Emergency Plan

As an employer you need to plan what action you and your employees should take in the event of a fire in your business.

Under the fire regulations, if you employ more than five people then you must have a written emergency plan. This should be available to your employees (and their representatives) and available for inspection by Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service.Your plan should give instructions to enable the people in your premises to know what action to take in the event of fire and make sure it can be safely evacuated. In a small business this may be simple instructions on the fire action notice, in larger or complex premises you will need to create a more detailed emergency plan.

Your plan must provide clear instructions on:

• what action employees should take if there is a fire
• how people will be warned if there is a fire
• calling the fire service
• evacuating the premises if there is a fire, including arrangements for people identified as being especially at risk, such as people with disabilities, members of the public and contractors
• where people should assemble after evacuation and how to check that everyone is accounted for
• key escape routes
• liaison with emergency services
• location and use of the firefighting equipment provided
• specific responsibilities of nominated people in case of fire
• machine/process/power supplies shutdown
• training your employees

If you have a larger or more complex business, then you may find it useful to include a simple plan drawing of your premises showing:

• essential structural features: the layout; escape routes; doorways; walls; partitions; corridors; stairways, including any fire-resisting structure and self closing fire doors
• the location of any firefighting equipment
• the location of manually operated fire alarm call points and control equipment for your fire alarm
• emergency lighting equipment and any exit route signs
• automatic firefighting systems and sprinkler control valve
• the location of the main electrical supply switch, the main water shut off valve and where appropriate the main gas or oil shut off valve

Remember to test your emergency plan by practising it with your employees, and if necessary discuss it with your local emergency services.