Assemble here

Defined assembly points

In the event of fire, you’ll need pre-determined and well practised arrangements for evacuating the building. Part of this plan is to have a clearly designated assembly point. This is necessary for several reasons:

• in smaller premises, it enables the assembly point co-ordinator to check everyone is out

• it’s a pre-designated place for fire wardens to report whether their areas have been cleared

• it avoids staff and others wandering all over the place and getting in the way of arriving emergency vehicles

• it enables businesses to choose a relatively safe location away from hazards on and off site

• where there are large numbers of staff, visitors, members of the public etc. they’ll flow more quickly out of the building if they have a clear idea where they’re going.

But getting this right is not as simple as sticking up a sign in the car park. So what’s involved?

Identify hazards

One of the essential considerations of a fire assembly area is that it is a relatively safe place to reach and wait at.

Tip 1. Look at the hazards on and adjacent to your site and do your best to avoid them. There’s no point in putting the assembly point next to the oil store, or on the other side of a busy road.

Tip 2. Since this is an assembly point to be used during an emergency, there are likely to be fire engines, police cars etc. arriving at speed. The assembly point should therefore be kept away from the places where the vehicles will arrive.

Tip 3. Take into account the needs of building users including, where applicable, the disabled. The assembly point needs to be accessible to everyone and of sufficient size to accommodate the numbers required without spilling out onto traffic routes.

Means of escape

A common mistake is to have staff assemble in a courtyard or fenced area. Bear in mind that there must be an adequate escape route.

Tip 1. Where possible, choose an assembly point which is not enclosed. That way, if the building is on fire, people can be moved back relatively easily.

Tip 2. If the evacuation route is onto a locked yard, ensure that there’s a gate out of the area which can be opened easily from the inside.

Can you have more than one?

Some buildings have emergency exits on either side with no quick means of travelling between the two. So long as one person is able to gather the information from fire wardens to pass to the Fire & Rescue Service, then it’s quite acceptable to have more than one assembly point.

Tip. If you have no choice but to have more than one assembly point, you’ll need to appoint additional assembly point co-ordinators and ensure that they can communicate, e.g. by radio.