Simultaneous
Everyone covered by the alarm is instructed to leave together or as one coordinated movement.
Fire emergency planning guide
Emergency evacuation plan guide
An emergency plan turns the risk assessment and building design into clear, workable actions for a fire. It must reflect the actual people, staffing, layout and evacuation strategy—not a generic notice.
Evacuation strategy comparison
Different buildings move people in different ways
The correct arrangement depends on construction, fire precautions, occupancy, management and the fire strategy. These approaches are not interchangeable labels.
Phased
Selected floors or zones leave in a planned sequence supported by suitable systems and management.
Progressive horizontal
People move first into a separate fire-resisting compartment, commonly where immediate vertical escape is difficult.
Stay put
Unaffected residents remain in their flats while the fire is contained, unless they are affected or instructed to leave.
Evacuation alert system
A fire-and-rescue-service control tool in relevant residential buildings; it does not itself define the evacuation strategy.
Scope note: Do not change a stay-put, phased or other strategy from a diagram alone. Review the fire strategy, FRA, building condition and emergency-service arrangements.
Article 15
What must an emergency plan achieve?
The Fire Safety Order requires procedures for serious and imminent danger, including fire, and enough competent people to help implement evacuation procedures. The plan should enable people to reach safety, call the fire and rescue service, account for foreseeable conditions and manage re-entry.
The level of detail should be proportionate. Shared buildings require cooperation so that alarms, routes, assembly arrangements and responsibilities do not conflict.
- How an alarm is raised and what different signals mean
- Who calls the fire and rescue service and supplies information
- Routes, exits and any areas that must not be used
- Assistance for people who cannot self-evacuate
- Shutdowns or safety tasks that can be completed without delaying escape
- Assembly, accountability, liaison and controlled re-entry
Building-specific choice
Simultaneous, phased, progressive and stay-put strategies
The correct strategy is determined by the building design, occupants and risk assessment. It should not be changed casually because alarm operation, compartmentation, staffing and escape capacity may have been designed around it.
Simultaneous evacuation
Everyone responds and leaves together; common in workplaces and many public premises.
Phased evacuation
Selected floors or zones evacuate in a controlled sequence, often in suitably designed high-rise buildings.
Progressive horizontal evacuation
People move to a fire-resisting compartment on the same level before further movement; used where immediate vertical escape is difficult, such as some care settings.
Stay put
In suitable purpose-built blocks, residents not affected by fire may remain in their flats while the fire service deals with the incident; anyone affected should leave if able.
Inclusive evacuation
Plan for vulnerable people, visitors and changing occupancy
The plan must consider people who may need help because of mobility, sensory or cognitive needs, age, temporary injury or unfamiliarity. Do not rely on the fire and rescue service to provide routine evacuation assistance.
Arrangements may include personal or generic plans, named assistance, refuges with communication, evacuation equipment, accessible information and suitable staffing. From 6 April 2026, specific Residential PEEPs duties apply to defined residential buildings and residents.
After leaving
Assembly points and accountability
Choose an accessible location far enough from the building and hazards, away from fire-service access and not requiring people to cross unsafe traffic routes. Large or complex sites may need several points and an alternative location.
Accountability methods should fit the premises: staff lists, visitor systems, resident information or area sweeps may contribute, but no one should re-enter to search. Missing-person information should be passed promptly to the fire service.
- Clearly identify primary and alternative assembly points
- Include staff, visitors, contractors and out-of-hours occupants
- Assign who receives roll-call or sweep information
- Prevent crowding at entrances and appliance routes
- State who may authorise re-entry
Make it workable
Communicate, practise and review the plan
Provide relevant information on induction and when arrangements change. Train people with specific roles, coordinate with other occupiers and use drills or exercises to test assumptions without creating unsafe surprise.
Review after drills, incidents, false alarms, building works, staffing changes, changes to people needing assistance or failures of a key system. Record what happened and close corrective actions.
- Issue concise instructions at points of need
- Make alternative arrangements for nights, weekends and lone working
- Test communications and assistance, not only travel time
- Record lessons, owners and completion dates
- Keep the FRA, fire strategy and emergency plan aligned
Related guidance and support
Continue with premises and local guidance
Choose the closest property guide, then use the relevant London or Surrey route when you are ready to compare local assessment support.
Frequently asked questions
Emergency evacuation plan guide FAQs
Does every business need a written fire evacuation plan?
The responsible person must establish appropriate procedures and record fire-safety arrangements. Since October 2023, fire-safety arrangements must be recorded in all cases, so the evacuation arrangements should be documented proportionately.
What is the difference between stay put and phased evacuation?
Stay put normally relies on residential compartmentation so unaffected residents may remain in their flats. Phased evacuation moves selected floors or zones in a planned sequence using building systems and managed capacity.
Must an assembly point be outside?
The objective is a place of relative or ultimate safety appropriate to the building and scenario. For most ordinary premises this is a safe outdoor location, but complex sites may use staged arrangements designed into the strategy.
Who is responsible for helping a disabled person evacuate?
The responsible person must make suitable arrangements and cannot plan to rely on fire-service rescue as the normal solution. The exact assistance and people involved should be agreed, resourced and practised.
London and Surrey support
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Sources and limitations
Guidance reviewed 3 August 2026
This page provides general information for England. It is not legal advice or a building-specific assessment. Fire Safety Services is independent and is not affiliated with the Government, enforcing authorities, BAFE, NFRAR or IFSM.