Emergencies are part of human life. Hence, you can only partially rule out the chances of being in such situations. 

Many people have lost their lives to fire outbreaks and natural disasters like earthquakes due to poor emergency evacuation skills and knowledge. 

This is why every building owner and employer must ensure routine trial evacuation that will train their staff best ways to escape during an emergency. 

Talking of trial evacuation, below is a step-by-step guide to running a trial evacuation that will produce effective results. 

Create An Effective Evacuation Plan Or Scheme 

The first step involves developing an effective evacuation scheme for your building. It will help you and your staff escape danger unharmed. 

It all begins with the building structure and exit routes. In addition, the company building or office must have a unique evacuation scheme approved by the New Zealand fire service. 

However, there’s more to emergency evacuation plans than hanging exit signs. Ask us today to design an evacuation plan suitable for your office building. 

We will create a plan that considers building structure, employee size, evacuation procedures, the best safe assembly points, the role of staff training and help run trial evacuations. 

Share The Evacuation Scheme With Your Staff 

The next step involves sharing the compatible evacuation scheme with your staff and letting them know how it works. 

Spend quality time teaching your staff everything in the evacuation plan. Give room for questions so they can understand how it works. 

Meanwhile, ensure future employees get and read a copy of the evacuation scheme. 

Train Your Fire Wardens To Know Their Roles 

Being a fire warden is more than wearing a hi-vis vest; it involves taking charge to protect lives. 

Therefore, you must train your fire wardens properly before giving them the responsibility to protect your establishment. They must possess the boldness and skills to deliver their duties as fire wardens. 

Run A Trial Evacuation And Observe Everyone’s Performance 

Your staff have studied and understood the emergency evacuation scheme, and you’ve trained your fire wardens. It’s time to practice what they’ve learned. 

Ring the emergency bell or press the fire alarm until every employee hears it. Monitor your employees’ reactions to the alarm, their movements inside the building, how they find the exit points, and what they do after leaving the building. 

Also, please pay close attention to the fire wardens’ actions and how they coordinate the staff during the exercise. 

The primary purpose of this trial is to prepare your employees for emergencies. So, you must pay attention to every detail during the test. 

Hire experienced fire service technicians or professionals to observe everyone’s errors and provide helpful tips. 

Conduct More Fire Drills And Evacuation Trials 

Fire evacuation trial shouldn’t be a one-off event but a routine task. Your staff must train regularly to develop the required evacuation skills. Create a designated time for fire and other emergency drills. 

Run an evacuation trial at least once in six months, perfecting the company’s unique evacuation scheme or plan.