Fire & Emergency

It is important that all businesses have in place an effective fire and emergency plan. In fact, it is mandatory under Queensland’s new Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008 to have the following in place (a transitional period of 12 months from 1 July 2008 is applicable to allow the community the opportunity to adapt to these provisions):

• An evacuation plan and an evacuation diagram (displayed in the workplace)
• Evacuation exit signs and obstruction free escape routes (including internally unlocked exit doors)
• Limits to the number of persons in a building at any one time
• An appointed and trained Fire Safety Adviser for high occupancy buildings* 
• Provide annual fire evacuation training to staff (for new employees, no later than two days after starting work)
• Provide first-response** evacuation instruction to staff on a two-yearly basis
• Provide training to the building Evacuation Coordinator on an annual basis
• Practice the building evacuation at intervals of not more than a year
• Training and evacuation practice records must be kept 

 

*High occupancy building is defined as:

• Where 30 or more persons are normally employed (as described under Workplace Health & Safety legislation); or
• A class 2 or Class 3 building that is more than 25 m high (includes a residential part of a hotel or motel); or
• A class 4 building (includes a single stand-alone dwelling situated in a commercial building); or
• An ‘at risk’ licensed premises as nominated by the Fire Commissioner. 
  

 
**First-response evacuation training is defined as delivering training about the method of operation of manually operated fire alarms and fire fighting equipment in the building i.e. it can be provided by DVD, internet or physical instruction etc.

More information is available to members by clicking the link below.