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Evacuation Strategies: Bespoke Fire Evacuation Plans for UK Premises from Tower Fire
Tower Fire designs bespoke evacuation strategies for UK premises of all types and sizes. Every plan is developed by an active or retired professional firefighter who understands how real evacuations unfold, not just how they appear on a floor plan.
An evacuation strategy is a legal requirement for virtually all non-domestic premises in the UK. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person must ensure that adequate emergency routes and procedures are in place, that staff are trained to use them, and that the strategy is reviewed whenever circumstances change.
What Is an Evacuation Strategy?
An evacuation strategy is a documented plan that sets out how occupants will be alerted to a fire and safely evacuated from a building. It defines the type of evacuation to be used, the roles of fire wardens and marshals, the routes available, the assembly points, and the arrangements for anyone who may need assistance.
It is distinct from a fire risk assessment, which identifies hazards and recommends controls. An evacuation strategy defines the response: what happens, who does what, and in what order, from the moment an alarm sounds to the moment every occupant is confirmed safe.
Every fire evacuation strategy must be appropriate for the specific building. The correct approach for a single-floor office is fundamentally different from the correct approach for a 60-bed care home or a high-rise residential block.
The Legal Requirement for an Evacuation Strategy in the UK
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the responsible person to ensure that emergency routes and procedures are in place, clearly communicated to all occupants, and regularly tested through fire drills. This applies to all non-domestic premises in the UK.
The Fire Safety Act 2021 and the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 introduced additional duties for residential buildings, including requirements around fire door inspections, building information sharing with fire and rescue services, and the provision of evacuation instructions to residents.
Most recently, the Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025, which came into force on 6 April 2026, introduced new obligations for responsible persons in specified residential buildings to identify residents whose ability to evacuate is affected by a physical or cognitive impairment, carry out person-centred fire risk assessments for those residents, and prepare both individual and building-wide emergency evacuation plans. These plans must be reviewed at least every 12 months.
Which One Does Your Building Need?
There are three main types of evacuation strategy used in UK buildings:
- Simultaneous evacuation: all occupants leave the building immediately on alarm activation. This is the standard approach for most commercial premises, retail units, offices, and smaller buildings.
- Phased evacuation: floors or zones evacuate in sequence, beginning with the floor of origin. Used in high-rise office buildings and multi-storey commercial premises where simultaneous evacuation would cause congestion on escape routes.
Progressive horizontal evacuation: occupants move horizontally into an adjacent fire-safe compartment before leaving the building. Required in care homes, hospitals, and settings with non-ambulant occupants who cannot use stairs quickly. The correct design and testing of a fire evacuation strategy for these environments is critical.
The type of strategy required depends on your building’s layout, construction, occupancy, and the specific risks identified in your fire risk assessment. Tower Fire will assess all of these factors before recommending an approach.
Our Evacuation Strategy Service
Every evacuation strategy Tower Fire develops begins with a thorough site visit. Our engineers assess the building’s layout, compartmentation, means of escape, existing fire safety arrangements, and the specific needs of the occupants before recommending a solution.
Our service includes:
Site assessment and evacuation strategy design tailored to the building and its occupants
Full written evacuation strategy document suitable for use in your fire safety records and for inspection by enforcement bodies
Practical evacuation drills to test and validate the strategy under realistic conditions
Staff training for fire wardens and marshals on their specific roles and responsibilities
Review and update of existing strategies following changes to occupancy, building layout, or legislation
Support with the new personal and building emergency evacuation plan requirements for specified residential buildings
Why Choose Tower Fire
Every evacuation strategy we develop is written by an active or retired professional firefighter. We have managed real evacuations, responded to real emergencies, and that operational experience shapes the quality and practicality of every plan we produce.back to you as soon as possible!