Evacuation Procedures

When to Evacuate

Evacuation is not a single-purpose drill. Several situations can require moving people out of a building, and the trigger determines the method, route, and assembly point.

The common error is treating every evacuation the same. A fire evacuation can use the fire alarm and the nearest exit. A bomb-threat evacuation may need a different route to avoid the reported device location and a different assembly point at a greater distance. A gas leak forbids the use of switches and phones inside the building. Your post orders specify the plan for each trigger — know them before the event.

Routes — Primary and Secondary

Every occupied site must have at least two independent evacuation routes from any location. The primary route is the planned path of choice — usually the nearest exit. The secondary route is the backup, used when the primary is blocked by smoke, fire, debris, or hazard.

As a guard you must know:

• Both routes from every area you patrol
• Which exits are locked, alarmed, or access-controlled, and how to release them in an emergency (panic hardware, crash bars, override keys)
• Whether any route passes through a hazard zone (a chemical storage room, a kitchen, a loading dock) that may itself be the source of the emergency
• The maximum travel distance to an exit on your site, and whether occupants can reach it within the time the fire-resistant construction allows

If the primary route is blocked, do not hesitate — redirect people to the secondary immediately. Occupants freeze when the planned path fails; a guard who calmly points and says "this way — second exit" saves lives.

Assembly Points

An assembly point is the predetermined location where evacuated occupants gather so they can be counted and held safely. A good assembly point is:

• Far enough from the building to be clear of smoke, falling glass, and blast effects
• Upwind of the building in typical weather, so smoke and fumes blow away from it
• Accessible to emergency vehicles arriving at the building (not in the driveway)
• Large enough to hold the expected occupant load
• Identifiable to occupants — a sign, a landmark, or a trained marshal who stands there visibly

Some sites have more than one assembly point because different triggers demand different stand-off distances. A fire assembly point may be 50 meters away; a bomb-threat assembly point may be 300 meters or more. Know which one applies to which trigger.

Accountability — Head Count

Getting people out of the building is only half the evacuation. Knowing who is out is the other half. The accountability process:

1. Staff roll call — each department or floor warden reports their people present at the assembly point.
2. Visitor log and sign-in sheet — every visitor who signed in must be accounted for. The receptionist or access-control guard brings the current visitor log out with them.
3. Contractor and tenant sign-in — anyone working on site that day must be on a list and checked off.
4. Report missing persons immediately — if anyone cannot be located, report the name, last known location, and description to the incident commander and emergency services. Do not send anyone back in to look.

A visitor log that stays inside a burning building is useless. Part of your post-order preparation is ensuring that the current log comes out with the first person evacuating reception.

Assisting Persons with Disabilities

Some occupants cannot use stairs or move quickly without help. These include people with mobility, visual, hearing, or cognitive limitations. The standard practices:

• Identify them in advance. HR or site management should maintain a list of occupants who need assistance, and the list must be available to security on shift.
• Assign helpers in advance. A designated coworker (a "buddy") stays with the person and assists them during an evacuation.
• Use areas of refuge if the site has them — a fire-rated space where a person can wait safely for rescue when stairs are not an option.
• Never separate a person with a disability from their assistant during an evacuation.
• Do not attempt to carry a person in a wheelchair down stairs unless you are specifically trained and the person consents — improper carries can injure both of you. Wait for trained rescue personnel if stairs are the only option and no elevator is available.

Crowd Management During Evacuation

People in an evacuation are stressed, sometimes panicked. Guard conduct directly affects their behavior:

• Give calm, clear, specific instructions. "Walk to the north exit, turn left outside, gather at the parking lot" — not just "get out."
• Do not shout or run unless absolutely necessary. Your composure is contagious; so is your panic.
• Direct, do not debate. Occupants who want to collect belongings must be firmly directed to leave. Property is replaceable.
• Keep exits clear. Prevent bottlenecks at doors and stairs. Channel flow.
• Sweep the area if it is safe to do so — check washrooms, break rooms, and back offices where someone may not have heard the alarm.

No Re-Entry Until Cleared

Once people are out, they must stay out. Re-entry is a recurring cause of injury and death — occupants return for belongings, pets, or coworkers, and walk into a fire, structural collapse, or active hazard.

• Hold the perimeter at the assembly point and at building entrances.
• Deny re-entry to everyone — employees, tenants, managers, even owners — until the incident commander or emergency services declare the building safe.
• Document anyone who demands re-entry; do not physically restrain unless your post orders and the law support it, but do not open the door.

Handoff and Documentation

When emergency services arrive:

• Brief the incident commander — what happened, where, how many people were in the building, who is unaccounted for, where the assembly point is, and any known hazards (flammables, gas shutoffs, electrical rooms, the location of a suspected device).
• Turn over accountability lists — the visitor log, the head count, and the list of missing persons.
• Stand by for support — traffic control, access control, crowd control around the scene.

After the event, write a complete incident report:

• Time the alarm or trigger was identified
• Time evacuation began and ended
• Number of occupants evacuated and time to clear the building
• Assembly point used and any secondary relocation
• Head-count results and any missing persons, with disposition
• Actions taken by security, by site staff, and by emergency services
• Any equipment failures, blocked exits, or procedural issues observed
• Recommendations for improvement

An evacuation is not over when the building is empty. It is over when every person is accounted for, the scene is handed off, and the event is fully documented.

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