Building Evacuations and Fire Drills
Evacuation Route Map
Fire drills help building occupants prepare to respond to a variety of building emergencies. Fire codes require regularly scheduled drills in most large buildings at least annually.
Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) is responsible for scheduling fire drills for the UW Seattle campus and major research stations, and we can assist at other locations. Drills help building occupants prepare to respond to a variety of building emergencies. Fire codes require regularly scheduled drills in most large buildings at least annually.
Evacuation drills
Drills are generally unannounced so they are realistic and educational. EH&S will usually schedule fire drills for the Seattle campus about three weeks in advance by coordinating with the building coordinator, evacuation director and key administrators so that a date and time may be identified for the drill that avoids unnecessary disruption to operations. For research buildings, advance notification may be extended to a key person for each lab so that the drill does not create a safety hazard or disrupt critical and expensive lab operations. However, other personnel should not be informed.
Scheduling
Except for University housing, drills are scheduled during normal business hours, usually between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
For drills scheduled on the Seattle campus, contact EH&S at 206.685.0341 or uwfire@uw.edu.
If you have a preference for the time of year for your building’s fire drill, please contact EH&S so that we may add it to our planning schedule.
Drill reports
Evacuation directors are responsible for critiquing their drill with support from EH&S. Observations about the drill should be shared with evacuation wardens and key personnel to improve future response and performance. The evacuation director should complete a Fire Drill Report form.
Unintentional alarms, such as malicious activation of fire alarm pull stations or burned food setting off smoke detectors, do not count towards the required scheduled drills.
Evacuation directors and wardens
A building's evacuation director and evacuation wardens should be assigned or appointed by organizational unit(s) occupying the building to oversee preparation for emergencies and coordinate building evacuation procedures.
Refer to the Evacuation Director Responsibilities and the Evacuation Warden Responsibilities focus sheets for a full description of responsibilities.
EH&S provides training and resources for evacuation directors and wardens to prepare for emergencies:
Evacuation route maps
Most buildings are provided with Evacuation Route Maps located in a conspicuous location in a public hallway. The maps help indicate the location of exits and evacuation assembly points. EH&S develops and maintains these maps for existing buildings on the UW Seattle campus.
Specifications for creating these signs for new construction projects are available on the UW Facilities Design Standard webpage.
Assembly points
A number of outdoor assembly points have been identified for the campus. A specific assembly point should be designated for your building as indicated on the evacuation route map posted in your building and in your Fire Safety and Evacuation Plan.
Campus mass assembly areas are also available if the local assembly point is unsafe or unavailable.
Emergency preparedness
Occupants should be prepared for a number of anticipated building emergencies some of which will require immediate or delayed evacuation.
Visit the Building Emergency Procedures and Resources webpage for more information.
Alarm sounds
If a fire alarms sounds in your building, you may hear one of the following tones:
Temporal Digital 3 Alarm Tone
Frequently asked questions about fire drills and evacuations
Your Fire Safety and Evacuation Plan should provide information on how to alert building occupants of an emergency. Contact your evacuation director or building coordinator and request a copy of your plan.
If your building does not already have a Fire Safety and Evacuation Plan, you can find a template on the Building Emergency Procedures and Resources page.
Smaller buildings without fire alarm systems are not required to conduct evacuation drills. However, if you wish to conduct an evacuation drill you can simulate an alarm.
Yes. University personnel and other building occupants are expected to participate in all building evacuations regardless of whether it’s a scheduled drill or not. This is a City of Seattle Fire Code requirement. Anyone who does not participate in the evacuation drill is subject to personal fine from the Seattle Fire Department if they should be in attendance.
EH&S is responsible for scheduling fire drills for the UW Seattle campus and research stations. If you have a preference on the time of year for your drill, please contact EH&S so that we may add it to our planning schedule. EH&S will generally schedule fire drills for UW Seattle about 3 weeks in advance by coordinating with the building coordinator, evacuation director and key administrators so that a date and time may be identified for the drill that avoids unnecessary disruption to operations. All drills are scheduled during normal business hours, usually between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. For UW Bothell, contact Allyson Long at arlong@uw.edu. For UW Tacoma, contact Susan Wagshul-Golden at swg5@uw.edu.
Frequently asked questions about evacuation directors and wardens
There is no formal process for appointing the evacuation director. However, consider appointing the most senior (experienced) warden or a representative from the largest occupying unit/department. If there is interest in serving as the evacuation director, rotate appointments every two years. Make the transitions at an annual meeting.
Evacuation directors, building coordinators, facility managers and unit/department administrators should solicit building occupants to volunteer to serve as an evacuation warden. When necessary, organizational units may appoint wardens as a job duty.
While not required, evacuation wardens and directors should take a refresher course periodically, as needed, to stay current. Periodically attending the free evacuation warden training will help provide any updated information and changes in policy that might not otherwise reach everybody.
No. The primary role of the evacuation warden is to help occupants evacuate the building and assemble at the appropriate location, remind personnel to promptly respond to alarms, assist visitors who may not know how to exit the building when the elevator recalls, and inform persons with disabilities to prepare and have a plan for building emergencies. Wardens have a specific role and should not fight a fire in most cases.
It can vary based on the size and complexity of the building, frequency of revisions to the Fire Safety and Evacuation Plan and warden turn-over. As a general rule, you should plan to meet at least annually. Meetings may be conducted virtually (e.g., byZoom or Teams), by phone or in person. If it is difficult to find a time to meet, wardens may be kept informed and issues resolved via email. It may be necessary to meet in advance of any major changes in the building, such as a construction project in your building or a nearby building, if the project impacts evacuation routes.
Sweeping is optional; it should be performed on the warden’s way out of the building. A warden should become familiar with the main circulation paths and access to evacuation routes of the building. The area for which a single warden is responsible should be determined by their planned route to quickly sweep while walking and calling out, knocking on doors, and still arrive at an exit within two minutes. This correlates well with the maximum travel distance to an exit based on code requirements. If fire or smoke is observed, the warden should discontinue their sweep and immediately proceed to the exit.
Accounting for everyone can be impractical in many buildings. Instead, wardens may attempt to identify persons who were in the building at the time of the incident who may have remained behind. This is especially important if the building emergency is known and the persons unaccounted for work in or near the affected area. Confer with supervisors and co-workers and use any available lists or floor plans as reference material. Supervisors and acting supervisors (who may be filling in for a supervisor when the supervisor is on leave) are in the best position to account for the whereabouts of their subordinates.
Definitions
A designated safe area away from the building for evacuees to gather and be accounted for
Documents how to notify occupants of a building emergency, establish evacuation procedures and routes, provide support for persons with disabilities, and account for occupants
