Fire drills and emergency procedures for a bomb threat, floods or gas leak etc can be looked at from many different perspectives, sometimes we think it’s a half an hour away from the desk, or maybe just a bit of a waste of time, or even an expensive hour for employers. There is however another major consideration that we should be very aware of, the legal perspective.

There is a requirement on employers under current legislation to carry out an emergency evacuation of their premises once every six months. For employees, there is a duty to comply with procedures and practices of the employers. This includes co-operating with an evacuation drill. Always take it that when we hear the fire alarm that it is a genuine emergency evacuation. We should never ASSUME that it is only a drill unless we are advised by management accordingly.

If you are an employer and you have not yet put your emergency evacuation procedure in place there are a few steps to consider:

Designate an Assembly Point: this must be a place of safety where employees are asked to assemble in an evacuation situation. The location of this point must be away from the building and any potential source of danger it should also be easily identifiable. Assembly points must not be situated in a location where they could pose an obstruction for the emergency services.

Appoint and train Fire Marshalls: Often referred to as fire wardens, these trained personnel are present to ensure that the building is evacuated as quickly as possible. Wardens may also be trained in the use of extinguishers for smaller fires. Employers should appoint one person as the Fire Marshall / Warden Co-ordinator. This person will organise the roll call at the Assembly Point, and then liaise with the emergency services to give the all clear when it is safe to return to the building.

Evacuation Routes: The evacuation routes provided must be the most direct way out of the building to the Assembly Point. They should lead evacuees away from the source of danger. Routes must be kept clear at all times. All emergency lighting should be checked every 13 weeks to ensure it is working correctly by a competent person. A record of the possible faults found and action taken should be recorded in a maintenance log book. The doors out of the building must be kept clear from obstructions both internally and externally. If necessary, employers should have hatch markings painted on the ground outside emergency exits to ensure doors do not become blocked with parked cars, skips, stored materials etc.

Contact Person: Appoint a person to contact the emergency services. This person must be trained on how to correctly make an emergency services call. Often people are unaware that they are not phoning a local fire station usually they will be put through to a regional office which will in turn contact the local emergency services. This person must be able to give very specific details regarding the address, type of incident, number of casualties (if known), etc. It is also vital that the contact person does not hang up until instructed to do so by the operator.

Media Liaison Person: In the event of an emergency evacuation it is vital that no unauthorised information is given to the media. All staff should be instructed to say ‘no comment’ if approached by any media personnel until such time as the company have prepared and can issue a formal statement through their appointed Media Liaison Person.

Once you have carried out your emergency procedure drill ensure that it is documented and a report completed stating the date, name of person writing the report, start time, finish time, how long it took to evacuate the building, and any issues or problems that may have occurred. Remember the more you practice the drill the better the reaction time will be which in the event of an actual emergency could save lives.

If you have any questions, or need any assistance with the organising and planning of an emergency evacuation in your organisation, the Phoenix Safety team will be delighted to help you with your query.