How to Prepare for your Evacuations

It’s crucial that everybody can exit a building safely in an emergency. Whether it’s a workplace, a care home or an apartment complex, it’s important to have a well-thought-out evacuation plan. In this guide, we’ll discuss how to design effective escape routes that will allow everyone to get to safety quickly and efficiently. We’ll also show you how to set up evacuation strategies that meet the specific needs of your building and its occupants, giving you the tools to provide safety where it matters most.

A guide to escape routes

Escape routes should be designed to ensure that if you come across a fire anywhere in the building, you can turn away from it and get to a reasonably safe place. In this context, a reasonably safe place might be a stairway or another protected area.

From the place of reasonable safety, you should be able to continue on to a completely safe place that is well away from the building. The larger or taller your building is, the more complex your system of fire precautions must be in order to protect your escape routes.

All escape routes should be designed so that individuals can escape as quickly as possible.

Does your building have adequate escape routes?

To work this out, consider the following. The age and construction of your building will impact your evacuation strategy.

• How many people are there in your building? How much assistance do they require in order to evacuate?
• When people in your building do need assistance to evacuate, what form will this assistance take?
• What is your overall evacuation strategy?
• How long do you predict the escape time will be, and how far will your users have to go to evacuate?
• How many escape routes and fire exits are there?
• How do you intend to manage your routes?
• Does your premise have a very large number of people to evacuate?
• Does your building have a complicated layout (split levels or a network of escape routes)?
• How many floors does your building have? Any more than 4 would qualify as complicated.

Are there different routes you can take if one is blocked by fire?

In most cases, there should be a minimum of two escape routes. Sometimes one escape route is acceptable, for example if you have a small building or a small number of people to evacuate.

If you do require multiple escape routes, they should be completely independent of each other so that if a fire/another emergency affects one part of the route, the other remains clear.

Your final exit doors should open in the direction people would be travelling and should be wide enough for the number of people leaving (including wheelchair or evacuation chair users). Corridors and stairways that are part of your escape routes must be kept free from hazards at all times. Escape routes should be regularly maintained so that they are always ready for use.

Have you got provisions at the refuge point?

In a multi-storey building, there should be a refuge point on every floor. It needs to be large enough to accommodate a wheelchair user, while simultaneously not obstructing the exit for others. A refuge point should allow up to 30 minutes of protection from smoke and fire. These are also ideal places to store any evacuation chairs you have.

You may also want to consider including some of the following provisions at your refuge point:

PEEPs and buddy systems

In many cases, individuals requiring PEEPs cannot evacuate a building by themselves in a rapid manner. They need to be assigned one or two ‘buddies’ who can assist them with their evacuation.

In situations where an individual may not respond quickly to a fire alarm (for instance, those with visual or hearing impairments) the buddy will also alert the person of the need to evacuate. Most evacuation chairs cannot be operated by the wheelchair users alone, so they require at least one buddy to help them get up or down stairs.

Buddies need to be trained on how to use the evacuation chair and given ample time to practice. They are responsible for knowing which individual they are supporting and assisting them with their evacuation or movement to a refuge area. Once the individual has been evacuated safely, the buddy is also responsible for communicating to their manager the status of the individual who is being evacuated.

The assignment of buddies to specific PEEP holders is typically detailed in the PEEP documentation. Each PEEP should list the names of both primary and secondary buddies assigned to an individual. This ensures that the person with the PEEP knows who to expect assistance from and the buddies are aware of their responsibilities.

What if a buddy is absent on the day?

Often a PEEP designates a primary buddy and one or more secondary buddies. There should be enough people nominated as buddies so that one is always available, even if one buddy is off sick or on holiday. All designated buddies should be trained in the use of evacuation equipment to ensure they can effectively assist if needed. If a buddy knows they will be absent on certain days, they should inform the other buddies in advance to ensure there is no gap in the provision of assistance. Some organisations choose to implement a daily check-in system to confirm the availability of buddies.

Evacuation best practices

Regular training sessions

Schedule training for all staff members (especially those designated as buddies). This should include hands-on practice with any evacuation equipment you have on site like chairs, stretchers, and so on.

Periodic refresher courses (quarterly or bi-annually) ensure that staff remain familiar with the equipment and can be brought up to speed on latest procedures.

Simulation drills

Conduct full-scale evacuation drills involving the use of all relevant equipment. This helps identify any issues with evacuation equipment or procedures in a controlled environment.

Scenario-based drills (different types of emergencies, equipment failures) can also be very helpful to ensure your staff are prepared for a range of situations.

Feedback and access to training materials

After each drill or training session, gather feedback from participants to identify areas for improvement.

Resources and instructional guides can be very useful for those who learn in different ways. Online videos and manuals can be reviewed by staff at their convenience. Step-by-step instructional guides for using evacuation equipment should be readily available at all times.

Ensure all staff know where the evacuation equipment is kept

Everybody on your premises should know where to find your evacuation equipment, should the need arise. Visual aids like signage can be useful here.

If your evacuation chairs have been moved recently, update all relevant documentation and inform staff immediately. The same applies for any equipment that has been decommissioned.

Inspections and maintenance

Routine checks ensure that all your evacuation equipment is in its designated place and in good working order. Inspections should be documented for your records.

Evacuation chairs should have their own maintenance schedule for checking and servicing. Make sure that any issues are promptly addressed.

Evacuation training and maintenance with Evacu8

Ensuring the safety of your building’s occupants is an ongoing commitment that extends beyond initial planning. Regular maintenance of your evacuation equipment and continuous training for your staff are crucial steps in fostering a safe environment.

At Evacu8, we specialise in equipping you with top-of-the-line evacuation solutions. Don’t wait for an emergency to find out if your systems are up to standard. Contact us today to schedule maintenance and sign up for our expert-led evacuation training sessions so that your staff can handle any situation confidently.