A workplace fire evacuation plan explains what people should do when fire is discovered or the alarm sounds, how they will reach safety and who will coordinate the response. Your fire evacuation policy sets out the responsibilities behind those arrangements. Both should reflect the premises, the people using them and the findings of the fire risk assessment.
Updated 9 November 2026. Substantially reviewed against current legislation and official guidance. The detailed legal discussion below covers England and Wales; separate guidance for Scotland and Northern Ireland is linked below. Originally published 26 June 2024.
Jump to: legal duties | plan contents | evacuation strategies | accessible evacuation | checklist | drills and review | FAQs
Why do you need a fire evacuation policy?
People need usable instructions before an emergency occurs. A clear policy identifies who owns the plan, who implements it and how it is checked. The operational plan then explains the actions, routes, assistance and communication arrangements for that particular building.
| Location | Main framework for the premises discussed here | Official starting point |
|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, as amended, covers most workplaces and other non-domestic premises. | Current Fire Safety Order duties |
| Scotland | The Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006 provide a separate framework. | Scottish Government non-domestic guidance |
| Northern Ireland | The Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 and Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010 provide a separate framework. | NIFRS business fire-safety guidance |
In England and Wales, the responsible person must assess fire risks, put appropriate precautions and emergency procedures in place, nominate sufficient competent people to implement evacuation procedures, and provide employees with relevant information and training. Shared premises require cooperation between the responsible persons. See Article 15 on emergency procedures and the other duties in Part 2 of the Order.
Small organisations still need appropriate arrangements. Current duties include recording the fire risk assessment and fire-safety arrangements. Do not rely on the old five-employee recording threshold. The amount of detail should suit the risks and complexity of the premises; a notice on its own cannot establish that the arrangements are adequate. GOV.UK’s current risk-assessment guidance and Article 11 explain the recording duties.
What should a fire evacuation plan include?
Use the following as a planning structure, then adapt it with competent help where needed. The suggested owners are examples: name actual people or roles, cover absences and out-of-hours use, and coordinate with other occupiers. Keep instructions accessible to the people who need them.
| Plan section | What to establish | Example owner or check |
|---|---|---|
| Scope and strategy | Areas covered, occupancy, operating hours and the assessed response to an alarm. | Responsible person with competent fire-safety assistance. |
| Raising the alarm and calling for help | How to raise the warning, who calls the fire and rescue service, the address to give and backup cover. | Named caller and deputy; confirm monitoring arrangements. |
| Routes and exits | Usable routes to safety, alternative arrangements, exit operation and any relevant plans or diagrams. | Facilities team and nominated people check the agreed arrangements. |
| People needing assistance | Agreed assistance, warning methods, equipment and trained cover for staff and visitors. | Plan coordinator consults the people concerned. |
| Evacuation roles | Who helps people leave, manages visitors and communicates information, within safe and trained limits. | Named marshals or wardens with absence and shift cover. |
| Assembly and accounting | Where people gather, how attendance is checked and how missing-person information is passed on. | Assembly coordinator, reception and visitor hosts. |
| Equipment and information | Warning systems, emergency lighting, signs and relevant equipment; faults and maintenance responsibilities. | Facilities team and competent service providers. |
| Training, drills and review | Induction, refresher needs, drill records, corrective actions and when the plan will be reviewed. | Responsible person retains the current version and checks actions are closed. |
Which evacuation strategy applies?
The strategy must fit the building’s fire precautions and risk assessment. It is not simply a choice of which approach would disrupt the business least. The Home Office offices and shops guide explains that phased arrangements need suitable warning signals, management and specialist consideration.
| Strategy | General principle | What must support it |
|---|---|---|
| Simultaneous evacuation | People leave the relevant premises when the evacuation warning is given. | An effective warning, suitable escape routes and clear instructions for all occupants. |
| Vertical phased evacuation | Specified floors or areas evacuate in a planned sequence. | A building-specific strategy, suitable protection, distinguishable warning signals and trained management. |
| Horizontal phased or progressive horizontal evacuation | People initially move into a suitably protected adjoining compartment on the same level. | Suitable fire compartmentation, staffing and assistance, with an assessed route to further safety. |
Simultaneous evacuation
The instructions should explain the alarm, the routes to use, assistance arrangements and the assembly point. They must also work for visitors and people unfamiliar with the layout.
Vertical phased evacuation
Do not copy a fixed floor-by-floor sequence from a general article. The correct sequence and signals belong in the building’s assessed strategy. Voice messages may form part of a system, but the arrangement requires specialist design and clear staff understanding.
Horizontal phased evacuation
Moving into another room is not automatically horizontal evacuation: the receiving area must provide the protection required by the strategy. Suitable warning and communication arrangements depend on the premises and the assessed plan; a voice-alarm system is not a universal defining feature of this strategy.
PEEPs and accessible evacuation
A personal emergency evacuation plan (PEEP) records agreed arrangements for someone who needs assistance. Discuss the person’s needs with them, including mobility, hearing, sight, understanding of instructions or a temporary impairment. Consider regular staff, occasional visitors and people arriving when normal support staff are absent.
The Home Office means-of-escape guide covers individual plans, standard arrangements for visitors, consultation and trained assistance. A refuge is part of an evacuation arrangement, not a place to leave someone awaiting an assumed rescue. The workplace plan should be capable of working without relying on fire-service intervention.
Equipment such as an evacuation chair needs suitable selection, training and an agreed method of use. Ordinary passenger lifts should not be treated as evacuation lifts. Where an assessed evacuation-lift arrangement exists, the plan should identify who can use it and how it will be managed. Keep sensitive personal information appropriately controlled while making necessary assistance instructions available.
Separate residential rules in England: the Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025 came into force on 6 April 2026. Their scope includes buildings with two or more domestic premises that are at least 18m high or have at least seven storeys, and those more than 11m high with a simultaneous evacuation strategy, subject to the Regulations’ definitions and exclusions. These introduce Residential PEEP duties and building emergency evacuation plans for specified buildings. Follow the current Residential PEEPs guidance and statutory scope; this workplace checklist is not a substitute for that process.
Actions when fire is discovered or the alarm sounds
Write clear instructions for raising the alarm, leaving by the designated safe routes, assisting others within agreed arrangements and reporting to the assembly point. Include visitors, contractors, cleaners and lone or out-of-hours workers. Explain that people must not re-enter until authorised to do so under the emergency arrangements.
Calling the emergency services
Name who will call 999 from a safe place and who provides cover. Keep the correct address, access information and relevant hazards available. Check what any alarm-monitoring service actually does; an alarm sounding does not establish that the fire and rescue service has been called. Our fire-alarm monitoring guide explains the distinction.
Escape routes, exits and signs
GOV.UK’s evacuation guidance calls for clear, marked routes, enough exits, doors that open easily, emergency lighting where needed and training. Article 14 makes exit numbers, distribution and dimensions depend on the use, size, equipment and occupancy of the premises. There is no universal two-exit rule to copy into every policy.
Use a clear plan or diagram where helpful and keep it consistent with the actual layout. Keep routes unobstructed and make sure relevant doors can be opened in an emergency. Choose fire-action notices whose instructions match the assessed strategy. Our floor-identification signs guide explains the separate scope and placement considerations for those signs.
A fire-action notice example: CheckFire identifies 402P as its 150 × 200mm photoluminescent Fire Action (EC) sign. Check its actual printed instructions, complete any relevant site details and confirm suitability for the location and evacuation arrangements. A notice supports the plan; it does not replace it or the emergency lighting.
Fire marshals, wardens and trained cover
Nominate enough competent people for the premises and working patterns. Record their roles, deputies and training needs. Duties might include helping people leave, supporting agreed assistance, managing assembly information and briefing the fire and rescue service. A generic staff-to-marshal ratio cannot establish adequate cover.
Huvo offers single-user online fire-marshal video training. Treat an online course as one part of training: it must be supplemented by the building’s own instructions, familiarisation, drills and any practical instruction required for assigned equipment. Course completion alone does not establish competence for every site or duty.
Assembly points and accounting for people
Identify a suitable place of safety, how people reach it and how the arrangement avoids obstructing emergency access. Explain how staff, visitors and contractors will be accounted for, who gathers missing-person information and who passes it to responders. Do not send people back into danger to find someone missing from a list.
Fire-fighting equipment and safe responsibilities
Identify the equipment provided, who checks it and any trained roles in using it. The type and provision should follow the risk assessment. A fire-marshal appointment does not mean everyone must tackle a fire; duties and training should reflect what is appropriate and safe. Equipment use must not delay necessary evacuation or put people at risk.
Liaison with the fire and rescue service
Identify who meets responders at a safe location and communicates the known incident location, people unaccounted for or needing assistance, access arrangements and relevant hazards. Confirm the responsibilities of reception, security and any monitoring provider in advance.
Fire evacuation plan checklist
Use this practical check alongside the fire risk assessment and applicable premises guidance:
- Identify the premises, current layout, occupancy, opening hours and responsible person.
- Confirm the assessed evacuation strategy and what each warning signal means.
- Record how the alarm is raised, who calls for help and who provides backup.
- Check usable escape routes, exit operation, signs and emergency lighting.
- Agree assistance arrangements with people who need them, including visitor provision.
- Name evacuation roles and deputies, including shift and out-of-hours cover.
- Confirm the assembly location, accounting arrangements and responder liaison.
- Coordinate the plan with landlords, other occupiers and relevant contractors.
- Provide suitable induction and refresher training, then practise the arrangements.
- Record drill findings, allocate corrective actions and keep the plan under review.
How often should you practise and review the plan?
GOV.UK recommends at least one fire drill per year and retaining the results with the fire-safety and evacuation plan. That is guidance, not a universal statutory annual interval for every type of premises. The risk assessment, occupancy, staffing and applicable sector guidance may call for more frequent practice. Include relevant shifts and assistance arrangements safely.
Record the date, areas and people involved, what worked, any communication or route difficulties, and corrective actions with owners and completion dates. Update instructions and training after significant changes, incidents or weaknesses found in practice. Review the risk assessment regularly and when it may no longer be valid. Our paper and digital fire-logbooks guide explains practical recordkeeping options.
Fire evacuation policy FAQs
What is the difference between a fire policy and an evacuation plan?
A policy explains responsibilities and management arrangements; the evacuation plan sets out the practical response. They can be coordinated within one document, provided the instructions are clear, site-specific and accessible.
Does a small business need a written plan?
In England and Wales, current Fire Safety Order duties require the risk assessment and fire-safety arrangements to be recorded. Emergency procedures must be appropriate to the premises. A small, straightforward workplace may need simpler documentation, but the old five-employee recording exception should not be used.
Must every workplace have two fire exits?
No blanket number settles the question. The required exit provision depends on the premises, occupancy and risks. Article 14 requires adequate numbers, distribution and dimensions where necessary. Have adequacy assessed rather than treating this guide as permission to reduce exits.
Who plans evacuation for someone who needs assistance?
The responsible person needs to arrange suitable provision with the people concerned and competent assistance as needed. Agree the help, trained cover and equipment in advance. The workplace plan should not rely on the fire and rescue service arriving to make routine evacuation arrangements work.
Is an online fire-marshal course enough on its own?
A course can support learning, but it does not demonstrate that someone knows your building, strategy, assistance arrangements or equipment. Add site-specific instruction, appropriate practical training and drills for the actual role.
Can this checklist be used as a residential building evacuation plan?
It can highlight questions, but residential strategies and legal duties need separate assessment. In England, the Residential Evacuation Plans Regulations have applied to specified buildings since 6 April 2026. Use the linked official guidance and competent advice for the building; do not replace its established strategy with a workplace template.
Keep the plan usable and current
A useful fire evacuation policy connects people, routes, equipment and responsibilities. Keep the current version available, make sure occupants understand their instructions, practise safely and act on what you learn. Use the official guidance for your nation and premises type, and obtain competent help where the arrangements are beyond your expertise.
