Fire evacuation diagrams are important to have within any building as they provide general guidance as to where occupants are working or living. Fire evacuation diagrams are specifically designed to help direct occupants in a clear and efficient manner to escape routes during Fire or any emergency while trying to exit the building.
Emergencies happen without warning and the primary means to make it through them is to be prepared, this is the primary reason why it is essential to include things like this in the emergency preparedness plan.
New Australian Standard (AS) 3745
With the new Australian Standard (AS) 3745 "planning for emergencies in facilities" requirements, it is detailed that all evacuation diagrams should have the following to be compliant with current standards.
- 'You are here' location
- Fire stairs
- Fire indicator panel
- Firefighting equipment locations
- Emergency exit points
- Assembly points
- Legends and more
A fire risk assessment is an important part when drafting a fire escape plan as this is an organized and methodical look at the premises, the activities carried on, and the likelihood that a fire could start and cause harm to those in and around the premises.
Goals of the fire risk assessment
The goals of the fire risk assessment are:
- To identify the location of hazardous items.
- To reduce the risk of those hazards causing harm to as low as reasonably practicable.
- To decide what physical fire precautions and management arrangements are necessary to ensure the safety of people on the premises if a fire does start.
fire safety procedures
The risk assessment that they must carry out will help them ensure that their fire safety procedures
Good management of fire safety is essential to ensure that fires are unlikely to occur; that if they do occur, they are likely to be controlled or contained quickly, effectively, and safely; or that, if a fire does occur and grow, everyone in the premises is able to escape to a place of total safety easily and quickly.
The risk assessment that they must carry out will help them ensure that their fire safety procedures, fire prevention measures, and fire precautions (plans, systems, and equipment) are all in place and working properly, and the risk assessment should identify any issues that need attention.
fire escape plan and evacuation diagram
For complete peace of mind on fire safety, it is best to hire a professional who is trained and experienced in such competencies. Drafting the fire escape plan and evacuation diagram is a huge responsibility with a lot of liability.
If they are not 100% sure of the ability to complete this task themselves, be sure they have acted with due diligence to ensure the fire safety policy is up to a quality standard by contacting FCF.
