Previous evacuation schemes updates

27 March 2023 - Update on expected rollout of new Evacuation Schemes system

Recently we advised that the implementation of our new Evacuation Schemes project go-live was unsuccessful on the weekend of the 9th – 13th February, and that we would be working to synchronise the many moving parts for a rescheduled event. We want to let you know what’s happening with this.

Fire and Emergency has been presented with the opportunity to upgrade to the latest version of the underlying platform, at the same time as we rollout the new system. We’ve decided to take the opportunity to upgrade the platform at the same time as rolling out the new system to ensure we are able to deliver the very best service for our users when we do reach the go-live and reduce the number of outages impacting users. This platform upgrade will provide you further benefits, particularly in ensuring compatibility with mobile devices.

The project team is now busy planning for a successful go-live. The timeframe for this is still being determined but this is likely to take several weeks. We will share the plan and go-live dates once finalised.

As there’s work to do before we go live, we will be continuing with the current platform in the meantime.

We apologise that it will take a little longer, but we want to focus on providing our system users the best possible solution we can, to minimise disruption.

In the meantime, thank you for your patience and understanding.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the team at RiskReduction@fireandemergency.nz

Update 21 February 2023

Fire and Emergency postponed the release of its new and improved Evacuation Schemes application in the event of cyclone Gabrielle.

We are now working on an alternative date to implement the changeover and will provide an update once confirmed.

In the meantime, please continue fulfilling your obligations in preparing your schemes for submission, or maintaining and reporting scheme maintenance as usual.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with our team at RiskReduction@fireandemergency.nz

Here’s a reminder about what will happen with the new system, and what you can do to prepare.

Update 2 February 2023

Fire and Emergency NZ is almost ready to release our new and improved Evacuation Schemes system.

The new software will deliver a host of benefits, including more accurate Evacuation Scheme processing, a more stable and intuitive platform and easier navigation through your Schemes.

The following information you will likely have already seen from me recently, but given our go-live date is fast approaching, it’s a good time for a reminder on what’s about to happen, and what you can do to prepare.

Update 14 April 2022

Due to the whole country now being in the Orange setting under the COVID-19 Protection Framework (CPF), all premises with approved evacuation schemes are required to resume conducting trial evacuations or deliver training programmes as per their approved evacuation scheme. The change to the Orange setting includes removing the mandatory use of vaccine passes, occupancy limits and physical distancing requirements.

All businesses are now required to resume trial evacuations or deliver training programmes, which must occur every six months. While this requirement was suspended due to previous CPF settings, from 14 April (when the country moves to the Orange setting) businesses need to ensure these are carried out to meet their own six month requirement.

Update 10 December 2021: Changes to trial evacuations and training programmes

Changes to Regulations on trial evacuations and training programmes during the COVID-19 restrictions

The requirement for building owners to conduct trial evacuations or evacuation training programmes is suspended while the Epidemic Notice and physical distancing requirements are both in place.

The Epidemic Notice has been renewed and continues to be in place. Therefore, buildings with physical distancing requirements in place under the Alert Levels system, or the COVID-19 Protection Framework (CPF) also known as ‘traffic light’ system, will have the requirement for trial evacuations or evacuation training programmes suspended.

Under the CPF physical distancing requirements can change depending on: the CPF colour assigned to the building’s location, the use of the building, and if some business types use vaccination certificates to control entry to the building or not.

For example, in an area under CPF Green:

a hospitality venue using vaccination certificates has no physical distancing requirements, so they are required to do trial evacuations or evacuation training programmes.
a hospitality venue not using vaccination certificates has a 1m physical distancing requirement, so the requirement to carry out trial evacuations or training programmes would be suspended.

Where a building is switching between using vaccination certificates for entry on some occasions but not on others, they should resume doing trial evacuations and conduct them at times where the use of vaccination certificates is in force to control entry. Where a building has multiple tenancies covered by a single scheme, if one or more tenancy has physical distancing requirements in place the requirement for the entire building to conduct trial evacuations is suspended.

Normally, notifications of trial evacuations or evacuation training programmes are required every 6 months. But when a building’s evacuation requirement is suspended, the suspension period is added to the due date for the for the next notification.

So on the day a building’s evacuation requirement suspension is lifted - either by changes of CPF colour, or because the business starts using vaccination certificates which removes physical distancing requirements - the number of days until the due date, is the same as when the building’s requirement was suspended.

For example, if a building was due for a trial evacuation in 35 days’ time, and its evacuation requirement is suspended, when the building’s suspension is lifted, there will be a requirement to conduct a trial 35 days after the date the building’s suspension is lifted.

If you have any questions, please contact the Regulatory Compliance Group on 0800 734 2667 or email rcg@fireandemergency.nz

Changes to Regulations on trial evacuations and training programmes (Fire and Emergency New Zealand (COVID-19—Fire Safety, Evacuation Procedures, and Evacuation Schemes) Amendment Regulations (No 2) 2020)

The changes set out in the Amended Regulations come into force on 1 February 2021.

Building owners are not expected to resume trial evacuations or evacuation training programmes immediately the changes come into force. To work out when your next trial evacuation or training programme notification is due, you need to calculate a 6-month period that excludes the time from 25 March 2020 to 31 January 2021, or any longer period when physical distancing requirements remain in force for the area where your building is located. For example:

If you were due to conduct a trial evacuation by 10 April 2020, 17 days after the suspension began, and there are no physical distancing requirements in force for the area where your building is located, the adjusted 6-month period will end 17 days after the changes take effect which will mean 17 February 2021.

Changes to Regulations on trial evacuations and training programmes during the COVID-19 restrictions – Renewal of the Epidemic Preparedness (COVID-19) Notice 2020

The Epidemic Notice and its extensions can be found here:

UPDATE 1 July 2020: Changes to Regulations on trial evacuations and training programmes during the COVID-19 restrictions – Renewal of the Epidemic Preparedness (COVID-19) Notice 2020 and what Alert Level 1 enables

The Epidemic Notice which was due to expire on 25 June 2020 has been renewed and will now remain in force until 24 September 2020, unless it is further renewed or revoked in the interim. As there are currently no restrictions on gatherings under Alert Level 1, trial evacuations and training programme activities can be voluntarily resumed, even though the usual duty to do so that arises under the Regulations remains suspended while the Epidemic Notice is in force. Trial evacuations voluntarily carried out during this period will be considered ‘unscheduled evacuations’ for the purposes of regulation 29(2) of the Regulations. They will consequently count as a trial evacuation for timing purposes, so long as Fire and Emergency New Zealand is notified within 10 working days of the evacuation or training event in accordance with regulation 32 of the Regulations.

Changes to Regulations on trial evacuations and training programmes during the COVID-19 restrictions

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, modifications to the Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fire Safety, Evacuation Procedures and Evacuation Schemes) Regulations 2018 came into effect on 22 May 2020. The modifications were made by the Fire and Emergency New Zealand (COVID-19—Fire Safety, Evacuation Procedures, and Evacuation Schemes) Amendment Regulations 2020.

The modifications mean that:

The requirement to conduct trial evacuations, or evacuation training programmes, while the Epidemic Preparedness (COVID-19) Notice 2020 (the Epidemic Notice) is in force is suspended, effective from 22 May 2020 until the Epidemic Notice expires or is revoked.
The ‘timer’ for calculating the 6-month period within which those requirements need to be satisfied has also been temporarily halted (‘the clock stopped’), effective right back to 25 March 2020 (when the Epidemic Notice came into force). The clock will remain stopped until the Epidemic Notice expires or is revoked.

Building owners who were required to undertake a trial evacuation, or evacuation training programme, between the Epidemic Notice coming into effect (25 March 2020) and the modifications coming into force (22 May 2020) will not be absolved by the suspension. These building owners will technically be in breach of their duty under the regulations. However, given the changes brought about by the modifications, Fire and Emergency does not intend to take enforcement action against building owners who have breached their duty since the Epidemic Notice came into force, unless that is justified on the basis of risk to life or safety.

For those buildings where the date has passed, they do not skip a trial evacuation cycle nor do they become ‘overdue’; instead the period during which the Epidemic Notice is in force must be excluded from the calculation of the 6-month period since their last evacuation/training programme notification (as the case may be).

By way of example, if a trial evacuation of a building was ordinarily due to be conducted by 10 April 2020:

The 6-monthly interval for the conduct of the trial evacuation is considered suspended from 25 March 2020, 17 days before the 6-month period would otherwise have ended (i.e. the number of days between 25 March to 10 April).
To calculate the 6-monthly interval, time will start running again when the Epidemic Notice expires or is revoked.
The 6-month period will end 17 days after time starts running again.

This avoids the situation where all trial evacuations or evacuation training programme notifications become due immediately after the Epidemic Notice expires or is revoked.

UPDATE 22 December 2020: Changes to Regulations on trial evacuations and training programmes during the COVID-19 restrictions – Renewal of the Epidemic Preparedness (COVID-19) Notice 2020

The Epidemic Notice has been extended a third time and now remains in force until 22 March 2021. Building owners are reminded that while the notice is in force, under Alert Level 1 they can voluntarily resume trial evacuations and training programme delivery in the interests of keeping their buildings safe and report these to Fire and Emergency New Zealand accordingly.

A copy of the extension to the Epidemic Notice can be found here https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2020-go5735

UPDATE 18 December 2020: Changes to Regulations on trial evacuations and training programmes (Fire and Emergency New Zealand (COVID-19—Fire Safety, Evacuation Procedures, and Evacuation Schemes) Amendment Regulations (No 2) 2020)

The requirement for building owners to conduct trial evacuations or evacuation training programmes will be reinstated from 1 February 2021, provided there are no physical distancing requirements in place for the area in which the building is located. Physical distancing requirements are imposed at some COVID-19 Alert Levels and can change over time. Specific exclusions have been included in the changes to accommodate those buildings which are in use as Managed Isolation and Quarantine Facilities.