No one expects a disaster at work to happen. We like to think that our buildings are safe, and in the event of a fire, we would be able to evacuate easily and safely.
Fire evacuation procedures are legally required to ensure that people know their roles and responsibilities in the event of a fire. This is by the relevant fire safety legislation. Responsible Persons for residential buildings, that contain two or more dwellings and have common areas, are also required to provide fire evacuation procedures to their residents every year, to comply with the requirements of the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2005.
By scheduling regular fire drills, your company can plan for a potential fire and prepare employees on how to exit the building safely.
Fire evacuation procedures and drills are not only to prepare for fires. They train employees on what to do in the case of any emergency or life safety situation.
Fire evacuation procedures
The evacuation procedure would include the following areas:
- Description of the fire systems
- Fire instruction and drills
- Fire procedure for fire discovery and alarm activation, including individual responsibilities for management, fire wardens, staff, tenants, first aiders and contractors
- Guidelines in the event of a fire
- Fire prevention guidelines, a master roll call list, building emergency contact details and a local map showing the fire assembly
What is a fire evacuation drill?
The evacuation drill tries to present a simulation of a fire situation. Usually, the fire alarm is activated, and building occupants are required to implement their emergency procedures.
It involves creating a situation that replicates what would happen if a real fire were to occur, usually with the inclusion of fire alarms and requires your employees and anyone else who may be within your property at the time to evacuate. In addition, this is a perfect opportunity to test your fire equipment and how well your procedures and training have worked.
What are the benefits?
A fire evacuation drill tests your procedures and how well your fire wardens, employees or anyone in your buildings understand what to do in the event of an emergency. It also tests your procedures, fire doors and other fire equipment. As a result, your business will also be safer for everyone, and you will be complying with legal requirements.
How can Ligtas support you?
A fire evacuation simulation can be conducted at any time with our team. However, they are usually done during a fire risk assessment. These can be made as realistic as possible to test your fire wardens and the fire safety procedures.
We want to make sure that everything works as expected in a real emergency. We will observe what happens and produce a report of our findings.
An action plan would also be prepared, summarising the steps necessary to reduce any unacceptable risks and indicating the priority and timescale in which such work should be carried out.
Ligtas will support you to:
- Develop a set of comprehensive fire drill procedures and communications plan
- Establish roles and responsibilities for the fire evacuation team, including that of fire warden
- Create a map of evacuation routes, and emergency exits
- Know your tools such as smoke detectors, fire alarms, and fire extinguishers
- Rehearse your fire drills
Our team will create an environment where you will feel confident to manage the fire risks in your workplace.
