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Evacuation Plans for Restaurants

Restaurants, cafés, bars, and banquet halls are popular destinations to enjoy good food and drinks and relax in a social atmosphere. While your primary goal as a restaurant owner is to provide a setting of maximum comfort and exceptional service, you must also keep fire safety in mind. This means taking the time to create an evacuation plan for your restaurant.

Do you know the safest, fastest routes out of the building? Is your floor plan and furniture layout conducive to a speedy evacuation? Follow these tips to craft an evacuation plan for maximum fire safety.

Know What to Include in Your Fire Emergency Plan

The plan you draw up must include everything relevant to evacuating restaurant patrons during a fire. The plan should illustrate the building’s layout, the location of main and emergency exits, and arrows showing the most direct path to each exit. You may need access to your restaurant’s blueprints and computer software to draw up an evacuation plan.

Post Fire Exit Plans on the Wall

Once you’ve created an evacuation plan, print out professional copies, frame them, and mount them on the wall. Choose strategic locations to post the evacuation plan, such as in back rooms, stairwells, and other locations where exits aren’t immediately apparent. If your restaurant has elevators, post signs near the buttons directing guests to use the nearest stairwell in case of fire.

Label All Exits with Appropriate Signage

Every door that leads directly to the exterior, or to a stairwell or hallway that leads to an exterior door, must be labeled with exit signs. These and other types of emergency lights have backup battery power to ensure they remain lit even if a power outage shuts off the regular lights. Correct installation and continuing inspections and tests are important to keep emergency exit signs in proper working condition.

Keep Emergency Exits Unblocked at All Times

Every room in your restaurant should have two ways to exit in case a fire blocks one of the available exits. These may include windows, doors leading directly outside, or doors leading into a hallway with a door that leads outside. Because regular exits could be blocked by a fire, make sure all emergency exits are unblocked at all times. This means avoiding placing boxes, furniture, or other obstructions in front of emergency exit doors.

Evacuation Plans for Restaurants in NJ & DE

Does making your own code-compliant fire evacuation plan sound complicated? To make sure you haven’t forgotten anything, enlist the help of Confires. We provide fire protection services throughout New Jersey and Delaware. Not only can we help you draw up an evacuation plan, but we can install, inspect, test, maintain, repair, and replace any fire protection equipment you need.

For help creating evacuation plans for restaurants, or to schedule fire protection services, please contact Confires today. With over 30 years of fire protection experience, you know you can trust our team to deliver a job well done. 

Category: Exit & Emergency Lighting