Your Evacuation Diagram Doesn't Need to Be a Work of Art

We know.

Evacuation diagrams aren't exactly works of art.

Nobody has ever walked past one in a corridor, stopped in their tracks and whispered, “Wow. Look at the composition.”

They're functional. They're full of symbols. They're usually hanging somewhere between the kitchen and the photocopier.

But here's the thing:

A burnt building isn't a particularly good look either.

And while your evacuation diagram may never make it into a gallery, it does have a much more important job to do.

It needs to help people understand where they are, where they need to go and what equipment is available in an emergency. 

It's not there for decoration

An evacuation diagram can easily become part of the scenery.

You walk past it every day.

Eventually, you barely notice it's there.

But during an emergency, that unassuming diagram on the wall suddenly has a purpose.

It provides occupants and visitors with emergency and evacuation information about the facility — which is why getting the information on it right matters far more than making it pretty.

Australian Standard AS 3745 – Planning for emergencies in facilities sets out requirements for evacuation diagrams, including what they need to contain and how they should be displayed.

So, what actually needs to be on it?

AS 3745 sets out minimum elements that need to be included on an evacuation diagram.

These include:

  • a pictorial representation of the relevant floor or area;

  • the title “EVACUATION DIAGRAM”;

  • a clearly identified “YOU ARE HERE” location;

  • designated exits, shown in green;

  • relevant emergency communication equipment, where installed;

  • fire hose reels;

  • fire hydrants;

  • fire extinguishers;

  • fire blankets;

  • the Fire Indicator Panel (FIP), where provided;

  • refuges, where present;

  • a validity date;

  • the location of the assembly area or areas; and

  • a legend reflecting the symbols used on the diagram.

There are also requirements around the diagram's size, position and orientation.

In other words, there is quite a bit more involved than taking a floor plan, drawing a green arrow towards the front door and popping it into a frame.

“YOU ARE HERE” is more important than it looks

We've all seen it on maps.

YOU ARE HERE.

Simple enough.

But on an evacuation diagram, that little marker is incredibly important.

A person looking at the diagram needs to be able to quickly understand where they are in relation to exits, evacuation routes and emergency equipment.

That's also why orientation matters.

AS 3745 requires individual evacuation diagrams to be correctly oriented in relation to the direction of egress and the location of the “YOU ARE HERE” point.

Because a perfectly accurate floor plan isn't particularly helpful if the person looking at it has to mentally turn the entire building around before they can work out which way to go.

During an emergency, clarity beats creativity.

More information isn't always better

Here's where evacuation diagrams can start getting a little ambitious.

Someone discovers there's some spare white space.

And suddenly we're adding everything.

First aid kits. Defibrillators. Emergency phone numbers. Extra equipment. More instructions. More symbols. More information.

Some additional information can absolutely be useful, and AS 3745 allows optional elements to be included where appropriate.

But optional information should be considered as part of the facility's emergency planning — not added simply because there happens to be room.

There is an important practical reason for that.

The purpose of an evacuation diagram is to communicate useful information quickly and clearly.

If someone needs to study it like they're analysing a Renaissance painting, we've probably missed the point.

And yes, size matters

There are minimum size requirements too.

Where an evacuation diagram contains only the minimum elements required by AS 3745, the minimum overall size is A4, with minimum requirements applying to the size of the pictorial representation itself.

Where optional information is added, the minimum overall diagram size increases to A3, again with a larger minimum pictorial area.

So adding more information isn't necessarily just a design choice.

It can change the requirements for the diagram itself.

Then there's where you actually put it

A beautifully prepared, perfectly accurate evacuation diagram isn't much help if nobody can see it.

AS 3745 requires evacuation diagrams to be displayed where occupants and visitors are able to view them, with the Emergency Planning Committee determining the appropriate number and locations within the facility.

The Standard also provides guidance on their location, positioning, including the height at which they should be displayed.

Because an evacuation diagram hidden behind an open door, blocked by furniture or hanging somewhere nobody ever goes may as well not be there. 

Your building changes. Your diagram should too.

Offices get renovated.

Walls move.

Tenancies change.

Equipment is relocated.

Assembly areas change.

And sometimes the evacuation diagram quietly stays exactly where it has always been, confidently describing a building that no longer exists.

That's a problem.

Your emergency information needs to reflect the facility people are actually standing in.

An old diagram isn't charmingly vintage.

It's just old information.

Function over fashion

Your evacuation diagram doesn't need beautiful typography.

It doesn't need to complement the reception furniture.

And it definitely doesn't need its own dramatic gallery lighting.

It needs to be accurate, appropriately located, correctly oriented, easy to understand and consistent with your facility's emergency arrangements.

Because in an emergency, nobody cares whether your evacuation diagram is a work of art.

They care whether it helps them work out what to do next.

So no, it probably won't ever make it into a gallery.

But if it helps people get safely out of the building, we'd say it's doing something considerably more useful.