Remember the incident in February in which a small private plane crashed into an IRS building in Austin, TX? There was only one IRS worker fatality. Credit goes to regular fire and evacuation drills.
During a U.S. House hearing on federal building security, details on the evacuation of the building after the plane crash came to light.
Burning fuel from the plane quickly filled the building with black smoke, making it impossible for many in the building to see anything.
Among the actions that saved workers’ lives:
- Employees near exits waited there so others could follow their voices and find their way out.
- Workers helped evacuate disabled employees.
- One IRS employee carried a disabled co-worker on his back down four flights of stairs.
- To counter the smoke, workers crawled on their hands and knees, breathing through clothing they’d dampened with water.
