Owners & Managers
Evacuating a Building
Evacuating a building calmly and correctly can help save lives. Your building emergency plan should contain instructions on how to evacuate as well as information about evacuation sites. Bear in mind that other buildings in the area may also intend to use your nominated evacuation site. It is a good idea to liaise with your neighbouring buildings and coordinate your evacuation plans.
It is also a good idea to have a post-evacuation plan in place. In the event of a CBD evacuation, each Safety Site will contain vast numbers of people, making it very hard to contact your employees. When you receive the all-clear to return to your building, how will you convey that to your employees? You may want to consider setting up a broadcast voicemail, an information phone line or an SMS facility for staff updates.
Click here to view the NSW Government’s Sydney CBD Emergency Plan.
Your Building Evacuation Plan
- Have you developed a building evacuation plan?
- Does the building evacuation plan cover any people who are less mobile?
- Does the building have clearly marked exit signs and floor plans showing fire escapes?
- Are the doorways to the fire escape clear of rubbish and obstructions?
- Does the building have an alarm system – audio and visual?
- Does everyone know what the alarm sounds like, and what they should do when they hear it?
- Is there a master list of phone numbers for all residents and owners that is updated regularly?
- Are there any people in your building with special needs? These may include non-English speakers or people with limited mobility.
- Have you set aside a safe area for people with limited mobility?
- Have you put in place an accounting system, to check who has left the building?
- Remember: it’s not enough to merely develop a plan. It’s your responsibility to ensure everyone is aware of it, and that the plan is rehearsed and revised regularly (at least twice a year).