How to organise a fire evacuation drill at your company?

• A fire evacuation drill is compulsory for establishments that regularly receive external or vulnerable persons (care homes, hotels, nurseries, buildings accommodating > 300 people) – legal basis: VKF fire protection directive 12-15, section 6.3, and OPA Art. 40 para. 2.
• For office-based SMEs and warehouses, it is strongly recommended and may be ordered by the cantonal authority at any time.
• The standard frequency is once a year for most companies, and twice a year for high-risk establishments.
• A well-prepared drill takes place in 5 stages: define the objectives → plan → prepare the teams → conduct the drill → debrief and document.
• Every drill must be recorded in the fire safety logbook (date, duration, participants, observations, corrective measures).

Introduction

An evacuation drill takes 30 minutes. But it can save lives.

In Switzerland, most SMEs have never organised a single fire evacuation drill. Yet VKF requirements and the OPA require one in many cases – and even where it is not formally compulsory, failing to conduct a drill may expose the employer to civil liability in the event of an incident.

This guide explains how to organise a fire evacuation drill at your company from A to Z: the legal framework, frequency, practical steps, mistakes to avoid and documentation.

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Is an evacuation drill compulsory in Switzerland?

Legal framework

Two main texts apply simultaneously.

VKF Directive 12-15 (section 6.3) is explicit:

“The evacuation of buildings and other structures that regularly receive persons from outside the company or persons lacking decision-making capacity must be planned; it must be the subject of written instructions and practised by the establishment’s staff.”

This directive has the force of law in all Swiss cantons through cantonal fire insurance legislation.

OPA Art. 40 para. 2 (Ordinance on the Prevention of Accidents, SR 832.30) requires employers to instruct workers at suitable intervals on evacuating people in danger, as well as rescue and firefighting measures. The CFST guide specifies that these organisational measures must be ensured in cooperation with the competent fire safety authority.

For more information on the general legal framework, see our article on the legal obligations relating to fire safety training.

Which establishments are formally required to conduct one?

• Care homes, hospitals and care establishments (vulnerable persons or persons lacking decision-making capacity)
• Hotels and accommodation establishments with 20 or more guests
• Buildings that regularly receive people from outside the company (buildings open to the public: shops, restaurants, performance venues)
• High-rise buildings or buildings accommodating > 300 people in one room

Which establishments are strongly advised to conduct one?

• Office and service SMEs (< 50 employees)
• Warehouses and workshops
• Any multi-storey building or building with a complex layout

The cantonal authority (ECA Vaud, Geneva fire safety authority, etc.) may order a drill at any time, even for establishments not formally subject to this requirement.

Summary table

Type of company	Requirement	Recommended frequency
Care home, hospital, nursery	Compulsory (VKF 12-15, sec. 6.3)	At least twice a year
Hotel (≥ 20 guests)	Compulsory	1–2 times a year
Building open to the public (shop, restaurant, performance venue)	Compulsory	1–2 times a year
Building accommodating > 300 people	Compulsory	1–2 times a year
Office / service SME	Strongly recommended	Once a year
Warehouse / workshop	Strongly recommended	1–2 times a year
High-risk industry	Compulsory depending on the activity	Twice a year

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How many times a year should an evacuation drill be conducted?

The law refers to suitable intervals without setting a universal number. In practice, VKF requirements and the ECA Vaud guide converge on a clear standard.

Type of operation	Recommended frequency
Standard office / SME	Once a year
Care home, hospital, care establishment	At least twice a year
Hotel	1 to 2 times a year
High-risk industry	Twice a year
Nursery, school	Twice a year (including 1 recommended unannounced drill)

Two situations call for an additional drill outside the regular schedule:

• A large influx of new employees (significant staff turnover, opening of a new site)
• After a fire-related incident or near miss at the company

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How to organise a fire evacuation drill: step-by-step guide

Step 1 – Define the objectives of the drill

First, ask yourself: what do you want to test?

The most common objectives are:

• Check that evacuation routes are usable and known
• Measure the total evacuation time to the assembly point
• Assess the performance of the lead and sweep marshals
• Identify bottlenecks (difficult doors, obstructed corridors, lifts used by mistake)
• Test the arrangements for assisting people with reduced mobility

A drill without a defined objective is a failed drill. Write down your objectives before planning anything.

Step 2 – Plan the drill

Choose the date and time

There are two possible approaches, and both are valid:

• Busy period: tests real-life conditions (meetings in progress, deliveries, visitors on site)
• Quiet period: easier to control for a first drill or after a team change

Avoid holiday periods when a large part of the staff is absent – unless you specifically want to test how the system works with reduced staffing.

Announced or surprise drill?

	Announced drill	Surprise drill
Advantage	Better team preparation, less stress	Tests actual reactions, more representative
Disadvantage	Artificial behaviour, less revealing	Risk of panic; reserved for teams that have already been trained
Recommended for	First drill, establishments with vulnerable persons	Annual assessment drills, experienced teams

Inform the stakeholders

Before triggering the alarm, inform:

• Management and the fire safety officer
• The designated lead and sweep marshals (even for a surprise drill, they must be informed)
• The building manager if you are not the owner
• The local fire brigade if the drill is complex or if your alarm is connected to an alarm receiving centre (CTA 118), to prevent an unnecessary response

Check the existing fire evacuation plan

Before the drill, make sure that:

• The fire evacuation plan is up to date and displayed in the appropriate locations
• Evacuation routes are clear and signposted
• The assembly point is defined, known and accessible
• Lead and sweep marshals are designated for each area

Step 3 – Prepare the teams

Designate and brief the lead and sweep marshals

Each area or floor must have a lead marshal (who leads occupants to the exit) and a sweep marshal (who brings up the rear, checks that no one remains behind and closes the doors).

Give them a written role sheet specifying:

• The area for which they are responsible
• The evacuation route to follow
• The assigned assembly point
• The headcount procedure

Identify people requiring assistance

List employees with reduced mobility, regular visitors with disabilities and areas where people could be isolated (soundproof meeting room, noisy workshop). Designate a person responsible for assisting them in each case.

Prepare the drill equipment

• Stopwatch (or watch)
• Up-to-date attendance list for the headcount at the assembly point
• Observation checklist for recording malfunctions in real time

Step 4 – Conduct the drill

Trigger the alarm

Use the building’s actual alarm if possible – this is the signal employees need to learn to recognise. If the alarm is connected to a monitoring centre, notify it before triggering the alarm.

Time the evacuation

Start the stopwatch as soon as the alarm is triggered. Stop it when the last occupant reaches the assembly point and the headcount is complete. A benchmark evacuation time for a standard-sized office building is between 3 and 8 minutes – but the objective is not to break a record; it is to identify bottlenecks.

Observe behaviour

Position observers at strategic points:

• At the point where the alarm is triggered (behaviour of the simulated first witness)
• In corridors and stairways (flow, bottlenecks, incorrect reactions)
• At the assembly point (arrival time, headcount, organisation)

Record everything: people who use the lift, those who turn back to collect their belongings, fire doors that are held open and obstructed corridors.

Check the headcount at the assembly point

The sweep marshal for each area submits their count to the assembly point coordinator. Everyone must be accounted for. If someone is missing, the search procedure must be initiated – even during a drill.

Step 5 – Debrief and document

Immediate debriefing meeting

Bring the lead marshals, sweep marshals and observers together within 30 minutes of the drill, while their observations are still fresh. Discuss:

• What worked well (to recognise and maintain)
• The improvement areas identified (without looking for someone to blame)
• The corrective actions to be implemented, with an assigned person and deadline

Record the drill in the fire safety logbook

VKF Directive 12-15 and the ECA Vaud guide explicitly recommend recording every drill. Your logbook should contain:

• Date and time of the drill
• Number of participants present
• Total evacuation time
• Scenario selected (announced / surprise, location of the simulated fire)
• Main observations (positive points and malfunctions)
• Corrective measures decided, with deadline and person responsible

This document is your proof of compliance in the event of an inspection by the cantonal ECA or in the event of an incident.

Plan the corrective actions

Every malfunction identified must lead to a concrete action: clearing an obstructed corridor, replacing illegible signage or retraining an ineffective lead marshal. Set realistic deadlines and check that the measures have been implemented before the next drill.

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Common mistakes during an evacuation drill

1. Always announcing the drill – never conducting a surprise drill

A drill that is always announced tests theory, not actual reactions. After two or three successful announced drills, include at least one unannounced drill in each two-year cycle.

2. Neglecting the headcount at the assembly point

The evacuation does not end when everyone has left the building. It ends when everyone has been accounted for. Without a headcount, you will never know whether someone is trapped inside.

3. Lead marshals who have not been briefed or designated

Designating lead marshals on paper is not enough. If they have not received their role sheet, do not know the route or are absent on the day, the drill reveals a real organisational gap – useful, but avoidable with proper preparation.

4. Forgetting people with reduced mobility

This is the most serious mistake. In a real emergency, a wheelchair user on the third floor without a defined assistance procedure is in danger. Identify these situations before the drill and test the procedure.

5. Triggering the alarm without notifying the fire brigade

If your alarm system is connected to an alarm receiving centre (CTA 118), an unreported activation may result in the fire brigade being called out. Always notify the monitoring centre before starting a drill.

6. Failing to document the drill – or documenting it afterwards

A logbook completed from memory one week after the drill has no evidentiary value. Take notes in real time during the drill and complete the logbook within 24 hours.

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Checklist: preparing your evacuation drill

Use this list directly for your next drill.

Before the drill

• Drill objectives defined in writing
• Date, time and type of drill (announced / surprise) decided
• Fire evacuation plan checked and up to date
• Evacuation routes clear and signage checked
• Assembly point defined and known to everyone
• Lead and sweep marshals designated and briefed
• Role sheets provided to each person responsible
• List of people requiring assistance prepared
• Person responsible for assisting people with reduced mobility designated
• Fire brigade or alarm receiving centre notified if necessary
• Up-to-date attendance list available for the headcount
• Observers positioned at strategic points
• Stopwatch ready

During the drill

• Alarm triggered (actual signal if possible)
• Stopwatch started when the alarm was triggered
• Behaviour observed and recorded in real time
• Headcount completed at the assembly point
• Stopwatch stopped once the headcount was complete

After the drill

• Debriefing meeting held within 30 minutes
• Positive points and areas for improvement listed
• Corrective actions defined with a person responsible and deadline
• Fire safety logbook completed (date, duration, participants, observations)
• Next drill scheduled

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When should you call on an external provider?

Organising an evacuation drill yourself is entirely possible for a standard SME. However, certain situations justify involving a professional.

Call on an external provider if:

• You want a company fire simulation involving real smoke, obstacles or simulated casualties – this type of drill requires specific equipment and coordination with emergency services
• Your establishment accommodates vulnerable persons (care homes, nurseries, hospitals): the stakes are too high for improvisation
• You need an expert report and a certificate recognised by the cantonal authorities or your insurer
• Your team has never conducted a drill: a first drill supervised by an expert helps establish the right foundations

For this type of professional drill with an expert report, discover our professional fire evacuation training and our dedicated page on fire safety training in Lausanne and the canton of Vaud.

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FAQ

Is an evacuation drill compulsory for all Swiss companies?

No, not for all of them. VKF Directive 12-15 (section 6.3) requires evacuation drills in buildings that regularly receive people from outside the company or vulnerable persons (care homes, hotels, buildings open to the public, buildings accommodating > 300 people). For office-based SMEs and warehouses, a drill is strongly recommended and may be ordered by the cantonal authority. OPA Art. 40 para. 2 requires every employer to instruct their staff on evacuation at suitable intervals.
See our article on the subject: Legal obligations relating to fire safety training?

Should the fire brigade be notified before an evacuation drill?

Yes, if your alarm system is connected to an alarm receiving centre (CTA 118). An unreported activation may result in the fire brigade being called out. For complex drills (smoke simulation, obstacles), coordination with the local fire brigade is recommended even if your alarm is not connected to a monitoring centre.

How long does an evacuation drill last?

The drill itself generally lasts between 10 and 20 minutes. Including preparation, activation, the headcount at the assembly point and the immediate debriefing, allow 45 minutes to 1 hour in total for a well-conducted drill.

Who should organise the evacuation drill in a company?

This is the employer’s responsibility, generally delegated to the fire safety officer (BSI) or the HR manager / facility manager. In SMEs without a designated BSI, the company director or administrative manager assumes this role. The important thing is for someone to be formally designated and given the necessary resources.

Does an evacuation drill need to be documented?

Yes, this is essential. VKF Directive 12-15 and the ECA Vaud guide explicitly recommend recording every drill in a fire safety logbook: date, participants, duration, scenario, observations and corrective measures. This document is your proof of compliance in the event of an inspection or incident.

Can you conduct a surprise evacuation drill?

Yes, and it is even recommended once teams have been trained. A surprise drill tests actual reactions and reveals shortcomings that announced drills do not show. For a first drill or in an establishment with vulnerable persons, start with an announced drill and then gradually introduce unannounced drills.

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Useful sources

• OPA Art. 40 para. 2 – Fedlex (SR 832.30) – Official text of the Ordinance on the Prevention of Accidents
• CFST guide – Instruction of workers in the event of fire – Official commentary on OPA Art. 40 para. 2
• VKF – Fire protection regulations (bsvonline.ch) – VKF Directive 12-15 and applicable requirements
• Geneva – Fire protection laws and regulations (ge.ch) – LPSSP and implementing regulations