This is the master emergency plan for the Redstone Building. It consists of 5 major sections. Each Section Includes details of the buildings Master Plan for handling emergencies.
The main body of this document contains the following topics:
A. Redstone Building Physical characteristics
1. Structural Design of the Redstone Building
2. Exit pathways & Emergency lighting
3. Fire Escapes
4. Utility Services Cutoff of plans
5. Emergency Floor Plan Guidelines
B. Redstone Fire Plans
C. Redstone Seismic Plans
1. Earthquake Estimates for the Bay Area
2. Earthquake damage estimates for the Redstone Building
3. geological Soil type for the Redstone Building
4. San Francisco Seismic Planning Safety Requirements
D. Redstone Medical Emergency Plans
E. Environmental Planning F. Redstone Security PlansAfter the Executive Summary, this document contains specific information that should be posted in a prominent place for individual offices about emergency preparedness for your office.
A. Structural Design of the Redstone Building
The Redstone Building is old, but well built by Union Construction workers in 1914. The Building has a steel frame reinforced with concrete. The building was certified to be off the Unreinforced Masonary Building --(UMB) safety list in 1995 by a state certified engineer.
The building is consists of two wings with the west wing of the building built in 1914. The east wing which starts at the men's bathrooms was added on in 1939.
The building has a brick facade along the South and West walls. The facade represents the primary safety concern during an earthquake due to the possibility of falling brick. Please see the Parapet Retrofit section for more details.
Electrical wiring was upgraded during the 1960's in most of the building. The building has natural gas lines running to the main boiler, two independent heating systems and 4 hot water heaters. Emergency plans to cut all gas, electricity and water services in case of an earthquake are planned.
Emergency ExitsThe building has 3 groundlevel exits located along the south side of the building. The building also contains 7 exits on the north side of the building and 1 one the West side. There are 2 fire escapes on the west wing of the building as well.
The exit located at the very southwest corner of the building is for the tenant of 2948 only, while the other two exits can be accessed by all other tenants.
Theatre Rhino has 3 exits for their main theatre, the main entrance from the South, one located on the north wall of the theatre and the other on the west wall. Rhino also has a two additional emergency exits for its basement theatre, the main entrance, which enters the mini-theatre from the East and an additional exit that comes out on the north side of the building.
The Lab (2948) has three exits, the main entrance from the street on the south, second exit at the southeast corner of their space that exits onto the 1st floor of the building and on the north side of their space.
The other large space (currently unused space) to the Lab's (2948) east also has a main entrance on the south that exits onto the 1st floor one exit on the east side of that leads north to the rear fire exit path.
There is also an exit located one door west of the first floor men's bathroom.
The basement has 3 primary exit routes. The primary stairs, leading to the 1st floor are 20 feet to the west of the elevator lobby. An exit out the back of the building is located directly north of the elevator at the end of the hall, beyond the fire doors, and up a short flight of stairs. There is an additional exit from the main basement via suite B-2's office that exits the building on the southwest corner of the building.
The building has two main staircases that go from the first floor to the third floor. Either of these to sets of stairs will serve as the primary mode of descending to any of the above mentioned exit access points. The east stair way includes emergency flood lights between each flight of stairs, while the west flights have emergency lighting at the top of each stairwell on each floor.
Emergency Lighting
All public exits are lit by emergency flood lights (battery powered floodlight units are inspected yearly) and certified photolumenescent exit signs. The photolumenescent exit signs have been certified by UL as well as S.F. Fire Department.
Fire EscapesThere are two fire escapes on the west wing of the building, one along the north side and the other along the west side.
The fire escape on the north side of the building has construction permit open (1995) to repair rust damage and add structural steel support.
The Emergency fire exits on the 3rd floor are located at the end of the hall that runs due north and south from the elevator lobby area. Please see the floor plan for exit location. Note that there is an additional emergency exit that can be accessed by going through to the back of room 105 (Mission Area Federal Credit Union).
The 2nd floor emergency exit is located at the far end of the suite 200 office complex. Additional exits exist on the north side of the building located within rooms 216 C & F.
Room 110 has direct access to the west fire escape, while all other tenants on the mezzanine will need to go up one flight of stairs to gain access to fire escapes.
Utility Services Cutoff PlanWater - The main waterline shutoff valve can be accessed from the basement women's bathroom with the exact location being near the ceiling on the southeast corner of the bathroom. The Women's bathroom is locked and on the new master system. If the water main is broken between the street and our main cutoff valve in the bathroom, the fire department (911) should be called in to open the main water vault located approx 20 feet east of the main 2940 entry.
If there is still electrical power coming into the building, and there is flooding in the basement area. This indicates that there is a blockage from the main sewage line, with a result of the main sump pump (b10) recirculating water causing the appearance of a severe flooding. By cutting the power off to the sump pump, this should within a short time reduce the high volume of water circulating in the basement. If it doesn't, then continued emergency procedures to protect basement tenants should be initated along with a decision by the city to cut water services to the area, unless they perceive a greater threat to the area from doing so.
Basement Flooding from loss of outside power --In the case where extended loss of power (4 hours or more) to the Redstone Building occurs the following actions must be taken to protect against severe economic damages.
1. If the elevator is not on the basement floor then it should be completely secured (locked down) with warnings posted not to turn on the elevator under any circumstances until okayed by the Building Manager Only.
2. If the elevator is in the basement a damage hole must be reopened from the back of the shaft to place an emergency pump to drain the elevator shaft. Besides doing #1 & #3.
3. Rental of emergency power supply plus a self-immerging pump to keep the elevator shaft from overflowing should be maintained throughout the power loss.
---If water is cut off to the building, all bathroom sloan valve toilets and urinals must be individually cut off prior to reopening of the main water valve. Each unit must have its relief valve removed and the unit bled of all air out of the line before bringing the unit back online.
Electricity - There are individual circuit breaker panels on each floor that control lights and electrical outlets. The main circuit breaker is located in the basement in the master electrical room. The room has a lockbox for PG&E worker access.
Gas - Access to the main Gas cutoff valve is located under a steel grate approximately 30 feet from theatre rhino's (2926 entrance) front door. Cutoff requires a pipe wrench to open the grating and cut off the gas.
Emergency cutoff plans will start by cutting off gas to individual hot water heaters with the following locations:
Roof West wing hot water shed (key located by roof door) Roof East wing vent room door on master key system 2nd floor room 216 utility closet attic Basement boiler room
Gas will be also shut off to the following heating systems:
Main Boiler (basement boiler room) room 216 (2nd floor) gas heater Roof East Wing gas heater
Emergency graphical display Floor Plan GuidelinesThe following section is a description of regulatory requirements for the Redstone Building. The S.F. Fire Department issued a revision of their Office Bulletin No. 90-02 on Oct. 25th 1995. The bulletin outlines state Title 19 section 3.09 and S.F. Fire Code Sections 12.112(b), 13.301(c) and 13.302(d)2. Note that these enclosed guidelines do not lay out additional requirements for handicapped individuals nor do they include requirements set down by the federal American With Disabilities Act of 1990, which will be addressed in a later draft of this document.
The building has not yet selected a method for disbursing emergency procedures to handicapped individuals yet as required by state Title 19 Section 3.09(a)2.
The local Fire Department ordinance requires a sample color copy of emergency floor plans be submitted for approval prior to posting. Note that Initial drafts of the floor plan have been started, but not completed as of the current draft document (1/30/97).
B. Redstone Fire PlansThe Redstone Building is equipped with Fire extinguishers and Fire hoses that are located on all public areas of the building. A diagram for the location of fire fighting equipment and emergency exits, including fire escapes are located at the lobby of all main floors, next to the elevator.
Fire extinguishers are inspected and recharged on a yearly basis, while fire hoses are inspected for wear and tear and with a full charge test done every other year.
An automatic smoke detection system is located in the lobby area above each elevator. If any of these units is set off, it will automatically take over control of the elevator, sending it to the basement and locking in down. The elevator will not be usable until the emergency reset button is pushed that is located in the basement directly to the north of the elevator at chest level. The fire department, elevator contractor and security officer hold the keys to the reset button.
There is one small sprinkler system for theatre Rhino's basement theatre. The backsloe system for the building is inspected yearly and is located on the south wall of the basement theatre lobby area.
If a fire exists in an office space and ceiling tile is damaged or on fire and are in the fire area, inform the fire commander that there is friable asbestos involved in the incident.
The current Redstone Building Manager (Roger Herried) passed basic fire fighting classes in the Navy(1971).
The tenants have the emergency 911 number to call in case of suspicion of fire.
See "Utility Cutoff Plans" above for locations for cutting off building utility services.
The fire department is in charge of emergency evacuation planning for buildings within the city of San Francisco. Requests for emergency evacuation plans guidelines should be directed to the department (558-3300).
C. Emergency Planning EarthquakesEarthquakes in the Bay Area are a certainty. To minimize the impacts of an earthquake upon your organization, you will need to develop advanced planning. Recent earthquakes have taught emergency planners many valuable lessons on how to lessen the impacts of earthquakes. By acting in advance, you may be saving the lives of you and your fellow staff.
Earthquake Estimates1996 studies estimate that there is a 66% chance of a 7.0 quake in the next 30 years, with the most likely source being the Hayward fault in the East Bay, followed by the San Andreas faultline down the peninsula or the Rodgers creek fault in Sonoma County. The chances of a quake greater than 7.0 do exist but are smaller than that for a 7.0 quake similar to the Loma Prieta Quake that stuck the bay area Oct. 15 1989.
Earthquake History (partial)Prior to 1989 there were a series of moderate quakes during 1980 that registered around 5.0. There was also a moderately strong quake that occurred in 1957, which seriously damaged buildings in the area. The largest quakes to strike the area was the Great quake of April 18th, 1906 and several quakes of major size in the 1800's.
Building Design Damage EstimatesThere is no current estimate available for the Redstone Building to determine what size of an earthquake the building could withstand. The costs of creating such an assessment are economically beyond the means of the current owner as well as literally all small property owners.
The variables surrounding the size and location of the epi-center of an earthquake must be combined with the type of soil and construction characteristics of the building to determine the chances of severe building damages from any one particular earthquake. Such estimates are done on a countywide basis by government agencies.
Note that after the 1989 earthquake, a local seismic engineer estimated that up to 75% of the buildings in the Mission District of the city were in danger of collapse if another 7.1 earthquake were to occur. This statement has been disputed but it is unknown what the impacts to an area are that has a history of seismic activity that can weaken key structural supports of a building over time.
During the Kobe (95) and S. California quake (94) new and old buildings alike were destroyed. New lessons were learned about different types of quakes and the stress put on steel welding. These new findings have not been turned into seismic safety codes as of yet.
The Redstone Building's Geological Soil TypeAccording to the latest studies released in 1996 of the most dangerous seismic locations in San Francisco, we are located in an area bordering on the worst known ground surface known as Bay Mud. Current maps put us a few hundred feet to west of Serpentine, which is the 2nd safest ground for buildings. The map puts us in the sandy soil area, (which does seem to be the case, from the minor excavations I have done around the building.
The 4 geological subsurface levels are:1. Franciscan Bedrock (safest)
2. Serpentine
3. Sand (The Redstone Building is located on this type of ground)
4. Bay Mud (we are very close to bay mud areas)
Note that major damages in the vicinity from the last 2 large quakes (1989 & 1957) indicate the heaviest damages to be just to the east of us by 1 to 3 blocks, with dangerous areas extending just to the north and west as well (where the latest study claims there are bay muds.
There have been some disputes about the above 1996 findings concerning the areas that could be affected the most. Old time neighbors have related stories that there was once a lake starting about 17th and shotwell which went south and west from that point. It should be noted that this is exactly where the most damage was done during the 1989 earthquake. The engineer who is rebuilding the Old Mission Armory Building, which according to the 1996 study, is located directly on the bay mud area has not found any major indication of water below that building (1997). Furthermore, large scale damages occurred along Folsom street both in 1957 and 1989 which is right on the border of the Serpantine subsurface in the 1996 seismic maps.
You can obtain a copy of the detailed S.F. geological map for small fee by calling 329-4309.
San Francisco Seismic Upgrade PlanningAs a result of such concerns after the 1989 quake, the city of San Francisco implemented a series of earthquake safety upgrade plans.
Unreinforced Masonary BuildingsBuildings that have been placed on the Unreinforced Masonary Building list will require major reconstruction work or be dismantled. The Redstone building is not on the UMB list.
Parapet RetrofittingThe next required seismic upgrade work is for parapets for brick buildings. A parapet is the structure of a building that extends above the roof. Concerns exist about parapets, being the weakest part of a building, collapsing and falling during a quake onto fleeing tenants, which happened several times in the 1989 quake, resulting in death.
This work was to have been completed by 1994, but delays have occurred due to a public initiative held in 1994. The vote (prop H) was to set aside public funding for low-costs loans to building owners to do the work as banks were refusing to give loans to older buildings to do the work.
Most owners of older buildings (The Redstone Building is included in this) have not been able to afford the costs of this expensive upgrade ($15,000 for the Redstone Building). The initiative included clauses that requires the owner to upgrade all aspects of their building up to current codes which made the loans very un-attractive to owners due to the cost of other unrelated upgrade expenses that would have been required upon acceptance of a loan. So many owners, including the Redstone Building owner has not completed the necessary work. Current law requires that the Parapet upgrade be completed before a building is sold.
Advanced Seismic Safety Retro WorkAs a result of the recent earthquakes occurring in major metropolitan areas, geologists have discovered disturbing news about new types of seismic features and their impacts. One of the most important concerns that has surfaced has to do with the impacts on buildings that have sustained previous seismic stressing on welds to key steel support structures.
All buildings, including the Redstone Building will require safety studies to evaluate the strength of support work in the building to make sure that floors do not pancake on top of each other, and to make sure that old welding has not been damaged due to previous seismic activity.
Specific Details for advanced seismic planning will be added in a later draft of this document.
Observations from the 1989 QuakeThe building weathered the 1989 earthquake with only minor damages to plaster surfaces and a couple of broken windows along the east side of the building. An old brick structure that was added on to the north side of the building was the only structure that suffered serious damage, and had to be removed (1990).
The building was inspected by city seismic engineers shortly after the earthquake and okayed for continued operation.
If a large earthquake occurs, make sure that all personnel have preplanned a series of options (see below) available for them to act on during the actual quake. Preplanning will help familiarize people so with the dangers involved and will help reduce fear and direct actions that can help save lives.
It is critical that all tenants do not attempt to leave building during the earthquake. The two most unsettling aspects of larger quakes is the uncontrolled shaking and the volume of noise created.
Note that during the 1989 earthquake the building generated serious shaking from north to south as the epi-center of the Loma Prieta quake was some 50 miles to the south. The volume of sound generated by the stair wells and the two wings bouncing against each other was very high.
The first urge of individuals is to escape outside. This panic reaction MUST be stopped as the brick facade and broken windows from the Redstone building could kill or maim people leaving exits. Fear and Panic can be expected out on the streets, especially when literally all neighborhoods are so concentrated. Drivers of cars, falling electrical lines and exposed natural gas lines all combine to make all public areas extremely hazardous during the quake and immediately afterwards.
If the building does not sustain major structural damage during the actual quake (from a few seconds up to several minutes), the building is the safest place to be in.
Note that the severity of the quake can vary dramatically. Although there is a far lower chance of GREAT Earthquake (the term used for a quake of the magnitude that shook San Francisco in 1906) be prepared to assess the scale of the quake during the shaking.
There are two major types of quakes currently known that generate two different types of motion that can be expected. The most deadly motion comes from a slip/thrust quake where motions can come at once with very heavy ground motion, while the other type of quake known as a slip/strike quake will tend to generate a less violent reaction.
There are many geological and structural factors that come into play during the quake, but expect the slip strike quake to generate an increasing violent motion as the actual event unfolds.
Do not place large bookshelves too close to any of your doors as these may fall or collapse, which could seriously impede your ability to leave your office after the quake.
If the quake is extremely severe and major structural damage occurrs, it is very important to move with caution due to the danger of exposed electricity or weakened floor and stair structures.
Another neighbor also believes that another smaller lake existed north of us by just a couple hundred feet.
Suggested evacuation resources: see the list below for items.
DEVELOPING YOUR OWN SEISMIC EMERGENCY PLANFIRST: Call your local state representative and ask them for a copy of any seismic guidelines.
SECOND: Create an earthquake plan for each person in your office, and make sure that they link it to their own family emergency plan. Make sure that each individual has several prioritized meeting places for the rest of their family.
THIRD: Do an emergency drill to familiarize yourself with your own emergency plans.
Emergency Planning at your office is different from that of the home. Everyone will want to leave the office to go home as soon as possible to be reunited with their family.
Your advanced planning for the critical moments after the earthquake will play an important role in how members of your staff respond to their own personal needs.
Critical Information:After an earthquake, it should be noted that all residential and commercial phone lines will very likely not be available for incoming or outgoing phone calls of any kind.
Do not expect emergency public services to be able to respond promptly to your particular emergency via your telephone.
Public telephones have been setup as the primary emergency phone system during a major earthquake. Note that even public phones may not be operational everywhere due to structural damages.
It will be impossible for people outside of the area to call into the area and reach you over the phone.
Emergency planners suggest that you use a relative outside of the area as a central communication link for your family. Give this number to each family member and have them call this person, giving them any important information about whether or not they are injured or able to reach an agreed upon emergency regathering destination. This location will either be their home, or possibly the school or other location where their children are at.
MAKE SURE TO KEEP AT LEAST A FEW DOLLARS IN SMALL CHANGE AVAILABLE IN YOUR DESK FOR MAKING THE NECESSARY LONG DISTANCE CALLS TO YOUR EMERGENCY PRIMARY CONTACT PERSON.
You should also create a list of 3 other places where family members should attempt to goto if they cannot go home. Make sure that each family member has this agreed upon list on them at all times. Make sure to call your contact person if you end up at another location other than the planned ones that were agreed upon.
Prepare your Staff Members:
Make sure that they have emergency plans in place to contact their own family.
Make sure that they know the best way to protect themselves during the earthquake.
The nearest medical site is:Mission Neighborhood Medical Clinic -- 16th & Shotwell
S.F. General -- Protero & 24th
Saint Lukes -- Valencia & Caesar Chavez Boulevard
Davies Medical Center -- Duboce & Divisadero
If Outdoors:Get into an open area away from trees, buildings, walls and power lines.
The greatest danger is from falling debris is just outside and close to outer walls. Move away from buildings as quickly as possible.
If Driving:Pull over to the side of the road and stop.
Avoid overpasses and power lines. Stay inside your car until the shaking is over.
Be aware of hazards such as fallen or falling objects, downed electrical wires or damaged roadways.
If you are in The Redstone Building:Stay away from windows or outside walls
Get under a table, desk or stand in a doorway frame.
Move away from areas where bookshelves or computers are that could become projectiles
If there is any damage to ceiling tiles in your office, We urge you to immediately evacuate the space as soon as possible as many of the ceiling tiles in the building contain friable asbestos.
Do not attempt to use the elevators
Only use the stairs or fire escapes exits. Know where fire exits are and use them if main stairs are blocked.
Do not attempt to leave the building under any circumstance, until all exits have been checked for the potential of falling glass and bricks.
Do not attempt to use the stairs until the shaking is over
After the shaking is overCheck fellow workers for injuries of any kind.
If individual(s) have serious injuries seek a public phone and call 911 to report the injury. Send a messenger to the Mission Clinic for help. Do not attempt to move the injured person, unless they are in danger from further debris falling on them.
Do a quick evaluation of the status of the room. Take note of any dangerous situation such as electrical sparks broken glass or falling ceiling beams and transmit this to the Building manager.
Turn off all electricity and attempt to properly secure your main door. If the door will not close properly, notify the building manager of this.
Have your staff/guests leave behind a message on the door of where they are attempting to go to so that if friends or family come looking for them, they can be sought after.
Turn on your radio and listen to directions from emergency officials. Find out the epicenter of the quake, locations of serious damages, fires, closed roads etc.
If you stay in the building, check with building staff if there is anything that you can help out with. The building will have many emergency operational steps needed to secure the building and make sure that if anyone is injured is properly cared for.
Upon leaving the building, be careful to move away from building as quickly as possible. Do not linger outside of the building. Go home or to your other planned destination.
Watch out for live wires and attempt to move in areas where you are least susceptible to be hit by falling debris from damaged structures.
Be prepared for aftershocks.
Do not attempt to use your vehicle unless there is an need for emergency transportation.
Keep the street clear for emergency vehicles
Do not go sightseeing
Stay calm and lend assistance if you can.
Emergency Resource Checklist:Flashlights
Portable Radio
Fresh supply of batteries
first aid kit
fire extinguisher
food
water
special items (emergency medication if needed)
tools Pipe wrench & crescent wrench
Call your local state representative for a copy of their emergency preparedness check off list.
These Earthquake Preparedness materials have been taken from Cal. office of Emergency Services, FEMA, the Red Cross and various other public sources.
E: Environmental Factors at the Redstone BuildingThe Redstone building was built during an era when Asbestos was commonly used in the construction of buildings. As a result there are vaious levels of Asbestos located in the building.
An independent Environmental Site Assessment for asbestos and other environmental hazards was done by a party interested in purchasing the building on July 22, 1993. The company that did the site assessment was AllWest Environmental Inc. The individual who conducted the onsite inspection was Anibal Mata-Sol (Cal. State Assessor registration No. 65031). The Allwest Project code for the inspection was 93162.21.
The assessment found asbestos located in one particular model of ceiling tile that is located in both wings of the building. Asbestos was also found in the roofing surface, boiler room insulation, and older floor tiles that exist throughout the building.
No hazardous materials were found onsite by the investigator at the time. During the winter of 1996 it was determined that the building had an old heating oil tank located on the northwest corner of the property. The tank is currently not in jeapardy of leaking into the environment, but may contain up to 100 gallons of old heating oil.
Plans to drain the oil and fill the tank are planned for either fall 97/98 or 98/99.
In addition, the building contains an extensive number of PCB based magnetic flourescent ballasts. These are being phased out over time and replaced with non-PCB based units, which the old ballasts being taken to the S.F. Hardous Waste Facility on Tunnel Ave.
The building Manager, who also does a substantial portion of routine maintenance in the building is aware of all the above environmental conditions mentioned.
Environmental History/ActionsWinter 1995 - old heating oil for the boiler leaked onto the boiler room floor through partially disconnected service lines. The leaking heating oil was captured in 5 gallong buckets and approximately 35 gallons was taken to the S.F. Harzardous waste facility during the spring of 1996 for proper disposal. The heating oil floor was cleaned.
Fall 1996 - a tenant disturbed asbestos laden ceiling tiles in room 216. Note that the tenant had been previously notified about the fact that the ceiling contained asbestos. The room, which is windowless, was sealed off and a warning to stay out of the room has been posted.