Your school must meet the requirements of the Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fire Safety, Evacuation Procedures, and Evacuation Schemes) Regulations 2018.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fire Safety, Evacuation Procedures, and Evacuation Schemes) Regulations 2018 – New Zealand Legislation

Evacuation procedures and schemes

Evacuation procedures outline how the occupants of a building will be evacuated safely, promptly and efficiently. Some schools call this an evacuation plan.

All schools must have evacuation procedures. The requirements for evacuation procedures are set out in Part 1 of the regulations.

You must also have a Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) approved evacuation scheme in place if your school:

• has 100 or more students
• has 10 or more staff
• provides sleeping accommodation for more than 5 people
• stores hazardous substances in specified quantities (for example, pool chemicals)
• has an attached early learning service.

The requirements for an evacuation scheme are set out in Part 2 of the regulations.

Getting your evacuation scheme approved

Apply for approval of your evacuation scheme on the FENZ website.

Evacuation Schemes – Fire and Emergency New Zealand

You need a RealMe account to apply. If you do not have an account, set up one in your school's name. When you enter the name of your school in the form, put the prefix "MOE" in front of your school's name, for example:

"MOE-Kiwi Park School"

Information you will need

To make an application you will need:

• your proposed evacuation scheme
• copies of your emergency signs and notices
• a list of hazardous chemicals your school stores (science lab or pool chemicals)
• building occupancy numbers (contact Argest if you need these).

Schools – Argest NZ

FENZ has an example application form and evacuation scheme for a school.

If you need help filling out the application form, contact your local FENZ office.

New schools

New schools that meet the requirements for an evacuation scheme must put one in place before they open.

Keeping your evacuation scheme approved

To keep your evacuation scheme approved, you must:

• keep the contact person details FENZ holds for your school up to date
• hold trial evacuations every 6 months
• train staff to manage an evacuation and make a 6-monthly assessment of their preparedness
• advise FENZ of the outcomes of your trial evacuations.

You need to resubmit your scheme for approval in some circumstances. These include:

• a significant increase in the school's roll
• new buildings or renovations that change total occupancy
• changes to fire systems or egress routes.

The regulations set out the changes in circumstances that may require an evacuation scheme to be resubmitted for approval by FENZ.

Fire alarm and sprinkler system shutdowns

Your fire alarm or sprinkler system may need to be shut down for:

• emergencies
• construction work
• repairs to the system.

What the contractor must do

Contractors doing the work must complete a shutdown notice. The notice outlines:

• what the shutdown is for
• how long it will last
• what buildings are affected.

The contractor should reconnect the fire alarm or sprinkler system as soon as possible. They should have safety precautions and contingency plans in place while any systems are down.

What you must do

Make sure the shutdown notice the contractor gives you is sent to:

• your property advisor
• your fire alarm monitoring company (ADT for most schools) at [email protected]
• FENZ Regulatory Compliance Group at [email protected]
• all insurance providers your school uses (for example, contents or board-owned property).

You need to have a plan for how you will alert the areas of the school affected by the shutdown if there is an emergency.

If the shutdown is for an extended period, you should talk to a FENZ risk officer as you may need to vary your evacuation scheme.