................................................................................................... 14

8.2 Wardens ............................................................................................................................................................ 14

8.3 Trainers to sign a bond ...................................................................................................................................... 14

9. Productivity and Quality .......................................................................................................................................... 15

10. Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................. 16

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1. Introduction 1.1 The Service Concept

Evacuation Experts (E.E.) are consultants in the arena of fire emergency management and safety

training. E.E. provides high quality cost effective emergency management services and safety training

courses, with the vision of minimizing fire-related incidences and associated casualties in Pakistan.

1.2 Need Identification

Involvement in a fire disaster can be a highly traumatic experience, and humans and animals alike

instinctively panic when exposed to fire. Fire hazards can occur anytime - short circuits, friction,

flammable liquids and materials - one spark is all it takes. As in the case of any threat, prevention is

better than a cure, hence it is vital for communities to prevent fire hazards and be prepared in the event

one should arise.

The education sector is unique from a safety perspective as educators, school and college

administrations have a special duty of care towards their students. Students are captive to the

educational institute during class and time spent in extra-curricular activities and special focus is

required in the care of children and young adults in emergency situations. E.E. seeks to facilitate safe

learning environments through the management of fire hazards and carefully designed evacuation plans

for all possible fire-related emergency situations.

1.3 Positioning and Target Audience

E.E. provides quality emergency evacuation training and drills to the education sector - schools, colleges,

universities etc.

1.4 Core service

Training of ‘Fire Wardens’ appointed by schools and colleges

Executing fire drills

1.5 Supplementary service:

Consulting:

Fire safety audits

Emergency scenario analysis

Emergency plans and manuals

1.6 Type of service

‘Fire Wardens’ are members of staff and faculty who will be trained to conduct fire drills and

evacuations. E.E. is a high contact service, as trainings will be delivered to 'Fire Wardens' in different

schools, who will then be facilitated in executing fire drills. High involvement is necessary to help

manage behavior of fire drill participants, especially students so as to manage panic, and ensure that

instructions are taken seriously and acted upon.

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E.E. involves a blend of information, people and possession processing. Fire audits require an overview

of the education center's physical infrastructure, floor plans and fire safety equipment, working directly

with students and faculty, and creating awareness of fire hazards, and assisting people in learning how

to prepare for fire emergencies.

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2. Product Elements The product can be divided into 4 parts:

1. Training

2. Consultancy

3. Evacuation Drills

4. Equipment Supplies

Training and conducting drills are the core service the business seeks to provide to its clients; whereas,

consultancy is secondary.

2.1 Training

Training will be given by our accredited trainers (full time employees) to the wardens appointed by the

client institutes.

In order to deliver the best possible service to our clients, E.E. will hand out a checklist to the client in

order to screen and select the most physically fit wardens from their pool of personnel to ensure the

wardens are physically capable of carrying out the evacuation drills.

The training session's objective (based on the package the client selects) is to enable wardens to identify

potential fire threats, follow the instructed evacuation strategies and in desperate times be able to

come up with a contingent evacuation plan. For example, if the desired exit is blocked the warden

should be able to find alternative exits and improvise.

2.2 Consultancy

This part of the service has two elements:

1. Trained E.E. personnel will survey the client’s premises and evaluate for the potential risks of a fire.

2. E.E. will provide consultation and recommendations on reducing those risks with the relevant

equipment or instrument required (During the introductory phase, E.E. will provide this service for

free).

1. Training

2. Evac Drills

1. Consultancy 2. Equipment

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2.3 Evacuation Drills

After completing training sessions and rigorous fire risk audits around the premises E.E. personnel will

conduct 3 drills under their supervision. These drills will be timed and logged, and a report will be generated for each drill based on the

performance of the wardens and the outcome.

With differences in performance under pressure, the objective to carry out controlled drills under

supervision is to:

1. Ensure the wardens follow the instructions.

2. Evaluate their performance in a real setting.

3. Measure and reduce the evacuation time to the nearest second.

2.4 Equipment

Based on the above measure client has an option to purchase the equipment or instruments required

for fire prevention.

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3. Place and Time E.E. operates from an office located in KS Trade Tower on Sharah-e-Liaquat, Karachi. The regular office

hours are 9am to 5pm during which E.E. personnel can cater to their clients.

A website is also available to provide basic information about the services that the company offers along

with a comprehensive order form that can be filled by the client at any time so that E.E. personnel can

contact the client and set up a meeting and/or training.

The E.E. office only behaves as a request taking center where calls are taken by the call center

personnel, and details are communicated to the client. The services are provided at the client’s own

premises.

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4. Price and other User Outlays Pricing is based on 3 elements:

1. Basic Skills Workshop: This will encompass all the information necessary about fire evacuation.

It will give an idea to the participants of several threats which can lead to a fire. It will be held at

the client’s premises in order to increase convenience. This session will seek to identify the

general evacuation standard operating procedures; participants are to be familiarized with

handling fire-fighting equipment.

2. Fire risk Audits: Trained E.E. personnel will survey the premises and based on their report will

point out the areas which are categorized as risky.

3. Floor Plan Development: E.E. with its skilled personnel will devise a proper floor map. With the

help of this floor map, fire risk audit and available exits E.E. will devise the most efficient

evacuation strategy for its clients.

Based on the aforementioned 3 elements, the pricing structure is divided into the following packages:

Package 1: Basic Skills Workshop

Rs. 4,000/- per person, discount for over 7 participants per client.

Package 2: Skills Plus

Package 1(Rs. 3,500/- per person) + (Rs. 10,000/-) Fire risk Audits

Package 3: Safety 360

Floor mapping & Evacuation Strategy (Rs. 25,000/-) + (Package 2 = Rs. 6,000/-) + (Rs. 3,000/- per person)

Drills included (3 drills within 30days) 1 Extra drill Rs. 4000/-

4.1 Discount Schemes Bulk Discounts: If a client has more than 1 branch/location then it can avail bulk discounts i.e. 3

branches 5 percent, 5 branches 15 percent off the total invoice value.

4.2 Special Offers Given the fact that schools are mostly off during summer break (May to Aug) E.E. will knock off 10% of

the total invoice value if any package is availed during the 3 month period. This is in line with Demand

Capacity Management as summers will be having low demand for the service as many teachers and

students are off during this period.

Excursion trips: Schools generally take their students on field trips which is a large cost for them. E.E.

can create association with places like Karachi Zoo and can avail discounts on its entrance fee by

showing E.E. invoice to the client. Also schools generally charge students for excursion trips which

involve high costs (e.g. Arena, Go Aish Adventure Theme Park), E.E. can create an association with such

places and transfer the benefit to the schools in the shape of discounts.

Sports day: Most schools have an annual sports day and it takes a handsome sum to book a ground, E.E.

can provide alternatives for the venue with a discounted rate E.g. Kokun Ground. This will be achieved

by E.E. having set up a promotional scheme with management of Kokun Ground.

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5. Promotion and Education E.E. will utilize the following promotional tools for spreading awareness and generating trial:

5.1 Promotion Organizational Marketing: E.E.’s clientele will cover academic institutions in metropolitan cities such as

Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Faisalabad etc. The following tools will be utilized to create touch points

with the target audience

5.1.1 Personal Selling E.E. will utilize 1 business development representative in each city to arrange meetings with key

stakeholders. Relevant personnel include Safety Managers, Registrars, Administrators, and/or Human

Resource Managers. Depending on the size of the academic institution, these individuals will be key

decision makers, hence building and managing relationships with them is essential. Meetings will be

arranged to build awareness regarding E.E. services, and if necessary introduce certified trainers to build

an image of credibility and professionalism.

5.1.2 Corporate Website E.E’s corporate website is a critical touch point – it will need to provide complete information on the

following:

core and supplementary services

Service benefits/advantages

Trainer profiles and details regarding their qualifications

E.E. Marketing

Promotion

Organizational Marketing

Personal Selling Corporate Website

Brochures/Fliers Word-of-Mouth,

Referrals and Testimonials

Demonstration Stalls at

Educational Expos

Education

Pakistan Fire Safety Day

Fire Safety Awareness

Sessions/Seminars

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Contact information

Training booking forms

5.1.3 Brochures Printed brochures containing a snapshot of NFSE’s services and contact information will be distributed

by mail to academic institutions in relevant cities

5.1.4 Word-of-Mouth, Referrals and Testimonials Word of mouth and testimonials from satisfied clients will generate referrals to potential customers as

yet untapped. The referral rate will be an indication of client satisfaction and loyalty, as it requires a

deep level of trust to recommend an HSE consultancy on to others.

5.1.5 Demonstration Stalls at Educational Expos Education Expos present an excellent touch point for networking and building relationships. A stall can

be set up and manned by business development personnel and trainers who can start conversations,

exchange business cards, distribute brochures, and translate queries into potential business. The stall

can also be used to demonstrate safety equipment, mock evacuation plans/manuals, and video clips of

successful training sessions and E.E-facilitated fire drills.

5.2 Education As mentioned earlier, it is essential to raise awareness on fire hazards and how one can prevent/prepare

for them. E.E’s vision is to minimize fire-related accidents, causalities and losses across the country. To

do, part of its duty is to educate the community by:

5.2.1 Pakistan Fire Safety Day E.E. will sponsor Fire Safety Day in Pakistan. This event is a key BTL activation where E.E. representatives

will partner with academic institutions to conduct Fire Safety Awareness sessions with students, faculty

and parents. The sessions will build awareness of fire hazards at home, and what one can do to protect

themselves and loved ones. Taking the theme ‘Safety Begins at Home’, E.E. will benefit by generating

good will and reinforce its positioning of being experts in fire safety.

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6. Physical and Virtual Environment The only physical environment in which E.E. operates is that of a request taking center. Here calls from

clients are taken and their requests are processed. The actual service delivery is done at the client’s own

premises.

The virtual environment is the E.E. website that provides all pertinent information regarding fire

evacuation and safety along with details regarding E.E. packages and rates. This website has a section

with pictures, videos, and testimonials to give a brief snapshot to prospective clients about the positive

experience that previous clients have enjoyed and the way they feel safer and confident about their

environment with respect to fire hazards.

The website also has an order taking form which acts as an alternative for the telephone order taking

process. The following information is required after which E.E. personnel can take action on the request:

Contact details

o Name

o Designation

o Email address

o Cell Phone number

Institute details

o Name

o Address

o Telephone number

Package preference

Preferred time of visit

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7. Process 7.1 E.E. and Client’s first encounter The E.E. officers will get the Institute name where training needs to be conducted. Potential

schools/institutes will be approached showing the need for fire evacuation training services and its

benefits.

Once the client confirms which package they require, work will begin accordingly on the specific guidelines

of the package purchased. E.E. will then provide the client with the checklist from which it can select the

best available wardens from its personnel w.r.t physical abilities and level mindedness. Once the wardens

profiles are in, based on the package selected client will be provided the services included.

However following are all the services E.E. seeks to provide its client and are included in Safety 360

package (the most comprehensive of the 3 packages)

7.2 Training provided to the school wardens The wardens are basically the people the school nominates as their firefighting champions who will lead

fire evacuation. The training provided to these wardens comprises of the following elements:

7.1.1 Training about classes of fire Fire is categorized into 5 different classes

American European Australian/Asian Fuel/Heat source

Class A Class A Class A Ordinary combustibles

Class B Class B Class B Flammable liquids

Class C Class C Flammable gases

Class C Class F/D Class E Electrical equipment

Class D Class D Class D Combustible metals

Class K Class F Class F Cooking oil or fat

Also they are explained according to what sort of extinguishing agents can counter these different types

of fires:

Extinguishing Agents Classes of Fire

A B C D F/K

Water

Foam

Powder

Co2

Wet Chemical

Metal Powder

7.2 Consulation The team after contracting with the school will conduct a survey of the schoold and provide the

following details:

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1. The potential hazard areas that are easily exposed to catching fire, these include lose wiring,

checmicals with low flashpoints kept in exposed environments.

2. A check list that will help the school choose its warden, the criteria would include physical

attributes such as stamina and agility along with stong leadership qualities and ability to take

charge under pressure.

7.3 Floor mapping E.E. expert in architectural design will chalk out the layout of the client’s premises. This will seek to

highlight the existing exits available and also advise how many other exits are structurally possible to

construct.

7.4 Evacuation Strategies Based on the floor mapping and fire risk audits E.E. experts will seek to devise the shortest possible

evacuation routes with respect to various fire starting points.

7.5 The Evacuation Drill The following are the steps which both the wardens and students will be trained to perform in case of

evacuation due to fire in 5 steps:

1. Sounding the Alarm: Anyone discovering an outbreak of fire must, without hesitation, sound

the alarm by operating the nearest fire alarm call point.

2. Report the Fire: Who so ever sounds the alarm will immediately notify any of the wardens

about the fire and its location. The wardens will sound the fire alarm and will also notify the fire

safety department.

3. Evacuation: On hearing the fire alarm, students will exit the premises to leave the building

forming a queue with one warden leading each queue. The person in charge of each class will be

reporting to one warden and based on the class location the nearest identified emergency exit

will be used. An assembly point will be identified and everyone will be directed to the Assembly

Point. Certain rules must be adhered to:

No running is to be permitted to avoid panic.

On staircases everyone must descend in single queue. Overtaking of classes or

individuals is not permitted.

Lifts will not be used.

Anyone who is not in class when the fire alarm sounds has to go immediately to the

assembly point.

No one must be allowed to re-enter the building affected by the fire till the local fire

department gives a go ahead.

4. Assembly: The assembly area will be identified outside the school premises or near to the exit of

the school. It will be clearly marked and easily identified by any person who must be expected to

be in the school premises. The assembly point will be far enough from the school premises to

afford protection from the heat and smoke in a fire situation and must be in a position that does

not put pupils and staff at risk by emergency vehicles responding to the incident.

5. Roll Call: One of the wardens will be made responsible to mark attendance of all the school

personnel once assembled at the assembly point. In the roll call any visitors or contractors in the

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premises at that time must be included. The roll call at the assembly point will be checked with

the attendance registers and visitors book to verify that everyone is out of the building.

7.6 Certification All the trainers will take the following certification course from Fire Industry Association (FIA):

FIRE RISK ASSESSMENT – RESPONSIBILITIES AND PROCEDURES

It includes the necessary requirements for risk assessment in order to provide advice on the

responsibilities and the recommended steps to completion of a risk assessment. The course will also

benefit fire alarm professionals when advising customers of their legal responsibilities.

7.6.1 Benefits of the course The following benefits can be gained from taking this course:

The knowledge to be able to offer advice on the responsibilities and steps to production of a fire

risk assessment.

An understanding of the responsibilities placed on the Responsible Person/duty holder

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8. People 8.1 Certified Trainers We have identified a need in metropolitan educational institutes for detailed and approved fire safety

plans and procedures and have certified trainers and supervisory staff (Fire Wardens) onboard. We ensure

full compliance of the Fire Safety Code reviews for the staff, public and clients.

‘Fire Wardens’ will be trained by certified trainers of E.E. to help develop detailed fire safety plans,

procedures, guidelines and recovery measures. The E.E. training will be customized for different schools as

a detailed study will be carried out to:

Identify and mitigate safety hazards

Devise the shortest exit routes (according to the building layout and structure).

Determine the assembly meeting point area.

Provide guidelines/manuals.

Explain the entire process to chosen representatives from each class – to take the roll call and

designate responsibility of informing the Fire Service (via telephone/mobile).

All the trainers of E.E. will take the following certification course from Fire Industry Association’s (FIA)

Fire Service College UK:

1. Fire risk assessment – Responsibilities & Procedures (3 months) 2. Training & Evacuation module (3 months) It includes the necessary requirements for risk assessment in order to provide advice on the responsibilities and the recommended steps to completion of a risk assessment. The course also benefit fire alarm professionals when advising customers of their legal responsibilities.

8.2 Wardens The E.E. team (Fire Officers) will train chosen representatives from the client institutes (Fire Wardens).

Depending on the package selected by the client (skills training, fire audits etc.) the E.E. team will deliver

the service onsite.

E.E. trainer’s main objective is to prepare these wardens in times of a fire emergency. By the end of the

training session these wardens are expected to have knowledge about:

Head Count: Is everyone accounted for?

If anyone is missing: How many? What is their usual location? Where were they last seen?

Where is the fire? What is on fire?

Possible exit routes

(*Above objectives may vary depending on the package purchase by the client)

8.3 Trainers to sign a bond Trainers will sign a bond with the company before they are taken through a six month rigorous E.E.

training course/exercise. This will ensure that they provide their services for at least 2 years after signing

the bond. In case they quit, the clause will bind them to not practice or serve as trainers for at least 6

months.

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9. Productivity and Quality

The productivity of each drill will be calculated after conducting the drills. The following parameters will

be considered while calculating productivity:

1. Percentage of procedure followed by wardens = No of steps followed/total no. of steps (a)

2. Drill efficiency = Time of completion of the evacuation drills/Target time set x 100 (b)

3. No of attendants against roll calls at the assembly point/Total no. of roll calls x 100 (c)

Overall Productivity = a x b x c

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10. Conclusion

E.E.’s commitment to a safer Pakistan inspires us to begin with children and young adults. Inculcating

safe behavior from an early age is instrumental in reducing risks and hazards over time, building a

community of aware and prepared individuals.

Our credibility lies in qualification and experience of trainers, and the feedback, referrals and

testimonials we gather from satisfied clients. Through our efforts, a growing network of Fire Wardens

can stimulate cross learning with individuals in their communities and their homes. By partnering with

educational institutes, we aim to spread awareness while also creating safer learning environments, a

need as yet unmet in the country.