New Zealand Fire Service Evacuation Scheme Information

The Fire Safety and Evacuation of buildings Regulations 2006 that come into force on 1 October 2006 replace the existing Fire Safety and Evacuation of buildings Regulations 1992.

Read this extract (pdf) from a Fire Service internal publication for more infomation.

A sprinkler system is an automatic fire detection, alarm and control system installed in a building designed to detect and control a fire automatically.

The sprinkler operates when the heat generated by a developing fire raises the temperature of the sprinkler head to a preset level and includes alarms throughout the building to warn occupants of a fire.

Older sprinkler systems can be deemed to comply with NZ Standard 4541:2003.

To determine if your sprinkler system requires upgrading consult your sprinkler servicing provider in the first instance and confirm that your system complies with Clause 109 of NZ Standard 4541:2003. Clause 109 identifies the criteria to be satisfied to enable compliance of older systems with the 2003 Standard.

When applying for approval of your staged evacuation scheme you will have to provide evidence that your sprinkler system meets all of the criteria of Clause 109 of NZ Standard 4541:2003.

A Compliance Schedule is a document issued by a Building Consent Authority for buildings that contain any of the systems or features specified by the Building Act 2004.

The Compliance Schedule outlines the inspection, maintenance and reporting procedures needed to keep those systems and features in good working order. A Compliance Schedule is generally kept on site but can be kept elsewhere.

Please refer to the Department of Building and Housing website for more information.

A building warrant of fitness is a statement by a building owner that the requirements of the compliance schedule have been fully met in the previous 12 months, and that the specified systems will continue to perform as required.

The building warrant of fitness must be displayed in a place to which users of the building have ready access.

Please refer to the Department of Building and Housing website for more information.

Please refer to page 3 of our evacuation scheme Guide (pdf).

Please refer to page 3 of our evacuation scheme Guide (pdf).

Please refer to page 3 of our evacuation scheme Guide (pdf).

Please refer to page 3 of our evacuation scheme Guide (pdf).

Some buildings, because of their size, use, complexity or number of occupants may require a checklist or "evacuation tally board" to assist in ensuring that the safety of all building occupants can be accounted for.

As a general rule, a new building can be occupied at any time when the work is complete and the owner obtains possession. It is generally not compulsory to obtain a Code Compliance Certificate under the Building Act 2004 before occupation.

Like all general rules, the statement above is subject to some exceptions. Accordingly, in some circumstances it may be unlawful to occupy a new building until certain conditions are satisfied. These circumstances are:

If a new building (or part of a building) is to be open to, or used by, the public, it cannot be lawfully occupied until a Code Compliance Certificate or a Certificate for Public Use is issued under the Building Act 2004. This restriction applies irrespective of whether the public are to be charged for entry to the building.

A Code Compliance Certificate will be issued by a Council once your building is complete and the Council is satisfied that the building complies with its associated building consent.

A Council can issue a Certificate for Public Use before a Code Compliance Certificate is issued. The Council must conclude that the public can use the building (or the relevant part of it that is open to the public) safely. This does not relieve the owner of the responsibility to obtain a Code Compliance Certificate once the building is complete.

Please refer to the Department of Building and Housing website for more information.

If you are the owner of a relevant building, as described by Section 21A of the Fire Service Act, you must have in place an evacuation scheme approved by the Fire Service. To find out more go to our wizard.

The term "evacuation scheme" is defined in the Regulations and means:

• that is required under section 21B of the Act, and
• complies with Part 2 of the Regulations

An evacuation scheme is all of the provisions and procedures put in place by the owner of a relevant building to meet the requirements of the Fire Service Act 1975 (including amendments) and the Fire Safety and Evacuation of Buildings Regulations 2006 are complied with.

The evacuation scheme must be approved by the Fire Service. Application for approval must be made on the form prescribed by Schedule 4 of the Regulations.
Our Guide to Completing the Application Form provides more information.

The owner of a relevant building, as described as by the Fire Service Act, must have in place an evacuation scheme approved by the Fire Service.

A relevant building is a building used for a purpose described by Section 21A of the Fire Service Act 1975.

You cannot make an application for approval of the evacuation scheme for a building if you are not the owner of the building unless the owner has authorised in writing to act on the owner's behalf as the Authorised Applicant.

For more information refer to page 2 of our guide (pdf).

There is no exact time for evacuation of a building as there are many factors that must be considered.

Some of those factors might include the

• Active fire systems in the building such as automatic fire sprinklers or smoke management systems designed to control the growth of fire and the spread of combustion products
• Passive fire systems in the building such as fire resistance rated walls and ceilings designed to contain a fire to a limited size for a time
• Consideration of hazardous processes or storage of hazardous materials that might contribute to a rapid growth of fire
• Ability or risk of occupants being able to self evacuate (hospitals and prisons)

It is important to remember when developing an evacuation scheme that the scheme must provide for the safe and timely evacuation of the building.

Consideration must be given to the designed safety elements of the building and occupancy of the building, including persons with disabilities, to determine what is the most effective way to manage the evacuation of the building in the event of a fire.

Our Guide to Completing the Application Form (pdf) provides you with more information.

Any facility in a building that is used in the course of an employees work including work spaces, lockers for employees or where an employee comes or may come to eat, rest, receive first-aid or pay; or for any other employment purpose.

Yes, unless your building is equipped with an automatic sprinkler system, you must apply for approval of an evacuation scheme.

The definition of "place of work" is broad and covers all the sorts of places where people work. It includes any part of a building where any person can work or where a person reports to for instruction.

The term "person with a disability" is a defined term in Regulation 3 of the Regulations.

The interpretation generally describes a person with a disability as a person who suffers from a physical or mental disablement to such a degree that they are seriously limited in everyday activities, pursuits, and the processes of life. Is unable to sense or understand a fire alarm or leave a building during a fire emergency, and includes any person who considers that he or she would be unable to evacuate from a building during a fire emergency.

Fire Safety and Evacuation of Buildings Regulations 2006 requires the owner of a new building to apply for approval of an evacuation scheme no later than 30 days after the earlier of:

• the date on which a building code compliance certificate is issued, or
• the date on which the building is first occupied.

Application for approval of an evacuation scheme for an existing building must be made within 6 months after the commencement of the Regulations. I.e. 1 April 2007.

If the owner of a relevant building has failed to apply for approval of an evacuation scheme, the Fire Service may apply to the District Court for an order under The Fire Service Act 21G that the building be closed.

You must apply for approval using the prescribed form in Schedule 4 of the Fire Safety and Evacuation of Buildings Regulations 2006. The form must be completed in full and sent to the Fire Region Headquarters nearest to your building (click here to find the address)

New buildings
The owner of a "new" relevant building must apply for approval of an evacuation scheme using the prescribed form no later than 30 days after the earlier of the date on which a building code compliance certificate is issued under the Building Act 2004 or the date on which the building is first lawfully occupied.

Existing buildings
For approval of evacuation scheme for existing building application must be made no later than 6 months after the commencement of these regulations.

Send your completed forms (including a copy of the fire signs and notices displayed in the building) either electronically via this website or, post your forms to the Fire Region Headquarters nearest to your building. (click here to find the address).

If you have nominated to have an evacuation training programme you must also attach a copy of the programme to the application.
If you are not the owner of the building you must also include written authority to make the application. An Authorised Applicant form can be downloaded here (MSWord Doc).

A prescribed form refers to the two forms listed in Schedule 4 of the Fire Safety and Evacuation of buildings Regulations 2006.

You can download copies of the prescribed forms from our downloads page.

The Fire Service has 20 working days in which to make a decision on your scheme application. If your application form is incorrectly filled out or has insufficient information for us to make a decision on whether your scheme will provide a safe and timely evacuation, the application will be returned to you.

We will advise you in writing as to any errors and/or omissions and how to correct the application so that it may be approved.

Your must return your amended application to us within 20 working days.

If your building has a prescribed automatic fire sprinkler system and you intend to initially evacuate the occupants to a place of safety/or places of safety inside the building we may extend the decision-making period by an additional 10 working days to enable us to visit the building and confirm the suitability of the place of safety or places of safety as the case may be. See the Fire Safety and Evacuation of buildings Regulations 2006 for more information.

In some situations where the building owner has indicated that the building has a prescribed automatic fire sprinkler system and it is intended to initially evacuate the occupants inside the building the Fire Service will extend the decision-making period by an additional 10 working days to enable staff to visit the building to confirm the suitability of the place of safety or places of safety as the case may be.

Inspections in this instance will be carried out under Section 21F and Section 29 of the Act. The Fire Service will always provide written advice to the building owner outlining when it intends to visit a building as well as stating the date, time of visit, and the purpose of the visit.

The application will be returned to you. We will advise you in writing as to any errors and/or omissions and how to correct the application so that it may be approved.

Your must return your amended application to us within 20 working days.

The NZFS cannot require a modification or alteration to the building to enable approval of your application. However you may decide that in order to provide for the safe and timely evacuation of the building's occupants, some building modifications such as the installation of an alarm system may be necessary.

A Building Consent could be required before you make any changes to the building, so we recommend you contact your Territorial Authority.
All buildings listed in Schedule 1 of the Regulations must comply with the fire safety provisions of Part 1 of the Regulations.

A hazardous substance is described in the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 as a any substance which is explosive, flammable, oxidising, corrosive, toxic or ecotoxic or which on contact with air or water produces a substance with any one or more of those properties.

Check out the HSNO website for further details on Hazardous Substances.

Schedule 2 of the Fire Safety and Evacuation of Buildings Regulations 2006 prescribes the minimum quantities of substances that determine a building as relevant.

These minimum quantities are also listed on page 5 of our Guide to completing the Application (pdf).

No the 5 people does not include you family members living or staying with you.

You must apply for approval of an evacuation scheme if you provide facilities for more than 5 persons paying for overnight accommodation.

You do not have to have your evacuation scheme approved if your building has an automatic sprinkler system that complies with Regulation 16 and is used for:

• employing more than 10 persons, or
• providing accommodation for more than 5 persons.

Refer to page 4 of our Guide (pdf) for more information.

If the sprinkler system in your building is installed to the NZ Standard prescribed Regulation 16 you may evacuate to a place or places of safety inside the building.

Refer to page 7 of our Guide (pdf) for more information.

A place or places of safety inside a building must be a firecell, which is any space including a group of contiguous spaces in the same, or different levels within a building, which is enclosed by any combination of fire separations, external walls, roofs, and floors appropriate to the building, and is:

• capable of holding the intended number of people during a fire emergency, and
• is provided with sufficient means of escape for the intended number of people to enable them to escape safely and in a reasonable time, to a place of safety or places of safety outside of the building, and
• has been approved by the Fire Service as a place of safety as part of the evacuation scheme approval process.

A building must have two or more firecells in order to have a staged evacuation. A building may have more than one place of safety.

A permanent occupant, in relation to a building, means a person who has a place of work in the building; or lives in the building.

Yes you can have an evacuation scheme approved where your building is not a relevant building.

Your evacuation scheme must include all of the provisions required by Regulation 17,18 and 19 of the Fire Safety and Evacuation of Buildings Regulations 2006 and made on the prescribed form.

You can download a copy of the application form and guide from our downloads page.

If your building has an evacuation scheme in place that has been approved by the New Zealand Fire Service prior to 1 October 2006 your scheme remains in force and you are not required to submit a new application.

Reminder: You must to continue maintaining your scheme by ensuring you comply with the original conditions of approval.

To have your new scheme approved you must apply using the prescribed form completed in full.

Download the Application Form and Guide to Completing the Application form here.

Not necessarily, you must have in place procedures for the safe, effective and efficient evacuation of the building and you must be able to warn the occupants of the building of the need to evacuate.

Some buildings due to their age and/or design may not require a fire alarm system, in these situations you must identify a suitable, reliable method that can be used by the occupants to warn of an outbreak of fire.

Warning systems that rely on moveable items such as whistles, bells or air horns, although may be effective are prone to tampering and misplacement.

We strongly recommend that you install a fire alarm system suitable for the building that complies with New Zealand Standards. Installation of fire alarm system may require a Building Consent, consult with your local territorial authority or Building Consent Authority.

Owners or tenants of certain buildings must have employees trained to assist other occupants to evacuate the building.

In the event of a fire emergency requiring evacuation, the occupants of a building who are employees of the building owner or, if the building is tenanted, the occupants of the building who are employees of the tenant, must be trained to assist any other occupants of the building to evacuate in accordance with the evacuation procedure.

Please refer to Regulation 8 of the Regulations for more information.

No person with a disability or person under control or supervision is required to take part in any trial evacuation to the extent that they must go outside the building.

Please refer to Schedule 3(2) of the Regulations for more information.

A place of safety outside the building is a place outside and clear of the building where all of the occupants can be accounted for.

Choose a place clear of the building, driveways, and roadways. Where possible you should avoid having to cross the road.
It may be necessary to use a neighbouring property, if so remember to seek permission before designating it as your Place of Safety.

Choose a place clear of the building, driveways, and roadways. Where possible you should avoid having to cross the road.
It may be necessary to use a neighbouring property, if so remember to seek permission before designating it as your place of safety.

Some large buildings may have more than one place of safety outside the building and a means to manage the evacuation and communicate between the places may be required.

For some buildings that use or store hazardous materials it may be necessary to have alternative places of safety which can be used dependent on prevailing weather and wind conditions. A method informing building occupants of the correct place of safety should be included in your procedures.

In the first instance you should contact the approving officer and discuss your concerns.

If you are still unhappy and feel aggrieved you should make a wriiten complaint to the New Zealand Fire Service National Headquarters Office.
Please head your envelope:

In confidence
evacuation scheme Complaint
New Zealand Fire Service NHQ
PO Box 2133
Wellington

The owner of a building must have a procedure in place (Evacuation Procedure) for the safe, prompt, and efficient evacuation from a building in a fire emergency to a place of safety. The owner of the building must ensure that notices describing the evacuation procedure are readily available for all of the building's occupants, including information about the escape routes of the building, the fire alarm signals used or available for use by the occupants and any firefighting equipment available for use by the occupants.

The Evacuation Procedure does not need to be approved by the Fire Service. Almost all buildings except for private homes must have an Evacuation Procedure. The first schedule of the Fire Safety and Evacuation of Buildings Regulations 2006 provides a list of these buildings.

The legal owner of building must ensure there are fire evacuation procedures in a building.

The owner, in relation to any property, means the person for the time being entitled to receive the rack rent thereof, or who would be so entitled if the property were let at a rack rent. Refer to Regulation 3 of the Regulations.

No. Only if the building is a relevant building and it requires an evacuation scheme.

No, only if your building is a relevant building and you have chosen to conduct trial evacuations as required by Regulation 17 of the Regulations or if your building is used as an early childhood facility or educational institution you must conduct a trial evacuation of the building not more than 6 months from any previous trial evacuation.

If the building is used as an early childhood centre, educational institution or the building owner has chosen to conduct trial evacuations as part of their evacuation scheme; trial evacuation's of the building's occupants must be undertaken at intervals of not more than 6 months.

Please refer to Section 17(g) and Schedule 3 (2) of the Regulations for more detail.

Any building owner or occupier may conduct a trial evacuation of their building.

To reduce the chance of unnecessary response to a non emergency we request that you advise our Communication Centre nearest to your building 10-15 minutes before conducting the trial.

It is not necessary to make a 111 call to the Fire Service as a part of your trial evacuation.

However to reduce the chance of unnecessary response to a non emergency we request that you advise our Communication Centre nearest to your building 10-15 minutes before conducting the trial.

To reduce the chance of unnecessary response to a non emergency we request that you advise our Communication Centre nearest to your building 10-15 minutes before conducting the trial.

To find your building's nearest Communication Center please click the locaton of your building on the map below:

You may apply to the Fire Service for approval of an evacuation scheme where you nominate that you will prepare and implement an evacuation training programme. A training programme that clearly demonstrates how the permanent occupants of the building are capable of managing, in a fire emergency, an evacuation of all the occupants from the building.

The evacuation training programme must include details of how the permanent occupants are trained and assessed (at intervals of not more than 6 months) in relation to the use of any firefighting equipment in the building; and the use of any emergency equipment in the building for assisting occupants who are persons with a disability to evacuate from the building.

Where you have chosen a training programme you must provide a written report to the Fire Service.