When Are Fire Action Notices Required in the UK?
July 21, 2026A fire alarm sounds, but a visitor does not know which exit to use, where the assembly point is or whether they should attempt to collect personal belongings. That is the practical problem fire action notices are designed to prevent. If you are asking when are fire action notices required, the answer is not simply “in every building”. They are required wherever the fire risk assessment identifies that occupants need clear, visible instructions to evacuate safely.
For most workplaces, public buildings, rental properties with shared areas and other non-domestic premises, that will mean displaying fire action notices as part of the wider fire safety arrangements. The responsible person must make sure people can act quickly in an emergency, including staff, contractors, visitors and anyone else who may be on site.
When are fire action notices required?
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in England and Wales, the responsible person must take general fire precautions and establish suitable procedures for serious and imminent danger. They must also provide employees with understandable information about fire safety procedures, including the action to take if a fire is discovered.
The legislation does not prescribe one universal fire action notice design or state that every wall must carry the same notice. However, clear notices are a standard and often necessary way to communicate evacuation instructions. If people could be uncertain about what to do during an alarm, the fire risk assessment should normally lead to fire action notices being provided.
This is particularly likely where a building has more than one floor, several escape routes, unfamiliar visitors, shift workers, shared occupancy or areas that are not continuously supervised. A straightforward office may need notices at key exit points and shared areas. A warehouse, school, hotel, workshop or construction site may require more extensive coverage because of its layout, changing workforce or higher level of fire risk.
Scotland and Northern Ireland operate under separate fire safety legislation, but the same operational principle applies: occupants need adequate fire safety information and a safe means of escape. Check the requirements that apply to your premises and use your current fire risk assessment as the starting point.
What a fire action notice should tell people
A fire action notice must be useful at the moment someone sees smoke, flames or hears an alarm. It should be brief, legible and specific to the site. Generic wording can create confusion where the evacuation process depends on a particular assembly point, alarm method or reporting procedure.
Most notices should cover five essential points:
- what to do on discovering a fire, such as operating the nearest alarm point;
- what to do when the alarm sounds;
- which escape route or fire exit to use, where this needs local direction;
- the designated assembly point; and
- who to contact or how to call the fire and rescue service.
The message must match the emergency plan. Review it whenever you change the assembly point, alter a route, install a new alarm system, reconfigure workspaces or introduce a new occupancy arrangement.
Where should fire action notices be displayed?
Positioning matters as much as the wording. A notice hidden behind an open door, placed in a staff-only office or mounted too high to read does little to support evacuation. Notices should be displayed where people are likely to see them during their normal use of the premises and, where appropriate, on the route towards an exit.
Common locations include reception areas, entrance lobbies, staff rooms, kitchen areas, corridors, near manual call points, by fire exits and on each floor of multi-storey buildings. In accommodation or sleeping-risk premises, such as hotels, guest houses and some blocks of flats, notices may be needed in bedrooms, shared corridors and other relevant areas. The correct locations depend on the building layout and who uses it.
In large premises, use enough notices that a person can find the relevant instruction without having to search. In small premises, too many signs can create visual clutter, so choose the positions that give the clearest coverage. This is one of the reasons a site-specific assessment is more useful than a blanket approach.
Do staff-only notices cover visitors?
Usually, no. Staff receive fire safety training and should understand the evacuation procedure, but visitors, customers and contractors cannot be expected to know your arrangements. If the public can enter the building, display clear instructions in public-facing and shared areas as well as staff spaces.
Where visitors are signed in and escorted at all times, the level of signage may be different. Even then, the escorting employee needs to understand their responsibility for guiding visitors to safety. The fire risk assessment should consider what happens if the usual escort is absent or an emergency occurs outside normal opening hours.
Fire action notices are not the same as fire exit signs
A compliant evacuation arrangement normally needs more than one type of sign. Fire action notices explain what people should do. Fire exit signs identify the escape route, final exit or direction of travel. Fire door signs tell users to keep a door shut or keep it clear. Fire equipment signs identify extinguishers, alarm call points and other fire-fighting equipment.
One sign cannot perform all of these jobs effectively. A fire exit sign should use the recognised running-man symbol and directional arrow where required, while a fire action notice needs readable written instructions. Selecting each sign by function makes the building easier to understand under pressure.
Check that exit signs are visible along the escape route, remain suitable if lighting fails and are not contradicted by temporary obstructions, stock storage or building works. A clearly marked route is of limited value if an employee has been told to evacuate but cannot identify the way out.
Who is responsible for providing them?
The responsible person is generally the employer, building owner, landlord, managing agent or another person who has control over the premises. In multi-occupied buildings, responsibilities may be shared. For example, a managing agent may control common corridors and the building alarm system, while individual tenants remain responsible for their own demised areas and employees.
Do not assume another occupier has covered the issue. Confirm who is responsible for fire action notices in reception, stairwells, shared kitchens, loading areas and other common spaces. Where responsibilities overlap, written coordination avoids gaps and conflicting instructions.
For construction sites, the principal contractor or site management team will commonly control the emergency arrangements. Fire action notices should be reviewed as the site layout changes, particularly when cabins move, access roads change or new phases introduce different escape routes.
Common problems to avoid
The most frequent issue is using a standard notice without completing the site-specific information. A blank assembly point field or an outdated contact number can make a notice ineffective. The same applies when a business relocates but takes old signs to a new unit with different exits.
Another problem is relying on staff induction alone. Training is essential, but people forget details, agency workers change and visitors may receive no briefing at all. Clearly displayed notices support training and provide a prompt when it matters.
Also consider readability. Use a sign size appropriate to the viewing distance, clear contrast and durable materials suited to the environment. A laminated paper notice may be adequate inside a low-risk office, while a warehouse, workshop or external muster area may need a tougher rigid sign that withstands moisture, dust and regular cleaning.
A practical check for your premises
Walk the building as if you have never visited before. Start at the entrance, move through work areas and follow each escape route. Could a visitor identify the alarm, understand what to do, find an exit and locate the assembly point without asking for help? If not, your emergency information needs improving.
Review notices alongside your fire risk assessment, evacuation plan, staff training records and fire drills. The Sign Shed supplies fire action notices, fire exit signs, fire door signs and related safety signage in formats suited to offices, warehouses, schools, hospitality venues and site environments.
A well-placed fire action notice is a small part of fire safety management, but it gives people clear direction when hesitation can cost valuable time. Keep the instructions current, make them easy to find and ensure they reflect the way your premises actually operates.