Fire Advisor

Evacuation plans: what they need to show and where to place them

The key requirements for building evacuation plans — content, placement, and how they connect to the rest of a facility's fire safety documentation.

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An evacuation plan is a graphical representation of a floor or facility that shows anyone inside how to leave the building by the fastest safe route. Unlike evacuation lighting or route signage, a plan gives an overview — you see the whole picture the moment you look at it.

What a complete plan includes

  • Evacuation routes and the location of exits
  • A "you are here" marker for orientation
  • The location of fire extinguishers, fire hydrants and call points
  • The assembly point after evacuation
  • Details of the person responsible for fire safety at the facility

Where plans are placed

Plans are placed in visible, accessible locations — typically near entrances, along corridors and on every floor, so that no matter where someone is in the building, they can quickly find an up-to-date plan for that part of the facility. Placement isn't arbitrary — it needs to reflect the actual layout and be coordinated with the building's other evacuation measures (lighting, signage, route widths).

Connection to the fire safety file

An evacuation plan isn't a standalone document — it's part of the facility's overall fire safety documentation, and it needs updating with every change to room layout, staff, or the purpose of a space. An outdated plan that doesn't match reality is effectively useless and is treated as a deficiency during inspection.

We create individual evacuation plans for every facility based on its actual layout, not a generic template.

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