Should a fire break out in your premises, your priority should be the safety and the swift evacuation of those in the building.

Therefore, having a clear and well documented fire evacuation strategy is crucial for your business.

There are several types of fire evacuation strategies. The strategy used depends on your building, the size of the workforce and where the fire itself has broken out. The most common fire evacuation strategies include total evacuation, progressive evacuation, two-staged evacuation, defend in place and stay put. Here we go into detail about each one.

 

What is Total Evacuation?

This evacuation strategy includes moving all occupants of the building to a different safe location. This is simultaneous or phased.

Simultaneous evacuation is implemented in most businesses, particularly small businesses where there are not many employees or customers to evacuate. This allows the process to remain calm and collected.

Phase evacuation is used when the building contains fire resistant materials such as fire doors. This evacuation strategy is used in cases where some occupants have limited capacity and therefore will be evacuated first. The people in this immediate phase also of course includes those close to the fire.

Phases are categorised by vertical (i.e. stairs) and horizontal. This allows escape routes to remain safe places to exit the building from.

 

What is Progressive Evacuation?

This fire evacuation strategy includes moving occupants to a safer location in the building, to allow them to continue the evacuation process. This strategy is made up of progressive horizontal evacuation and zoned evacuation.

Progressive horizontal evacuation involves moving people to a safer location on the same floor, where they can reach safety eventually. Zoned evacuation involves moving occupants to a controlled zone. This is often used for the purposes of a headcount and if the fight services are tackling a fire blocking evacuation points.

 

What is Two-staged Evacuation?

In settings where there is a large volume of people, particularly customers, such as a cinema. Setting off a fire alarm would likely cause panic in turn creating a dangerous evacuation. In such situations, a first ‘silent’ fire alarm which alerts staff first. Then a staggered and controlled evacuation process can take place in the event of fire.

 

What is Defend in Place?

In some situations, it may be beneficial for occupants to stay where they are to allow fire fighter services to work more quickly. This approach is highly specific to the situation but is often considered in healthcare facilities such as care homes and hospitals.

 

What is Stay Put?

Similarly, to defend in place, stay put entails inhabitants in domestic settings to stay where they are should a fire break out. This typically applies to blocks of flats where fire breaks out in a single apartment. Other occupants who are not in immediate danger may stay where they are. This helps the fire services reach the fire’s location more quickly.

 

Which is the best fire evacuation strategy?

After outlining each fire evacuation strategy, it may be apparent that there is no one size fits all approach. The most appropriate evacuation for your business depends on its occupants, it’s size and the severity of the fire that’s broken out.