Evacuation Planning Ireland

Fire drills should be conducted at least twice per year, with the first drill within the first month of occupying a new premises. More frequent drills may be appropriate for higher-risk premises such as nursing homes, hotels, or buildings with complex evacuation procedures. Phoenix STS recommends a combination of announced and unannounced drills to test both planned and reactive responses.

A Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) is an individual evacuation plan for a person who may need assistance evacuating a building in an emergency. PEEPs are required for anyone with a physical disability, sensory impairment, cognitive impairment, temporary injury, pregnancy, or any other condition that may affect their ability to evacuate without assistance. Employers have a legal duty under the SHWW Act 2005 to ensure all employees can evacuate safely.

Yes. Every fire alarm activation should be treated as a real emergency until it is confirmed otherwise by a competent person. Ignoring fire alarms due to frequent unwanted activations is extremely dangerous and has been a factor in multiple fatal fires. If unwanted fire alarms are a problem, the solution is to address the cause, not to ignore them. Phoenix STS can help you reduce unwanted activations while maintaining a robust evacuation response.

Under the Fire Services Acts, the person having control over premises is responsible for fire safety, including evacuation. In a workplace, this is typically the employer. In multi-tenanted buildings, the building owner or managing agent has overall responsibility, while individual tenants are responsible for their own demised areas. Clear allocation of responsibilities and coordination between all parties is essential.

You should maintain records of all fire drills (including dates, times, evacuation times, and observations), fire safety training provided to staff, PEEP assessments and reviews, fire alarm tests and maintenance, fire safety equipment inspections, and any fire incidents or near misses. These records demonstrate compliance with fire safety legislation and are essential evidence during fire authority inspections.

Yes. Phoenix STS provides professional fire drill supervision where our BEng fire engineers observe your evacuation from multiple vantage points, timing the evacuation, noting issues, and assessing fire warden performance. We provide a detailed written report after each drill with findings and prioritised recommendations for improvement. This independent assessment provides much more value than self-supervised drills.

Yes. Our fire warden training is CPD Standards Office certified - the first fire safety training in Ireland to achieve this certification. The course covers fire warden duties, sweep evacuation techniques, communication during evacuation, use of fire extinguishers and other equipment, and post-evacuation procedures. We deliver training at your premises and provide certificates for all attendees.

Progressive horizontal evacuation is a strategy used primarily in healthcare settings such as nursing homes and hospitals where full vertical evacuation of immobile patients is impractical. Instead, occupants are moved horizontally from the fire compartment to an adjacent safe compartment on the same floor. This relies on effective compartmentation and is the standard approach for HIQA-regulated designated centres. Phoenix STS specialises in developing progressive horizontal evacuation procedures.

TagEvac is a sweep evacuation system that provides fire wardens with a simple, visual method to confirm every area of a building has been checked during evacuation. Using robust, colour-coded tags at strategic points, fire wardens flip tags as they sweep each zone, providing immediate visual confirmation that the sweep is complete. Phoenix STS is the exclusive Irish partner for TagEvac, providing consultation, design, installation, and training.

Yes. We specialise in evacuation planning for nursing homes and designated centres regulated by HIQA. Our consultants understand the specific requirements of HIQA Regulation 28 (Fire Precautions) and develop progressive horizontal evacuation procedures, PEEPs for residents, fire warden training specific to healthcare settings, and fire drill programmes that meet regulatory expectations.

The cost of evacuation planning depends on the scope of services required, the size and complexity of your premises, the number of occupants, and specific requirements such as PEEPs or TagEvac installation. We provide free initial consultations and clear, detailed quotations before any work begins. Contact us for a no-obligation discussion of your requirements.

Phoenix STS provides evacuation planning services across all 26 counties in Ireland. We work with organisations ranging from single-site businesses to multi-site national operations. Our team is based in the midlands, giving us efficient access to all parts of the country. All travel costs are included in our quotations.