An emergency plan must show that you have:
A suitable fire detection system.
A process for identifying false alarms.
A clear understanding of who calls 999.
A clear passageway to all escape routes.
Suitable routes and exits for people to escape.
Clearly marked escape routes – these should be as short and direct as possible.
Emergency doors that open easily – and emergency lighting if it is needed.
Providing training so your employees know how to use the escape routes
Set out a safe meeting point for staff.
Considered the needs of anyone who might not be able to escape quickly if there's a
fire – for example, wheelchair users or people with visual impairments.
4 8
9
5 7
A plan shows the possible evacuation routes in the building. It is colour coded and uses
arrows to indicate the designated exit. A room containing hazardous materials is indicated in
the lower right hand corner of the building by the flame symbol. The assembly area is
indicated outside the primary exit at the top of the building.
An evacuation plan with three exits, has the primary exit designated in the upper left by red
arrows, with two main flows coming toward it indicated by bent arrows, the red rooms, and
red elevator. Persons in the upper left half of the building are directed toward this exit.
The secondary exit is located centrally on the adjacent outer wall on the right side of the
building. Persons in the top hallway and second hallway are directed with tan arrows from the
tan coloured rooms toward this exit. A male and female figure (representing restrooms) are
indicated in the first tan coloured rooms in the upper hallway. The individuals should exit
along the hallway toward the secondary exit at the right side of the building. Both the primary
and secondary exits are marked with handicapped signs.
There is a third exit in the last hallway, centrally located in the outer wall opposite the outer
wall with the primary exit and adjacent to the outer wall with the secondary exit. Persons in
the third hallway are directed by blue arrows from the blue coloured rooms and blue elevator
to exit out this doorway. This exit is not designated for handicapped persons as stairs are
indicated.
Coloured boxes indicate a row of rooms along the outer walls, with hallways parallel to the
rows of outer rooms on three sides of the building. The outer wall on the left side of the
building has a hallway along the outer wall. Four sets of six coloured rooms are along the
internal corridors and there are three large rooms centrally located with internal hallways
connecting the top and bottom of the building.
The Primary Exit is marked with an arrow from the text below the map, as is the Secondary
Exit. An X inscribed in a circle marks the position of the employee, indicated in the legend, in
text "You are here". On the floor plan, the employee is located in the upper left hand corner in
the internal set of six red coloured rooms, in the central room in the second hallway. The
employee may exit the red coloured room, either to the left or right (indicated by red arrows),
and then proceed toward the outer wall and the upper left primary exit.
1. Designate Primary & Secondary Exits
Evacuation plan should designate at least one primary exit and one secondary exit. These
exits must be remote from each other and so arranged as to minimize any possibility that both
may be blocked by any one fire or other emergency condition.
2. No Emergency Exits in Restrooms
Even if there is a door in a restroom that employees could exit out of, no emergency exits are
designated through restrooms for evacuation of a building. Windows are never designated as
exits. Consequently, the floor plan does not indicate the restroom as an exit.
3. Exit Away From Rooms With Hazardous Materials
Emergency exit routes lead away from this room containing potentially hazardous materials
so that no employee will be forced to pass the area during an emergency.
4. No Emergency Exits Into Narrow Passages
This short passageway between the two buildings may not provide enough open space for
safe evacuation during an emergency. Accordingly, no emergency exit leads to this narrow
space.
5. Exit Signs Indicating the Nearest Emergency Exit
Signs reading "Exit" with an arrow indicating the directions, must be placed in every location
where the direction of travel to reach the nearest exit is not immediately apparent.
6. Designate An Assembly Area
An assembly location should be designated outside the building for employees to gather
during an emergency. The location of this assembly area should be clearly illustrated if shown
on the map.
7. No Use of Elevators To Reach an Emergency Exit
The floor plan of a multiple-story building should show the locations of stairways and
elevators and must indicate that the stairs, not the elevators, are the appropriate means of exit
in case of emergency.
8. Indicate Exits with Wheelchair Access
Where applicable, exits with wheelchair access should be designated on the floorplan.
9. Indicate the Employee's Current Location
The floor plan should indicate the employee's current location in the building.
London Fire Brigade (2019). Emergency plan. https://www.london-fire.gov.uk/safety/the-
workplace/your-emergency-plan/
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (2019). Evacuation Elements.
https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/evacuation/floorplan_demo.html
