Quick Summary
Every Brisbane office needs a written fire evacuation plan under Queensland law, covering both fire safety and work health and safety duties. The plan must be on paper and kept current, and it should show exit routes, assembly points, contacts and the roles of fire wardens. Regular drills and reviews confirm that the plan works in practice.
- The Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008 requires fire and evacuation plans to be in written form.
- Regulation 43 of the model WHS Regulations establishes the workplace obligation to have an evacuation plan.
- A practical plan includes floor plans, assembly points, marked exit routes and emergency contact details.
- Fire wardens should cover every floor and shift, with a backup in case one is absent.
- Record each drill’s timing, observations and corrective actions, then store them with the plan for audits.
Table of Contents
- Legal Requirements for a Fire Evacuation Plan in Queensland Offices
- What a Written Fire Evacuation Plan Must Contain
- Office Evacuation Diagram Requirements and Placement
- Fire Warden Responsibilities in the Workplace
- Step-by-Step: Building an Emergency Evacuation Plan Template for Your Office
- Workplace Evacuation Drill Frequency and Post-Drill Review
- Planning for Staff Who Need Help to Evacuate and Shared Buildings
- Booking Your Office Fire Safety Review with Fyrepower
- Frequently Asked Questions
Legal Requirements for a Fire Evacuation Plan in Queensland Offices
Last Updated: November 6, 2026
Every Brisbane office needs a written fire evacuation plan. Under Queensland law, the plan is not optional paperwork. Explore passive fire protection solutions for office buildings to see how fire stopping supports safe egress routes.
Many offices assume a basic fire procedure is enough. It rarely is. The rules set specific expectations for what the plan says and who must act on it.
Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008 Obligations
The Queensland Fire and Emergency Services advisory notes for building occupiers state that the Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008 requires fire and evacuation plans to be in written form.
This means a verbal understanding between staff does not meet the rule. Put the plan on paper, keep it current, and make it available to occupants.
The regulation places responsibility on building occupiers and owners. If you occupy part of a building, check what your lease and building management require.
Work Health and Safety Duties for Employers
Employers also carry duties under work health and safety law. A formal fire safety compliance audit for Brisbane offices shows how these obligations are verified. Regulation 43 of the model Work Health and Safety Regulations establishes the obligation for workplaces to have an emergency evacuation plan, as noted by First 5 Minutes compliance guide for Australian businesses.
Failing to meet these requirements can carry serious penalties. Confirm current penalty amounts with the regulator.
Your core WHS duties usually include:
- Providing a safe workplace for employees and visitors
- Identifying fire and evacuation risks in your office
- Writing and maintaining the evacuation plan
What a Written Fire Evacuation Plan Must Contain
A written plan turns the rules into action. It tells people where to go, who to follow, and what to do when an alarm sounds. Think of it as the playbook your team uses under pressure.
The Northside Adventist College emergency and evacuation policy sets out key elements that a practical plan should include:
- A floor plan of each level
- Clearly defined assembly points outside the building
- Marked exit routes from all locations
Make the plan specific to your site. A generic template with blank fields will not help people find the nearest exit in smoke.
Office Evacuation Diagram Requirements and Placement
An evacuation diagram is the visual part of your plan. It is usually posted near lifts, stairwells and main entry doors so people see it before they need it.
A good diagram should show your exit routes, fire safety equipment, and the assembly area. Check the relevant Australian Standards guidance when you design your diagram.
Keep diagrams current. If you move desks, add a meeting room or change a stairwell, update the drawing and reprint it.
Fire Warden Responsibilities in the Workplace
Fire wardens are the people who guide others during an evacuation. Their role is to check that the area is clear, direct people to the nearest safe exit, and report to the assembly point.
Typical warden duties include:
- Sweeping their area during an evacuation
- Helping people who need assistance
- Confirming that staff have left the building
Wardens need proper training. Appoint enough people to cover every floor and shift, including after hours. If a warden is absent, you should have a backup.
Step-by-Step: Building an Emergency Evacuation Plan Template for Your Office
Use this sequence to build a plan that works for your office.
- Assess the building. Walk each floor and note exits, stairwells, fire equipment and hazards.
- Draw the layout. Create a floor plan with exit routes and assembly points marked.
- Appoint wardens. Name chief and deputy wardens and set coverage for every area.
- Write the procedures. Describe the alarm response, the evacuation route and the roll-call process.
- Set up communication. Explain how staff will be told to leave and who calls emergency services.
- Brief and train staff. Explain the plan at induction and at regular intervals.
- Review and update. Revise the plan when the office layout, staff or building changes.
Your template should include fields for the building address, the date of the last review, and the name of each warden. This makes the document easy to keep current.
Workplace Evacuation Drill Frequency and Post-Drill Review
A plan on paper proves little until people have practised it. Regular drills show whether staff know the route, whether wardens can sweep their areas, and whether the plan works under real conditions.
How often to run drills
Check the requirements for evacuation practice and records under the applicable fire safety regulation with the relevant regulator. Drill frequency depends on the building, so confirm the schedule that applies to your site. A separate check of the fire safety equipment guide can help wardens connect their sweep routes with the equipment they may need to locate during an evacuation.
What to observe during a drill
A drill is only useful if you measure it. Record concrete observations rather than a general impression. Useful measures include:
- Time from alarm activation to the last person reaching the assembly area
- Whether all exits and stairwells were used as planned, or whether one route became congested
- Whether wardens completed their sweep and reported clear
Watch out: a drill that everyone treats as a fire drill without a debrief can create a false sense of compliance, because the same problems repeat unnoticed.
Run a structured debrief
Hold a short debrief immediately after the drill, while memories are fresh. A simple template works: what was planned, what happened, what worked, what did not, and what will change. Invite the chief warden, deputy wardens, a floor representative and, where relevant, the building manager. Keep the debrief factual and focused on the process, not on blaming individuals.
Assign corrective actions and follow up
Turn each problem into an action with an owner and a due date. For example, if a stairwell door was obstructed, the action might be to clear the area and add a weekly check. If the roll call was inaccurate, the action might be to tighten the visitor sign-in process. Record the actions in the same document as the drill record, then check at the next drill or review whether they were completed.
Keep drill records
Keep a record of each drill, including the date, the scenario, the time taken, the observations, the debrief notes and the corrective actions. These records show that you have practised the plan and acted on the results. Store them with the plan so they are easy to produce if the regulator or your insurer asks.
The article sets out the observations and follow-up steps that make a drill useful.
| Drill element | What to record | Follow-up |
|---|---|---|
| Alarm to assembly | Time for last person to reach assembly area | Compare with the previous drill |
| Exit routes | Whether all exits and stairwells were used as planned | Fix any congested route |
| Warden sweep | Whether each area was swept and reported clear | Retrain any warden who missed a sweep |
| Roll call | Whether count matched expected occupancy, including visitors | Tighten visitor sign-in if mismatched |
| Blocked exits or faults | Any obstruction, faulty alarm or unclear signage | Assign an owner and a due date |
| People needing help | Whether assistance was given as planned | Update the personal evacuation plan |
| Drill records | Date, scenario, time, observations, debrief and actions | Store with the plan for audits |
Planning for Staff Who Need Help to Evacuate and Shared Buildings
Not everyone can use stairs quickly. Some staff have mobility limits, hearing or vision impairments, or medical conditions. Others may have a temporary injury, such as a broken leg or recent surgery, that affects them for a few weeks. Your plan must cover how these people will leave the building safely, and it must account for visitors and contractors who may not know the building.
Personal evacuation plans
A personal evacuation plan is a short, individual arrangement agreed with the person who needs assistance. It sets out what assistance they need, who will provide it, which route they will use, and where they will wait if they cannot use the stairs immediately.
Consider these steps:
- Identify staff who may need assistance, including temporary injuries, and invite them to discuss their needs
- Agree on a personal evacuation plan with each person and record it
- Assign named helpers, with a backup in case the helper is absent
Watch out: a common failure is to assume that a person who uses a wheelchair will always be on the ground floor, or that a temporary injury will heal before the next drill.
Visitors and contractors
Visitors and contractors may not know the exits, the assembly area or the wardens. Your reception and sign-in process should include a brief explanation of the evacuation arrangements, and the plan should say who is responsible for accounting for visitors at the assembly area. For contractors working in plant rooms or restricted areas, confirm that they know the route and the assembly point before they start work.
Shared tenancy and multi-storey coordination
Shared buildings add another layer. When several businesses occupy one site, the building owner or building manager is usually responsible for the base building’s fire safety measures, while each tenant occupier is responsible for its own workplace.
Agree on the following with the building manager and other tenants:
- Who leads the evacuation and how the chief warden structure works across the building
- How the alarm is raised and what it sounds like on each floor
- Which exits and stairwells each tenant should use
A single coordinated approach, with each tenant’s plan sitting under the building’s overall arrangements, avoids gaps. If you occupy part of a building, check your lease and the building’s fire safety management arrangements to confirm who is responsible for what.
Booking Your Office Fire Safety Review with Fyrepower
A written plan is only as good as its upkeep. If you are unsure whether your Brisbane office meets the rules, a professional review can show you the gaps. At Fyrepower, our team can check your plan, your diagrams, your warden coverage and your drill records against current requirements.
Get in touch with Fyrepower to arrange a review of your evacuation arrangements. We can help you put a compliant plan in place and keep it current.
Frequently Asked Questions
What must a fire evacuation plan include for an office?
A written fire evacuation plan for an office should include a floor plan, clearly marked exit routes from every location, and defined assembly points. The Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008 requires fire and evacuation plans to be in written form, so verbal procedures alone do not meet the obligation. Plans should also identify fire safety equipment such as extinguishers, hydrants and alarms, name the fire wardens, and set out how staff are instructed and trained. Review the plan whenever the layout, occupancy or tenancy changes so the information stays accurate.
Are offices required to have an emergency evacuation plan?
Yes. Regulation 43 of the model Work Health and Safety Regulations establishes the obligation for workplaces to have an emergency evacuation plan, and the Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008 requires written fire and evacuation plans for buildings. Penalties for failing to meet work health and safety requirements can be serious. Office occupiers should confirm the exact obligations that apply to their building with Queensland Fire and Emergency Services or a qualified fire safety adviser.
How often should office evacuation drills be conducted?
Confirm with your fire safety adviser how often evacuation rehearsals should run for your building. Drills should also follow significant changes such as new staff intakes, office fit-outs or changes to exits. Record each drill, note how long evacuation took, and log any problems so corrective actions can be tracked. Confirm the frequency that applies to your building with your fire safety adviser, as requirements can vary by building type.
Who is responsible for preparing an office evacuation plan?
Responsibility is shared. The building occupier and building owner each carry duties under the Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008, and the employer has duties under work health and safety law to provide a workplace that is safe for staff. In shared or multi-storey buildings, tenants should coordinate their plans with the building management so exits, assembly points and warden arrangements do not conflict. A written agreement on who maintains which elements helps prevent gaps.
