· Alert central control room and employees.

· Assess the fire location and extent.

· Shut down non-essential equipment.

· Evacuate public and employees as necessary.

· Contain or fight the fire if safe.

· Assist fire and rescue service upon arrival, providing information on occupant safety and location.

· Identify fire detection location.

· Immediately alert fire and rescue service with details.

· Notify appropriate staff of the emergency.

· Manage public and employee movement based on situation assessment.

· Localize and contain the fire if possible.

· Provide information and assistance to fire and rescue service as per procedures.

· Train control centre staff in delivering clear emergency messages.

· Provide backup automatic message units with pre-recorded messages.

· Offer special training for staff on emergency message delivery.

· Ensure announcements are clear, reassuring, and urgent.

· Ensure additional assistance for those who cannot hear or understand announcements.

· Combine public address/voice alarm announcements with staff management.

· Live “directive” messages from trained announcers should take precedence over pre-recorded messages.

· Public address/voice alarm systems should not be restricted to staff-only messages.

· Consider the sophistication of fire detection, alarm systems, and public address/voice alarm systems.

· Directive messages should provide clear, prompt, and accurate evacuation information.

· Implement phased evacuation according to Annex M.

· Design public address/voice alarm systems to be zoned for specific areas, allowing staged evacuation.

· Account for background noise and ensure the system can be manually overridden if automatic.

· Include live directive and pre-recorded messages in the fire safety manual and possibly a detailed communications and training manual.

· Validate and update messages based on training and exercises.

· Silence all background sound systems, including temporary ones, during a fire.

Annex J (normative) Fire control centre and evacuation management