Workplace Fire Safety

Use these resources to help ensure yourself, business, employees and customers are prepared and fire safe.

Emergency Evacuation Plans

As a business or workplace, you are responsible for both the safety of employees and customers. It's important that everyone knows what to do in the event of fire. Certain occupancies and building types may have specific Fire Code requirements.

Fire Extinguishers

Fire Code requirements specify the size, number and location of fire extinguishers within your facility. These requirements help establish a protection level appropriate for the hazard class of your building. Make sure you know the types, sizes and maintenance requirements of your extinguishers, as well as the basics of extinguisher operation.

CPR Training 

The Seattle Fire Department provides free CPR training through Medic II.

Disaster Preparedness

Contact the Office of Emergency Management, at (206) 233-5076, to learn more about what you can do to prepare your workplace for disasters.

Conduct Evacuation Drills

Evacuation drills should be scheduled and conducted for all shifts and employees. Drills may be pre-announced or unannounced-either way, employees should duplicate as closely as possible the actions they would take if a fire occurred. Certain occupancies are required to conduct and record evacuation drills, more information on fire code requirements can be found in Client Assistance Memo 5051.

How often your building is required to hold an emergency evacuation drill depends on its type of occupancy.  Current drill frequency requirements are outlined in Client Assistance Memo 5051.


Although it is recommended that all occupants be provided the opportunity to practice the emergency evacuation drill for their building, not all occupants are required to participate in all scheduled drills.  Whether they are required or not is determined by the Fire Code.  Detailed information on who must participate in emergency evacuation drills is found in Client Assistance Memo 5051 (Fire Safety & Evacuation Plans).

You do not need to contact the Seattle Fire Department prior to conducting your drill.  If you have a monitored fire alarm system, it is important that you contact your monitoring company prior to your drill to prevent a Fire Department response to the building.  When the drill is completed, notify the monitoring company that the building has returned to normal operations.

Emergency evacuation drills may be pre-announced to building staff or occupants, or that may be unannounced.   Consideration of the building occupants and the use of the building may determine which type of drill is most appropriate.  For example, in a residential building primarily occupied by older adults or a mixed-use facility where doctor's offices may be located, it may be best to notify tenants of the date and time of the drill.

There may be some building occupants who continually refuse to participate in evacuation drills.  Problems with frequent false or nuisance alarms in a building may make matters even worse.  In most instances, the Fire Department cannot issue citations for failure to participate in a drill. 

The best tactic in gaining cooperation in drills is to try to explain the advantages of participation.  Explaining that under real fire conditions evacuation can be considerably more complicated is one more method.  Informing employers that liability for their employees may increase if they do not allow or encourage participation in the drill may be influential.  If a fire did occur and one of their employees was injured or killed, it is possible they could be named in some legal action because of their lack of support for learning fire safety procedures. 

Making the drill more interesting by using a fire scenario or checking to make sure the drill will be held at a convenient time may yield better participation.  Creative tactics can be tried.  One employer in Seattle tries to make the drill a positive activity for those participating by having staff hand out candy to occupants as they reach their assembly area.

Records should be maintained of required emergency evacuation drills and include the following information: 

  1. Identity of the person conducting the drill. 
  2. Date and time of the drill.
  3. Notification method used.
  4. Staff members on duty and participating.
  5. Number of occupants evacuated.
  6. Special conditions simulated.
  7. Problems encountered.
  8. Time required to accomplish evacuation.

Fire Department

Harold Scoggins, Fire Chief
Address: 301 2nd Ave S, Seattle, WA, 98104
Mailing Address: 301 2nd Ave S, Seattle, WA, 98104
Phone: (206) 386-1400
FireChiefOffice@seattle.gov
Contact Us

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The Seattle Fire Department (SFD) has 33 fire stations located throughout the City. SFD deploys engine companies, ladder companies, and aid and medic units to mitigate loss of life and property resulting from fires, medical emergencies, and other disasters.