How to Conduct Fire Drills at Work

Your organization needs to be prepared for a range of emergencies. If you aren’t scheduling fire drills as part of your emergency preparedness, you are putting your staff at risk and leaving your business liable. 

Businesses can’t afford to be lax about fire preparedness. Statistics from the US Fire Administration show that in the United States alone in 2022, there were 129,500 non-residential fires resulting in 1300 injuries and 400 deaths.

Table of contents

What are fire drills and why are they important?

How to plan a fire drill in your workplace

Step-by-step guide to conducting fire drills

Best practices for effective fire drills

Using DeskAlerts for fire safety communication

What are fire drills and why are they important?

A fire drill is a practice exercise where people learn how to safely and quickly evacuate a building in the event of fire or other emergencies. Fire drills are essential for schools, workplaces, and public buildings as they teach people how to react in a real emergency, reducing panic and potentially saving lives.

During a fire drill, alarms are set off, requiring everyone inside the building to leave immediately, following specific evacuation routes to reach designated safety areas outside.

Fire drills simulate what would happen if an actual fire happened, which lets people rehearse the best way to safely and efficiently exit. These drills are planned by the building’s safety team, which maps the fastest exit routes and sets rules for people to follow during an evacuation.

When a drill begins, it’s important that everyone takes it seriously. This means they need to stop what they’re doing, gather essential items like wallets and coats (if they are nearby) and leave the building quickly and calmly.

There is evidence that many companies still struggle with fire drill preparedness, leading to significant safety risks and inefficiencies during actual emergencies. A lack of regular fire drills or failure to train employees effectively on evacuation routes can delay responses during real fires.

Reasons why fire drills are important include:

1. Safety familiarity

Fire drills familiarize people with the layout of the building and the location of exits. In an emergency people often feel disoriented, so knowing the quickest way out is critical. Regular drills mean people are less likely to get confused or lost if they ever need to evacuate during an actual fire.

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2. 2. Reducing panic

Panic is one of the biggest dangers during any emergency. People who panic are more likely to make poor decisions that could put themselves and others at risk. A fire drill gives everyone the chance to experience a safe evacuation in a calm setting, which builds their confidence about being able to leave safely in the event of a real fire.

3. Testing emergency systems

Fire drills give companies the opportunity to test their fire alarms, sprinklers, emergency lighting, speakers and exit signs.Any problems like malfunctioning alarms or blocked exits can be spotted and fixed before they become life-threatening in a real fire event. Drills can also reveal whether there are enough fire exits and if any areas might create bottlenecks ensuring the emergency response plan is practical and safe.

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4. Legal compliance

In many countries fire drills are required by law, especially in public spaces like schools, hospitals and large office buildings. Regulations often mandate that a certain number of drills are carried out each year to ensure everyone inside is well-prepared. Failing to conduct regular drills can not only endanger lives but also lead to regulatory and legal consequences.

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5. Long-term savings and ROI for the company

Other than moral and legal reasons to conduct fire drills. There are generally long-term benefits in terms of the preservation of property. Insurance premiums are likely to be lower for companies that conduct regular drills. There’s also added costs if a company can be found negligent when someone has died or been injured because they were not properly prepared for a fire drill despite laws that require it.

How to plan a fire drill in your workplace

Planning a fire drill in the workplace is an essential part of any company’s safety strategy, helping ensure that all employees know how to evacuate quickly and safely in the event of an emergency.

A well-organized fire drill involves multiple steps, from designing an effective evacuation plan to evaluating the drill afterward. By planning carefully, companies can ensure fire drills serve as valuable practice sessions that prepare employees for real emergencies.

Step-by-step guide to conducting fire drills

1. Develop an evacuation plan

The first step in planning a workplace fire drill is to develop an evacuation plan that accounts for the specific layout and size of the building.

The plan should include clear routes to exits from every part of the building, along with designated assembly points where employees should gather outside.

Assembly points should be located in safe areas away from traffic and far enough from the building to avoid any of the hazards associated with a fire.

Each exit route should be designed to avoid overcrowding, ensuring that employees can leave the building quickly without bottlenecks.

Additionally, employers should consider the unique needs of any employees who may require assistance, such as those with mobility challenges or visual or hearing impairments and incorporate any necessary accommodations into the plan.

2. Communicate evacuation plans

When you have an evacuation plan, it’s important to communicate it to all your employees so they understand its role in the fire drill procedure. You can do this by distributing evacuation maps, providing written instructions and holding training sessions to go over the steps employees should take when they hear the fire alarm. Employees should also be informed of the specific role of designated fire wardens.

3. Schedule your fire drill

Your fire drill should be scheduled at a time that causes minimal disruption but still includes as many employees as possible. In the post-COVID world with many workplaces having remote or hybrid employees, those planning the drill should factor in the days where the most people are likely to attend the office.

It’s often helpful to announce that a drill will happen sometime within a particular time frame, rather than setting an exact time so that employees are mentally prepared without anticipating the drill to the minute.

When the drill begins, the fire alarm is triggered and employees should respond as though it’s a real emergency, immediately leaving their workstations and following the evacuation routes to the assembly points.

Fire wardens and safety team members should be stationed along exit paths to monitor the flow of people, help anyone who needs assistance, and ensure that no one remains in the building.

4. Review how the drill went

After the drill the safety team should conduct a thorough review to assess how well the evacuation plan worked.

This includes checking whether all employees reached the assembly point in a timely manner, identifying any issues that arose such as blocked exits or crowded hallways and addressing any problems with the alarm system.

Gathering feedback from employees can also be useful as they might point out areas for improvement. Based on this information, the evacuation plan can be adjusted to better suit the company’s specific needs.

Best practices for effective fire drills

Implementing effective fire drills in the workplace requires a structured approach that combines regular practice, realistic scenarios and continuous improvement. Following best practices ensures your drills aren’t just routine exercises, instead they are critical safety tools that enhance preparedness, reduce panic and improve evacuation efficiency in actual emergencies.

Here are some best practices to incorporate to make your fire drills more effective:

• Introduce realism in your drill scenarios: Fire drills should closely mimic potential real-life emergencies so employees can become familiar with the unpredictability of a real fire. For instance, by blocking certain exits or hallways during a drill, employees are trained to adapt to obstacles they may encounter in an actual fire, encouraging flexibility and problem-solving under stress.
• Hold unannounced drills: While some initial drills may be announced to reduce anxiety, unannounced drills give managers insight into how employees naturally respond to unexpected alarms. This helps identify any confusion, hesitation or other weaknesses in the evacuation plan.
• Designate and train fire safety leaders: Often known as fire wardens, these employees are responsible for directing others, monitoring safe evacuation and ensuring specific areas are clear. In larger organizations, fire wardens can be assigned to particular sections or floors which streamlines the process and ensures no area is overlooked.
• Work with local authorities: By collaborating with local experts such as fire departments, you can get insights into how they will respond in an actual emergency. They’ll also be able to impart best practice tips about how they would prefer you respond during an emergency. This collaboration can also potentially lead to resource sharing such as fire safety education material.
• Integrate diverse emergency scenarios: Fires aren’t the only emergency event that may require your employees to take action. Other emergencies such as natural disasters, medical emergencies or active shooter situations may require a response that employees should be familiarized with in advance. This approach trains employees to be adaptable and enhances overall crisis preparedness, giving them a well-rounded set of response skills​
• Hold a detailed debrief and review session afterwards:  During this assessment, safety officers, fire wardens and employees should discuss what went smoothly and identify any issues or bottlenecks that arose. These reviews help refine evacuation routes, update protocols and resolve any challenges with the existing plan.

Using DeskAlerts for fire safety communication

DeskAlerts is a desktop notification system that sends urgent messages directly to employees’ screens in an intrusive way. The system can override other applications or screensavers to grab an employee’s attention and ensure the message is seen.

For fire safety communication, DeskAlerts offers specific advantages that can help organizations protect staff and respond effectively during an emergency.

Because the system is immediate and versatile, it reduces the risk of miscommunication, which is critical when time is of the essence.

The benefits of using DeskAlerts for workplace fire safety communication include:

• Immediate attention: DeskAlerts notifications pop up instantly on employee devices. This feature is especially useful in emergencies like fires, where every second counts in order to keep people safe. As these alerts appear directly on employees' screens, they are harder to ignore than emails or other less intrusive methods and are seen instantly - not the next time someone looks at their inbox.
• Targeted messaging: DeskAlerts can send messages to defined audiences such as specific work groups or employees working on specific floors. This can be helpful in large buildings or multi-floor facilities. When only certain areas are affected, alerts can be directed exclusively to those employees, reducing any unnecessary alarm and ensuring that critical messages reach the right people.
• Real-time updates: As the fire situation changes, DeskAlerts allows you to send updates in real-time. For example, if an exit is blocked or if there’s a need to redirect people to another route, updates can be sent quickly to all relevant staff so they can adapt their fire evacuation plan on the spot.
• Alert customization: DeskAlerts supports various alert formats, including text, images and even video. For fire safety, this can include sending visual instructions on evacuation routes, reminders about designated assembly points or short video clips demonstrating safe exit procedures.
• Integration with fire alarms: DeskAlerts can be set up to automatically activate when a fire alarm goes off. This integration ensures that notifications are sent out to all connected devices as soon as an alarm goes off, reinforcing the alert and giving employees additional instructions on what to do next.
• Sending alerts to mobile phones: Not all employees will be at their desks when an emergency happens. Some may be in meeting rooms. Others may be out to lunch or meeting with clients off-site. DeskAlerts can reach these employees, so long as they have a phone with them so they can take steps to be safe (if in the building, evacuate, if offsite, stay away from danger).

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• Using digital displays: DeskAlerts has the ability to turn any screen in your organization into a digital billboard where you can display images and text. This includes large TV screens. In an emergency, you can make use of these by prominently displaying evacuation information.

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• Determining employee safety: DeskAlerts is useful for quickly gathering employee feedback in real-time via its survey module. You can ask employees to respond advising if they are safe or need assistance.

How to use DeskAlerts in a fire drill

Using DeskAlerts for fire drills enhances emergency preparedness. You can use it during your fire drills and other planning scenarios in the following

• Send pre-drill notifications: Before scheduled fire drills, DeskAlerts can be used to notify employees. This prepares them mentally and reduces the chance of confusion during the drill itself.
• Provide live instructions during drills: As the fire drill unfolds, DeskAlerts can guide employees through each phase. For instance you can send messages to remind them not to use elevators, show them the nearest exits or direct them toward assembly points. This guidance helps simulate real emergency scenarios more accurately.
• Post-drill feedback collection: Following a drill, DeskAlerts can be used to send a survey or poll for employees to provide feedback or answer questions about the drill experience. This information is invaluable for improving future fire drills and identifying any weaknesses in the emergency response plan.
• Send fire safety tips: DeskAlerts can be used to regularly share fire safety tips with employees, keeping fire safety knowledge fresh in their minds. Examples include reminders on how to operate a fire extinguisher, the location of fire exits and safe evacuation procedures.

Conclusion

Fire drills are essential in the workplace as they equip employees with the skills and confidence needed to respond swiftly and safely in real-life emergencies.

By integrating DeskAlerts as part of a comprehensive fire safety plan, companies can significantly enhance their emergency response capabilities and keep their employees informed and prepared - whether in fire drills or real emergency situations. The software system’s effectiveness lies in its ability to deliver precise, actionable instructions right when they’re needed most.

 If you’d like to find out more about how DeskAlerts can be used in your organization for fire preparedness and other emergency situations, get in touch with our team of experts today for a free demo.