Fire safety regulations are not designed to be a thorn in the side of employees and companies alike. Their specific purpose is to ensure that every building is up to speed in terms of fire safety and that all employees know their role if a fire does take place. With fire safety regulations, you could turn a potentially catastrophic situation into a manageable one. Of particular importance are the fire safety regulations that pertain to evacuation, including the differing methods of evacuation, the meeting point and the frequency of fire drills.

There are actually three kinds of evacuation. The first is the normal Simultaneous Evacuation which involves everyone reacting to the fire alarm at the same time and moving towards the designated fire exits. In large, complex premises, a Vertical Phased Evacuation may be the strategy of choice. This involves informing those who are furthest away from the fire to stand by whilst those who are at greatest risk are evacuated immediately. Then, to avoid congestion around the exit doors, the floors are evacuated one by one. Some hospitals and care homes may be divided into several different fire resisting compartments and the occupants are moved from the area where the fire is to the nearest compartment and moved again if necessary. This is known as Horizontal Phased Evacuation. If the fire is deemed to be out of control, then total evacuation will be required in accordance with fire safety regulations.

One of the key fire safety regulations is having a specific assembly point for all the occupants of the building to assemble for a roll call. If someone is missing from the head count, immediately contact the nominated fire service liaison who should in turn alert the fire services. This assembly point should be far enough away from the building to ensure that no one is in danger from falling debris or radiated heat but close enough for the fire liaison (who should be near the entrance) to communicate with the person in charge of the head count. The area should be large enough to accommodate all staff and should have a shelter of some description to protect people from inclement weather.

Fire drills should be carried out on a regular basis to ensure that all staff and nominated individuals are up to speed with what is required in the event of an emergency. Fire safety regulations dictate that these drills should be performed at least once a year and preferably more frequently.  Also, all fire alarms and fire fighting equipment should be checked once a month. In order to prove that your company is adhering to fire safety regulations, you should keep a record of every drill carried out.

There is no reason to fear or dislike having to satisfy fire safety regulations. While it is a legal necessity to ensure that all staff are educated in what to do in the event of fire, surely it is common sense to know how to react when you see a blaze. Your company should carry out one of the three evacuation strategies, find a suitable assembly point and conduct regular fire drills to make certain that all staff will be well prepared if a fire alarm goes off suddenly one day.