Most generic “evacuation procedure” advice tells you to sound the alarm, leave by the nearest exit, and meet at the assembly point. That works for a routine fire drill. It fails the moment the emergency is a bomb threat, a chemical release, a cardiac arrest, or a lithium-ion battery fire in a basement carpark, because the correct response in each of those cases is fundamentally different.

This guide takes a different angle. Rather than describe one generic procedure, it walks through how the evacuation procedure actually shifts depending on the emergency type, mapped to the AS 3745:2010 framework. Use it alongside our complete guide to emergency evacuation plans for Australian business, which covers what an evacuation plan must contain at the document level.

Why one procedure does not fit every emergency

Australian Standard AS 3745:2010 (Planning for emergencies in facilities) recognises that evacuation procedures must address “the extent of evacuation from a facility that is necessary for different types of emergencies.” The standard explicitly groups emergencies into three families:

• Human-induced emergencies: bomb threats, building invasions, personal threats, chemical/biological/radiological incidents, civil disorder, medical emergencies, arson, explosions and suspect objects.
• Natural emergencies: bushfires, cyclones, earthquakes, floods and severe weather.
• Technological emergencies: hazardous substances incidents, industrial incidents, structural instability, transport incidents and toxic emissions.

The “evacuate the building, meet at the assembly point” response is the default for a routine fire. For everything else, one or more variables shift: whether you evacuate at all, where you evacuate to, how you alert occupants, what equipment you can use, and who takes operational control on arrival of emergency services. The sections below walk through how each common emergency type changes the procedure.

For context on the people executing these procedures, see what fire wardens do during an evacuation and the structure of the AS 3745 Emergency Control Organisation.

Procedure 1. Fire and smoke

Fire is the default scenario AS 3745:2010 addresses in Appendix A. It’s also the procedure most occupants instinctively recognise. The standard response:

1. Detect and confirm. The first person to detect the fire activates the nearest manual call point or notifies a warden.
2. Alert. The fire alarm or Emergency Warning and Intercom System (EWIS) sounds. Triple Zero (000) is called.
3. Decide evacuation extent. The Chief Warden determines whether to conduct a full or partial evacuation. AS 3745 specifically permits partial evacuation for localised fires.
4. Evacuate. Occupants leave via the nearest safe exit, using stairs (never lifts), with wardens directing flow and closing fire and smoke doors behind them.
5. Sweep and account. Wardens sweep their floor or zone before leaving. Headcount occurs at the assembly area.
6. Hand over. Fire and Rescue assume operational control on arrival.

Fire-attack with a portable extinguisher is permitted only on small contained fires by trained occupants with a clear escape route behind them. The default action is always to evacuate.

Procedure 2. Bomb threat or suspect item

The procedure for a bomb threat (AS 3745:2010 Appendix B) is materially different from a fire response and counterintuitive to most occupants.

Key procedural differences:

• Do not sound the standard fire alarm immediately. A general alarm may move occupants directly past the suspect item. The Chief Warden may direct a quieter, controlled evacuation using the public address system or runners.
• Do not use mobile phones or two-way radios near the suspect item. Radio frequencies can potentially trigger certain devices.
• Evacuate via routes that avoid the threatened area. This is not necessarily the nearest exit. The Chief Warden, in consultation with police, may direct occupants to a more distant assembly point than usual.
• The threat may dictate searching the building rather than evacuating it. Searches are performed only by trained wardens looking for items that are out of place, never by handling suspect items.
• Australian Federal Police or state police take operational control on arrival.

If a phoned threat is received, the receptionist or person taking the call follows the bomb threat checklist (provided in AS 3745:2010 Appendix B). For the full bomb threat procedure including the threat checklist, see the full bomb threat procedure guide.

Procedure 3. Medical emergency

Medical incidents are the most frequent emergency type in most Australian workplaces, and most do not require a full evacuation. The procedure is one of containment and coordination.

1. Call 000. Give the operator the address, floor, nature of the incident and patient’s condition.
2. Send a warden to the building entrance to meet paramedics and escort them directly to the patient. In multi-storey buildings, this saves critical minutes.
3. Clear a path for the stretcher: move furniture, hold the lift, prop doors.
4. Render first aid only if qualified. Wardens are not required to be first aiders, though many organisations overlap the two roles.
5. Manage onlookers and protect the patient’s privacy.
6. Brief the Chief Warden and incident log keeper with the timeline (call time, arrival time, outcome) for the post-incident report.

A full building evacuation is rarely needed unless the medical emergency relates to a contaminant (e.g. suspected chemical exposure, see Procedure 4).

Procedure 4. Hazardous substance incident (chemical, biological, radiological)

Hazardous material incidents fall under technological emergencies in AS 3745:2010. The procedure depends on whether the release is contained or uncontained, indoor or outdoor.

For an uncontained indoor release:

• Activate the alarm and evacuate immediately via routes that take occupants upwind of the release.
• Isolate the affected area: close doors, shut down HVAC if practical and safe.
• Do not attempt cleanup unless specifically trained and equipped.
• Move to an assembly area well clear of the building and upwind of any vapour or plume.

For an outdoor release affecting the facility:

• Shelter-in-place may be the correct response, not evacuation. Close all doors and windows, shut down external air intake, and stay inside until emergency services advise otherwise.
• Fire and Rescue HAZMAT teams and the relevant state EPA take operational control.

Decontamination of affected occupants is the responsibility of emergency services. Workplaces handling Schedule 7 substances, Class 1 dangerous goods or specific hazardous chemicals have additional duties under WHS Regulations and state-specific dangerous goods legislation.

Procedure 5. Severe weather, storm and flood

Severe weather is unusual among emergencies because warning is often available hours or days in advance. The procedure prioritises pre-incident preparation over reactive evacuation.

Pre-event:

• Monitor Bureau of Meteorology warnings and state emergency service alerts.
• Secure loose external objects and outdoor equipment.
• Check stormwater systems, gutters and drainage.
• Brief occupants on shelter locations.

During the event:

• Shelter-in-place is usually the correct response for thunderstorms, hail and short-duration severe weather. Move occupants away from windows and external walls.
• For flash flooding, move occupants to upper floors. Never attempt to drive or walk through floodwater.
• For cyclones (relevant to northern Australia), follow Bureau of Meteorology cyclone categories and state-specific cyclone procedures.

Post-event:

• Do not re-occupy until the building has been inspected for structural and electrical hazards.

Procedure 6. Bushfire

Bushfire planning is its own discipline in Australia. Workplaces in bushfire-prone areas must have a bushfire-specific procedure separate from their fire-and-smoke procedure, because the threat profile is fundamentally different.

• Activate the procedure on Fire Danger Rating (FDR) of “Extreme” or “Catastrophic” in your local area, not when the fire is at the gate.
• Decide early: leave or stay and defend. Late evacuation through fire-affected roads is the single most common cause of bushfire fatalities in Australia.
• Document the trigger conditions for closure or evacuation in the facility’s bushfire plan.
• Coordinate with the relevant state fire service (CFA in Victoria, RFS in NSW, QFES in Queensland, CFS in SA, DFES in WA, TFS in Tasmania) and follow their advice.

Procedure 7. Active threat (armed intruder, hostile vehicle, civil disorder)

Active threat procedures sit under “human-induced emergencies” in AS 3745, with civil disorder specifically addressed in Appendix C. The procedure differs sharply from a fire evacuation.

The current Australian approach is “Escape, Hide, Tell” (or “Run, Hide, Tell”):

• Escape if there is a clear, safe path away from the threat.
• Hide if escape is not possible: lock or barricade doors, silence devices, stay low and out of sight.
• Tell emergency services by calling 000 once it is safe to do so. Provide location, number of attackers, weapons and direction of movement.

Key differences from a fire procedure:

• Do not gather at the standard assembly point. Predictable assembly locations are themselves a risk during an active threat.
• Do not pull the fire alarm. This may move occupants into the path of the attacker.
• Police take operational control on arrival. Follow their instructions exactly, including showing empty hands and following directed routes.

Lockdown procedures may be the correct response for some scenarios (e.g. civil disorder outside the building, hostile vehicle nearby). For training in this area, see our threat preparedness training.

Procedure 8. Lithium-ion battery fire

Lithium-ion battery fires have become a distinct procedural concern in Australian workplaces, driven by the proliferation of e-bikes, e-scooters, power tools, EV charging and battery energy storage systems. They behave differently from conventional fires and warrant their own procedure.

• Evacuate immediately. Lithium-ion fires can vent toxic gases including hydrogen fluoride before visible flame appears.
• Do not use water on a venting battery if alternatives are available. Some standard extinguishers are ineffective; specialist lithium-ion extinguishing media (e.g. F-500, AVD) are preferred.
• Re-ignition risk is high. Lithium-ion fires can reignite hours or days after appearing extinguished. Affected batteries must be quarantined in a safe outdoor location.
• Notify Fire and Rescue even after apparent extinguishment.

In NSW, workplaces storing, handling or installing 25 or more tonnes of lithium-ion batteries must lodge emergency plans with Fire and Rescue NSW under the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (commenced 22 August 2025). Similar regulatory tightening is expected in other jurisdictions.

Procedure 9. Earthquake

Earthquakes are rare but not unheard of in Australia (the 2021 Mansfield earthquake reached magnitude 5.9). The procedure differs from all other categories because immediate evacuation during the shaking is unsafe.

During shaking:

• Drop, cover, hold on. Drop to the ground, take cover under a sturdy desk or table, and hold on until the shaking stops.
• Do not run outside. Falling debris from façades and parapets is the dominant cause of earthquake injury in built environments.

After shaking stops:

• Evacuate carefully, watching for falling debris, broken glass and damaged stairs.
• Do not use lifts.
• Move to the assembly area, well clear of buildings, power lines and overhead structures.
• Be prepared for aftershocks.

Procedure 10. Structural failure or collapse

A structural failure (partial collapse, façade failure, slab cracking, foundation issue) may occur with or without warning.

• Evacuate immediately via routes that avoid the affected area.
• Do not re-enter until a structural engineer has inspected the building.
• Treat the building as unsafe until cleared, including for retrieval of personal items.
• Notify the relevant building authority and the workplace’s structural consultant.

What changes by occupant type

Across every procedure above, occupants who cannot evacuate unaided require an individual Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP). The PEEP documents that person’s egress routes, required equipment, appointed assistants and assembly arrangements. PEEPs must be in place before the emergency, not improvised during one.

Putting it together: how procedures sit within the broader plan

Each of the above procedures is a single component of a facility’s broader emergency plan. The complete plan also covers risk assessment, the Emergency Control Organisation, communication arrangements, evacuation routes, assembly areas, emergency evacuation diagrams, training, testing and document control. For the full picture, see our ultimate guide to emergency evacuation plans for Australian business. For a one-page audit, use our evacuation procedure checklist. For how wardens execute these procedures on the ground, see what fire wardens do during an evacuation.

Training your team for every emergency type

A facility that only ever drills the fire procedure has only ever validated 10% of its plan. AS 3745:2010 requires that wardens receive skills retention training at intervals no greater than six months, and that an evacuation exercise be conducted at least annually. Best practice is to vary the scenarios across multi-year cycles: bomb threat, hazmat shelter-in-place, active threat lockdown, telecommunications failure during a medical incident, and so on. For practical pointers see our guide to running effective evacuation drills.

First 5 Minutes has been delivering AS 3745-compliant emergency preparedness to Australian facilities for more than 30 years, with the largest Emergency Control Organisation training team in the country. To talk through the right procedures and training for your facility, book fire warden training, explore our facility emergency evacuation plan service, or contact our team on 1300 321 120.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do emergency evacuation procedures differ by emergency type?

The core duty (life safety) stays constant, but several variables shift: whether to evacuate at all (medical and some hazmat incidents may not require evacuation), how to alert occupants (a bomb threat usually avoids the fire alarm), what route to use (away from the threat, not necessarily the nearest exit), where to assemble (the standard assembly point may itself be compromised), and who takes operational control on arrival (Fire and Rescue for fire and hazmat, police for bomb threat and active threat).

Which emergency types must an Australian evacuation plan cover?

AS 3745:2010 groups emergencies into three families: human-induced (bomb threat, medical, active threat, civil disorder, suspect objects), natural (bushfire, cyclone, earthquake, flood, severe weather) and technological (hazmat, structural failure, industrial incidents). A compliant plan must address all categories foreseeable for the facility based on its risk assessment.

Should you ever sound the fire alarm for a bomb threat?

Usually not as the first response. A general fire alarm may move occupants directly past the suspect item. AS 3745:2010 Appendix B describes a quieter, controlled evacuation using the public address system or runners, with routes chosen to avoid the threatened area. The Chief Warden may decide to use the alarm in specific circumstances, but it is not the default.

Is shelter-in-place a valid response or do you always evacuate?

Shelter-in-place is the correct response for several emergency types, including outdoor hazardous material releases, severe storms, civil disorder outside the building, and the shaking phase of an earthquake. The decision to shelter or evacuate is based on the type of emergency and is made by the Chief Warden, often in consultation with emergency services.

What is the procedure for a lithium-ion battery fire?

Evacuate immediately because of the risk of toxic gas venting. Notify Fire and Rescue. Do not assume an apparent extinguishment is final, since lithium-ion fires can reignite hours or days later. Use specialist extinguishing media if trained; otherwise, do not engage. In NSW, workplaces handling 25 or more tonnes of lithium-ion batteries must lodge emergency plans with Fire and Rescue NSW under the WHS Regulation 2025.

What’s the recommended response to an active threat in Australian workplaces?

The current Australian approach is “Escape, Hide, Tell”: escape if there is a clear safe path; hide if escape is not possible (lock or barricade doors, silence devices, stay low); tell emergency services by calling 000 when safe. Do not gather at the standard assembly point. Do not pull the fire alarm.

Do you evacuate during an earthquake?

No, not during the shaking. The correct response during shaking is “drop, cover, hold on.” Falling debris from façades and parapets is the dominant cause of earthquake injury in built environments. Evacuate carefully only once the shaking has stopped.

How often should procedures for each emergency type be tested?

AS 3745:2010 requires at least one full evacuation exercise per year and skills retention training for wardens at intervals no greater than six months. Best practice is to rotate scenarios across multi-year cycles so the team has tested bomb threat, hazmat, active threat and medical scenarios as well as fire.

Does the procedure change for occupants who can’t evacuate unaided?

Yes. Every occupant who cannot evacuate without assistance requires an individual Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) documenting their egress routes, equipment, appointed assistants and assembly arrangements. PEEPs apply across every emergency type and must be in place before the emergency.

Who takes operational control when emergency services arrive?

The senior emergency services officer on arrival assumes operational control. This is Fire and Rescue for fire and hazmat incidents, ambulance for medical emergencies, and police for bomb threat, active threat and civil disorder. The Chief Warden briefs the incoming senior officer and thereafter acts on their instructions.