Please read through the following frequently asked questions for helpful advice about Evacuation Schemes.  If you have a situation you are unsure of, ring Emergency Consultancy on (09) 296 1175, or ring the Managing Director on his cell phone 021 780 391, or send us an email using our contact form.

 

 

Question  :  Do all buildings need a Fire Evacuation Scheme? Answer  :  If you meet any of the following criteria you need a formal written, practiced and approved evacuation scheme.  All other buildings need an “Evacuation Procedure”.  A Procedure document need not be approved but should meet the same standards as an Evacuation Scheme.  Alternatively, you can elect to have a voluntary Evacuation Scheme, but it must meet the same criteria as the compulsory schemes do.  The following need a Fire Evacuation Scheme   Any Building which : contains hazardous substances has an Early Childhood facility specializes in the care of the disabled specializes in nursing, medical, or geriatric care is a Detention Centre   Building without fire sprinklers, and there are facilities for 10 or more employees more than 100 people gather in the building the building sleeps more than 5 people   Building with fire sprinklers where more than 100 people gather for a common purpose Question : Can the same Fire Evacuation Scheme be used for a number of buildings on the one property? Answer  :  Yes, but it needs to be written with different processes to ensure the minimum standard required can be reached. Question : Must a Fire Evacuation Scheme be for a building, or can parts of a building have their own evacuation scheme or procedure? Answer  :  Evacuation Scheme generally includes the area covered by a fire alarm circuit.  This can be one building or several buildings  all using the same fire alarm circuit.   A minimum requirement is a building must have an adequate fire alarm, which has been determined by the National Fire Commander as a fire alarm that meets the NZ Standard for design, equipment installed in the building and maintained to the compliance standard required in the NZ Building Code. Question :  Will the Fire Evacuation Scheme required by the Fire Service be acceptable to Occupational Safety and Health? Answer  : Yes. Question : Will the Occupation Safety and Health approved Evacuation Procedures required for the Health and Safety Manual be acceptable to the Fire Service? Answer : In most cases no.  In the Fire Safety and Evacuation of Building Regulations there is a set of requirements each Evacuation Scheme must have before it can be approved.  Any evacuation scheme approved by the Fire Service is measured against this criteria. Question : Can we take someone else’s approved scheme and change it? Answer : Yes, but someone else's evacuation scheme will not address the various building issues in your building, number of wardens required and their areas, or some of the systems you will need to address various issues in your location. Question : What can Emergency Consultancy do to assist us? Answer : Our company can manage designing and providing all or part of an evacuation scheme that works for your company.  Included in this will be staff and warden training, and trials to check everything works as it should.  Further we can attend to the ongoing maintenance of your scheme, auditing the IQP workmanship, then complete and submit the forms and documents for you.  As our client you will receive from us several reports on the issues and status of the evacuation scheme and checks we make.  In larger buildings a general newsletter is sent for circulation among the Wardens on issues relating to the Fire Wardens task. Question :  Is there an organisation which approves Fire Evacuation Consultants? Answer :  Yes.  Firstly anyone can prepare Fire Evacuation Schemes, charge clients and make many promises to complete the task professionally.  The Fire Protection Association New Zealand has criteria for assessing and certifying Evacuation Consultants.  To be approved applicants must reach a level of competence for buildings fitting 4 separate categories, plus abide by a Code of Ethics and be subject to discipline procedures of the Association.   Emergency Consultancy Limited has been certified as competent for 3 different categories.  The last and 4th category is under review.  Question :   There are some buildings with more than several different fire alarm noises and some are linked to a public address system.  Do these buildings need an approved Fire Evacuation Scheme? Answer :  Yes.  These are called Managed Systems and are usually installed in public buildings such as conference centres, cinemas and theatres.  Staff at the venue need to be trained to use the system until the Fire Service arrive.  Using a manages system staff can control which parts of the building are to be evacuated and when.  An evacuation Scheme for these buildings must also include protocols and training for staff designated to use a managed system.