Building Evacuation Training

Audit and optimisation of your evacuation plan

At SafetyFirst, we carry out a comprehensive site audit to assess and optimise your evacuation plan in the event of a fire or emergency. Our fire safety and evacuation experts work directly on your premises to identify and analyse:

✅ Your company's specific characteristics (business sector, type of operation, number of employees)
✅ Occupational risks and potential hazards, including areas with a high fire risk and structural constraints
✅ Evacuation routes and emergency exits (stairwells, assembly points, refuge areas for people with reduced mobility)
✅ Fire safety and alarm systems, including manual alarm call points, emergency access control systems and emergency lighting
✅ Evacuation procedures: the role of lead wardens, sweep wardens and other evacuation team members in ensuring progressive horizontal evacuation (PHE) where necessary
✅ Current evacuation instructions and plans, including checks of photoluminescent signage, signage panels and emergency response plans
✅ Making installations safe (emergency shutdown of machinery, fire compartmentation, management of hazardous materials)
✅ Firefighting equipment, its accessibility and suitability for the specific risks

Assessment and tailored recommendations

Following our assessment, we hold a debriefing with your company's safety managers (evacuation officers, HSE managers, site manager). You will receive a detailed report including:

✔ The strengths of your evacuation arrangements
✔ Areas for improvement and recommendations tailored to your environment
✔ A proposal for a customised evacuation concept, incorporating strategies such as delayed evacuation or the implementation of alternative routes based on the risks identified

Practical information

📍 Duration: Varies according to the size of your company and your needs
📍 Prerequisites: None
📍 Target audience: Safety managers, evacuation officers, HSE teams
📍 Location: On-site audit, directly at your company
📍 Trainer: Fire safety and evacuation expert (AEAI)
📍 Certificate: Detailed report provided with recommendations

Make sure your company is ready to respond to an emergency situation with an optimised evacuation plan that complies with Swiss safety standards.

Following the safety and evacuation audit carried out in Phase 1, or if your evacuation plan is already in place, SafetyFirst offers dedicated training in the fundamental principles of evacuation and internal emergency organisation. This session prepares your employees to respond quickly and effectively to the risks of fire or emergency evacuation, while ensuring compliance with Swiss workplace fire safety standards.

Training objectives

Our evacuation management and fire safety experts work directly on your site to train your teams in:

✅ The fundamentals of a building's structure and its impact on evacuation (fire compartmentation, escape routes, protected stairways)
✅ The causes and specific risks of an emergency evacuation (fire outbreak, smoke spread, fire alarm)
✅ Identifying the means that facilitate evacuation: emergency exits, photoluminescent signage, alarm systems
✅ General evacuation procedures and essential precautions: coordinating exit flows and prioritising intervention areas
✅ Internal procedures specific to your company, adapted to the layout of the premises and your operational constraints
✅ The roles and responsibilities of evacuation teams: lead wardens, sweep wardens, crisis coordinator
✅ Question-and-answer session with our trainers to explore best practices in greater depth
✅ On-site practical exercise (on request) with an evacuation simulation and identification of safe routes

Adapting to specific facilities

Certain facilities such as hospitals, EMS facilities, psychiatric units, nurseries or facilities accommodating people with reduced mobility cannot carry out a standard evacuation. Our trainers support you in implementing specific evacuation protocols:

🔹 Progressive safeguarding of patients or residents
🔹 Internal transfers to secure refuge areas
🔹 Delayed evacuation and coordination with emergency services
🔹 Managing exit flows without panic

Practical information

📍 Duration: 3 hours (80% theory – 20% practical)
📍 Prerequisites: None
📍 Target audience: Personnel designated to manage and oversee evacuation (max. 15 participants)
📍 Location: On-site delivery, directly at your company
📍 Trainer: Qualified and experienced fire safety and evacuation trainer
📍 Certificate:
✔ Individual certificate provided to each participant
✔ Official certificate for the company
📍 Validity: 1 year

🔥 Make your company safer today! Contact SafetyFirst to organise customised evacuation training that ensures effective management of emergency situations and the safety of your teams.

A fire evacuation exercise is an essential step in testing the effectiveness of the evacuation plan, measuring staff responsiveness and identifying areas for improvement. SafetyFirst organises realistic exercises adapted to the specific features of your company to optimise your risk management and ensure the safety of your employees in an emergency.

How the exercise works

Before the exercise begins, the teams responsible for evacuation may receive a reminder of procedures and precautions. A customised evacuation scenario is then developed in collaboration with your company. The exercise may include:

✅ Smoke simulation in one or more rooms, with a visible or non-visible fire outbreak*
✅ Obstacles along evacuation routes to test staff adaptability and decision-making
✅ Emergency exits made unusable to assess the management of alternative routes
✅ Simulated casualties requiring specific assistance and appropriate support
✅ Coordination with external services (fire brigade, ambulance services, police, security service…)**
✅ Specific scenarios for high-risk facilities (hospitals, EMS facilities, nurseries, psychiatric units…)

These exercises help assess the smoothness of the evacuation, management of unexpected events and the teams' ability to adapt to realistic situations.

Observation and analysis

During the exercise, our fire safety experts position themselves at strategic points throughout the building to observe:

✔ The reactions and behaviour of evacuation officers and employees
✔ Compliance with internal procedures and safety instructions
✔ Reaction times between the alert and the actual evacuation
✔ The choice of escape routes and intervention equipment used
✔ The effectiveness of safety systems: alarms, fire doors, smoke extraction, emergency lighting…
✔ The accessibility of evacuation routes and management of refuge areas

An immediate debriefing is held with the evacuation officers to analyse strengths and areas for improvement. A detailed report is then provided, covering all observations and recommendations.

Practical information

📍 Duration: Varies according to the site (100% practical)
📍 Prerequisites: None
📍 Target audience: All company employees
📍 Location: Exercise conducted directly on your site
📍 Trainer: Evacuation and fire safety expert
📍 Certificate:
✔ Official exercise certificate for the company
✔ Detailed report provided after the intervention
📍 Validity: 1 year

⚠ Technical precautions

🔹 Smoke simulation may activate fire detectors. We do not deactivate these devices, but the fire control panel may be placed in "TEST" mode during the exercise. The presence of an approved technician (internal or external) is recommended to ensure that the system is working properly after the intervention.
🔹 The involvement of emergency services (fire brigade, ambulance services, police…) depends on their availability and prior agreement.