Fire Drills – Everything you need to know!

Fire Drills (Test Evacuations) should be carried out in accordance with current the British Standard BS9999.  For a premises such as a shopping centre, a test evacuation with members of the public is generally regarded as disruptive to trade, however, it is extremely important as staff members gain invaluable practice in communicating with the public during evacuations.

While the disruption caused might be reduced by holding exercises at less busy times, the greatest experience gained by holding and monitoring a periodic exercise and tests of communications between staff in units, and between units and the central control room, can be gained during more regular staff training exercises in which members of the public are not involved.

Employing fire safety systems as a part of a test evacuation provides an opportunity to check whether such systems are creating unforeseen difficulties (e.g., pressures across doors) and whether software-controlled procedures (e.g., sequences involving closing down the HVAC, switching on fans and lights, opening vents, releasing doors and sounding alarms) are operating as intended.

On occasions it can be appropriate to undertake a test evacuation in collaboration with the fire and rescue service and, if large numbers of persons are involved, with the police.

Implementation of procedures should be tested at least once, but preferably twice, in each twelve–month period and there should be a test evacuation of the entire building at least once per year. Ideally, the frequency of fire drills should be determined by the findings of the fire risk assessment. There is a legal requirement for all non-domestic premises to carry out a fire drill at least annually, but most organisations tend to have two a year. Any observed deficiencies in the fire safety management should be remedied, and any improvements found necessary to the management of evacuation should be reflected in formal amendments to the written instructions.

The purpose of any test evacuation should be clearly identified by the fire safety manager and explained to the staff so that it can be assessed afterwards.

Objectives of a test evacuation are likely to include:

• Testing management procedures
• Providing staff with practical training
• Establishing the effectiveness of training
• Identifying weaknesses in emergency communications procedures and systems
• Identifying positive and negative reactions of staff with designated responsibilities
• Assessing the reliability of equipment
• Rehearsing joint action with the fire and rescue service

The evacuations might also be required by certifying authorities as part of their assessment.

Monitored evacuation tests should be carried out shortly before and after the first full occupation of a new building.

Test evacuations should not be held at regular times, to avoid staff or regular visitors becoming prepared for them. Each test evacuation should presume a different scenario so that there is flexibility to cope with differing situations. In some test evacuations, it can be appropriate to remove a stairway from service, to simulate smoke penetration. Test evacuations should be notified only to those people who have designated responsibilities, to make the evacuations as realistic as possible.

Designated responsibilities should include witnessing the exercise and reporting back on its positive and negative aspects. People undertaking this task should not be otherwise involved in the evacuation (e.g., should not be given fire marshal duties).

When test evacuations are held, the exercise should be continuously monitored, preferably by video recording, to allow a detailed comparison to be made afterwards between planned and actual activity and to assist with training. For example, to assess the effectiveness of a public announcement, information should be obtained on its timing and audibility, as well as a record of the movement of people in the areas concerned. This same monitoring information should be also obtained from false alarms, “near miss” events and minor real incidents.

It is often difficult to avoid occupants being aware that the event is not a real fire. This is likely to influence their behaviour, in particular their sense of urgency. Results from the test evacuations should therefore be supplemented with findings from false alarms, where occupants might not be aware that there is no emergency.

Test evacuations should where possible include the procedures for evacuating disabled people.

If an evacuation has to be carried out in response to a bomb threat, the normal evacuation procedure should be used as far as practicable.

A full debriefing of the exercise should be carried out so that any lessons can be learned and evacuation procedures amended if necessary.

The effectiveness and validity of incident planning should be recorded on both technical and procedural levels.

Following any event, the results should be recorded in the Fire Log Book. Got a question about different types of Fire Drills? Need Fire Alarms or Fire Risk Assessment?  Get in touch today!

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