Emergency Procedures and Evacuation Plans

Even the best fire protection equipment and systems available can have reduced or no effectiveness at all if appropriate emergency plans and procedures are not in place. Ensuring your staff, residents, visitors and other building occupants know what to do in a fire or other emergency event not only assists in meeting obligations under the WH&S act, but can be the difference between life and death.

An emergency plan must provide for the following:

• emergency procedures, including an effective response to an emergency
• evacuation procedures
• notifying emergency service organisations at the earliest opportunity
• medical treatment and assistance
• effective communication between the person authorised to coordinate the emergency response and all people at the workplace
• testing of the emergency procedures – including the frequency of testing
• information, training and instruction to relevant workers in relation to implementing the emergency procedures.

Australian Standard (AS)3745: Planning for emergencies in facilities gives additional guidance as to the content and structure of an evacuation plan and AS4083: Planning for emergencies – Health care facilities provides further detail for emergency planning in the unique environments of hospitals, aged care facilities and the like.

Our partners Safety and Fire Education (SAFE) have considerable experience in emergency planning and can guide you every step of the way from preparing emergency procedures and diagrams through to staff training and education.