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    All templatesTraining · 3 pages · Updated 19 October 2026

    Emergency Drill Record Template

    Three-page record of one emergency drill or exercise (evacuation, fire, spill, medical, shelter in place or another type): site, date, alarm and end time, announced or unannounced, the drill lead and observers, the scenario, who took part with counts for employees, visitors, contractors and people who needed assistance, targets your own site sets, a timeline with elapsed time from the alarm, observations of what worked and what did not, findings with an owner and due date, lessons shared and sign-off. Whether drills are required, and how often, differs between countries and sectors, and this form states no requirement and sets no times.

    What's inside

    Page 1: the drill, the people and the targets

    1. Drill details: site or building, drill reference, date, alarm time (start) and end time (all clear), drill type (evacuation, fire, spill or release, medical, shelter in place or other), announced to everyone, announced to some or unannounced, who knew in advance, and the drill lead and observers
    2. Scenario: what was simulated, where it started and what people were told, and the limits of the drill (what was not simulated, what was blocked, the conditions)
    3. Who took part: number on site at the start, number who took part and number counted at the assembly point, for employees, visitors, contractors and agency or temporary workers, with a total and two rows for people who needed assistance and for people with emergency roles, plus a column for who was not counted and why
    4. Targets set by your site: measure, your own target, the actual time, met or not, and where the target comes from. The form supplies no times: you write your own, or none

    Page 2: what happened

    1. Timeline of the drill: 14 lines with clock time, elapsed time from the alarm (0:00), what happened and who recorded it, and one example line
    2. What worked and what did not: ten areas, each marked Yes, Partly, No or Not tested with a column for what was seen: alarm audible and recognised in every area, routes and exits clear and usable, wardens in place, communication, help for people who needed assistance, visitors and contractors, the assembly point count against the number expected, shutdown or critical actions, first aid, emergency services contact and equipment, and one line of your own

    Page 3: findings, lessons and sign-off

    1. Findings and actions: 11 lines: finding, action, owner, due date, and done on and checked by
    2. Lessons shared with: everyone who took part, wardens and marshals, managers, contractors and visitors' hosts, safety or worker representatives, neighbouring occupiers, emergency services or other, how and when, whether the plan, a route, a sign, a role or the training needs to change, and the date of the next drill
    3. Sign-off: drill lead, observer, and site manager or emergency plan owner, where the record is kept and for how long, and the next review of the targets

    The groups, the observation areas and the layout are examples to change. No law's text is reproduced, and the form states no drill frequency and no time.

    What requires or shapes this record

    No source opened for this page gives one rule on emergency drills that applies everywhere, and this form does not say that a drill, or a drill of a certain kind or frequency, is or is not required where you work. What the sources set are duties around emergency arrangements. In the EU, Article 8 of Directive 89/391/EEC asks employers to take measures for first aid, fire-fighting and evacuation, adapted to the activities and the size of the undertaking and taking other persons present into account, and national law puts that into effect. In the US, 29 CFR 1910.38 sets the minimum content of an emergency action plan where an OSHA standard requires one, including a way to account for all employees after evacuation, trained helpers for evacuation and a review of the plan with employees. In the UK, HSE says employers must carry out a fire safety risk assessment and that workers should be trained in the procedures, including fire drills. CCOHS says drills and exercises test a plan and that each one should be reviewed straight away. Neither the Article 8 text nor the 1910.38 text, as read, uses the word drill, and none of the pages sets a time you should meet. Whether drills are required, how often, of what kind and how they are recorded varies by country, region, sector and type of premises, and fire rules often sit in separate fire safety law. Check the requirements that apply to you and to your insurer or customers. This page is general information, not legal advice.

    • Council Directive 89/391/EEC, Article 8: First aid, fire-fighting and evacuation of workers, serious and imminent danger (EU; consolidated text of 11 December 2008 on EUR-Lex, read 19 October 2026)

      Article 8(1) says the employer shall take the necessary measures for first aid, fire-fighting and evacuation of workers, adapted to the nature of the activities and the size of the undertaking or establishment and taking into account other persons present, and arrange any necessary contacts with external services. Article 8(2) says the employer shall designate the workers needed to carry out these measures and that their number, training and equipment must be adequate for the size and specific hazards. Article 8(3) covers informing workers exposed to serious and imminent danger and giving instructions so that they can stop work or leave for a place of safety, and Article 8(4) says workers who do so may not be placed at a disadvantage. The article does not mention drills or any time to be met. It is a framework directive that member states put into effect in their own law, and the EUR-Lex page says the consolidated text has no legal effect and the Official Journal versions are authentic. The form's sections on visitors and contractors, people who needed assistance and the wardens' role follow the ideas of this article in our own words.

    • 29 CFR 1910.38, Emergency action plans (US OSHA; text read through the eCFR on 19 October 2026)

      Paragraph (a) says an employer must have an emergency action plan whenever an OSHA standard in the same part requires one, so the rule does not apply to every workplace. Paragraph (c) lists the minimum elements of the plan: procedures for reporting a fire or other emergency, for evacuation including the type of evacuation and exit route assignments, for employees who stay to operate critical plant operations before they leave, to account for all employees after evacuation, and for employees doing rescue or medical duties, and a name or job title to contact for information about the plan. Paragraph (d) requires an employee alarm system with a distinctive signal for each purpose. Paragraph (e) requires the employer to designate and train employees to assist in a safe and orderly evacuation, and paragraph (f) requires the plan to be reviewed with each employee when it is developed or the employee is first assigned, when the employee's responsibilities change and when the plan changes. The text does not use the word drill and sets no time or frequency. The form's rows on the alarm, the routes, the wardens and the headcount line up with these elements; completing the form does not show compliance. The standard's own text is not reproduced here.

    • HSE (UK), Introduction to fire safety (page showing an update date of 1 March 2021, read 19 October 2026)

      HSE's page says employers (and building owners or occupiers) must carry out a fire safety risk assessment, keep it up to date and ensure that adequate and appropriate fire safety measures are in place. It says to consider how to detect fires and warn people quickly, to keep fire exits and escape routes clearly marked and unobstructed at all times and to make sure workers are trained in the procedures they need to follow, including fire drills. It says general fire safety law is the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order in England and Wales and Part 3 of the Fire (Scotland) Act with the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations in Scotland, enforced mostly by the local fire and rescue authorities. The page does not say how often a drill must be held or what a drill must include, and it covers fire only. The form reaches beyond fire and keeps your own targets instead of any time from this page.

    • CCOHS (Canada), Emergency Planning (OSH Answers fact sheet, last revised 20 June 2022, read 19 October 2026)

      CCOHS says legislative requirements for emergency planning vary with the jurisdiction and the type of workplace, and that fire codes set requirements for a fire safety plan. It says communication, training and periodic drills help make sure a plan works, and that a plan is hard to judge until it is tested, so exercises and drills may practise all or part of it, such as evacuation. A thorough and immediate review after each exercise, drill or real emergency points out what to improve, and the plan should be revised when shortcomings are known and reviewed at least annually. It lists musts for evacuation: use one type of signal for the evacuation order, identify routes and alternate means of escape and make them known, keep the routes unobstructed, specify safe places to gather for head counts, and assign individuals to help employees who may need help to evacuate quickly. It says to plan alternate means of communication, and that an annual full-scale exercise helps to keep up proficiency. The annual intervals are CCOHS's general guidance and not a legal requirement that its pages state. The form's observation areas, findings and lessons sections follow these ideas in our own wording.

    Each source checked on 19 October 2026. Not legal advice; check the text in force for your site.

    Field by field

    The form records one drill from the alarm to the sign-off. It is a record of what was seen, not of a verdict: the people taking part are not being graded, and a result that looks bad is the most useful one. The groups, the observation areas and the layout are examples that you can change. Keep the wording the same from one drill to the next so that drills can be compared. The form supplies no times and no frequency. Section 4 is empty on purpose: your own emergency plan, risk assessment and local requirements decide what you aim for.

    Drill details
    Why: Ties the record to one place, one date and one alarm time. The alarm time is the zero of every elapsed time in the timeline, and the end time shows how long the drill ran. A drill reference lets a later action point back to the record.
    Common mistake: Writing only a date, so nobody can tell later whether it was a quiet morning, a shift change or a busy delivery.
    Drill type
    Why: Evacuation, fire, spill or release, medical, shelter in place and other drills test different parts of an emergency plan. CCOHS says exercises may practise all of a plan or critical parts of it, such as evacuation, so the record says which part was tested.
    Common mistake: Calling every exercise a fire drill, so a test of one route or one role is mistaken for a test of the whole plan.
    Announced or unannounced
    Why: An announced drill shows what happens when people are ready. An unannounced one shows what people do from habit. Recording who knew in advance makes a good result easier to read.
    Common mistake: Calling a drill unannounced when the wardens and the managers knew the date, and not saying so.
    Drill lead and observers
    Why: The lead runs the drill and observers watch it without joining the response. Naming what each observer watched (a route, the assembly point, the wardens) makes sure something is looked at from outside. A record written only by the lead describes what the lead saw.
    Common mistake: Using the wardens as the observers, so nobody is free to watch the routes or the assembly point.
    Scenario
    Why: States what was simulated, where it started, what people were told and what was left out or blocked, so a later reader can see what was tested. A blocked exit or a missing person is a scenario choice and should be written down.
    Common mistake: Writing "fire drill" and nothing more, so it is impossible to say what the result proves.
    Who took part
    Why: Counts the number on site at the start, the number who took part and the number counted at the assembly point. Taking the starting number from a record made at the time (sign-in book, access system or roster) lets the final count be checked against it.
    Common mistake: Taking the expected number from the staff roster, which leaves out visitors, contractors and anyone who arrived after it was printed.
    Visitors
    Why: Article 8 of Directive 89/391/EEC asks for measures that take other persons present into account, and visitors do not know the site. The row shows how many were there and whether they were counted.
    Common mistake: Taking the number of visitors from the hosts' word and not from the sign-in record.
    Contractors
    Why: Contractors may be new to the site or work away from the main building, so the row records how many were present and counted, and the findings can show whether they knew the alarm and the assembly point.
    Common mistake: Counting only the contractor's supervisor, not the crew.
    People who needed assistance
    Why: CCOHS says to assign individuals to help employees who may need help to evacuate quickly. The row records how many people needed help and what help was given, so the plan can be tested for them. Keep to numbers and the help given: do not write medical details on a form that is passed round.
    Common mistake: Marking this row as not tested because nobody who needed help was present, so the plan for them is never tried.
    Targets set by your site
    Why: Lets you compare a drill with what your own site decided to aim for. The form gives no time. The column for where the target comes from asks you to say whether it is from your emergency plan, a risk assessment, a procedure or another source, because a target copied from elsewhere is easy to misread.
    Common mistake: Setting the target after the drill, or taking a figure from another site without saying where it came from.
    Timeline of the drill
    Why: A line for each step (alarm, first movement, wardens reporting, routes checked, assembly point reached, count completed, all clear) with the clock time and who recorded it. It shows where time was lost, which a count of people alone does not.
    Common mistake: Filling the timeline from memory afterwards, which smooths out the delays.
    Elapsed from alarm
    Why: The clock time minus the alarm time, in minutes and seconds, so drills held at different times of day can be compared. Agree one clock before the drill starts.
    Common mistake: Using the observers' different watches, so two lines disagree by a minute.
    What worked and what did not
    Why: A row for each part of the response, each marked Yes, Partly, No or Not tested, with room for what was seen. The rows are the alarm audible and recognised in every area, routes and exits clear and usable, wardens in place, communication, help for people who needed assistance, visitors and contractors, the count, critical actions and equipment. CCOHS says to use one type of signal for the evacuation order and to keep routes unobstructed. Alternate ways to communicate are worth testing too.
    Common mistake: Ticking Yes from what was assumed, or leaving out the quiet areas such as toilets, stores and remote rooms where the alarm is most likely to go unheard.
    Assembly point count
    Why: 29 CFR 1910.38(c)(4) lists procedures to account for all employees after evacuation as an element of an emergency action plan, and CCOHS lists safe places to gather for head counts. The row says who counted, from which list, whether the count matched the number expected and who was missing and why.
    Common mistake: Stopping the drill when most people have arrived, so the missing ones are never traced.
    Findings and actions
    Why: Each finding gets an action with an owner and a due date, and a place to record when it was done and who checked. CCOHS says a thorough and immediate review after a drill points out what needs improving and that the plan should be revised when shortcomings are known.
    Common mistake: Listing findings with no owner and no date, so the same finding appears at the next drill.
    Lessons shared with
    Why: A drill that only the lead reads changes nothing. The boxes ask who was told (the people who took part, the wardens, managers, contractors, worker representatives, neighbours or the emergency services), how and when, and whether the plan, a route, a sign, a role or the training must change.
    Common mistake: Sharing the result with managers and not with the wardens and the people who had the problem.
    Sign-off
    Why: Shows who led the drill, who observed it and who owns the emergency plan, and where the record is kept. Keep it for as long as your own rules, insurer or customers ask; none of the sources opened sets a period, so check yours.
    Common mistake: Filing the record with no date for the next drill or the review of the targets.

    Worked example

    IllustrativeA fire evacuation drill at an invented warehouse and office (invented site, people, times and targets)

    SectionEntry
    1 Drill detailsFire evacuation of the warehouse and office on Tuesday 6 October 2026. Alarm at 10:15, all clear at 10:31. Unannounced to staff: the site manager and the safety coordinator knew. The safety coordinator led and two observers watched the exits and the assembly point.
    2 ScenarioA fire in the packing area. The loading bay exit was treated as blocked, so people had to use the office exit. No equipment was shut down and no external service was called.
    3 Who took part62 people on site at the start (from the sign-in book and the access system): 48 employees, 5 agency workers, 6 contractors and 3 visitors, which adds to 62. Two of them needed assistance (one with a leg in a cast, one hard of hearing) and each had a named helper. All 62 took part.
    4 Targets set by the siteThe site's own invented targets: the alarm sounded within 1 minute of the trigger, and everyone counted at the assembly point within 8 minutes of the alarm. Both came from the site's emergency plan. Actual: the alarm sounded after 30 seconds (met); the count was complete after 11:00 (not met).
    5 Timeline10:15 alarm (0:00). 10:17 first people at the assembly point (2:00). 10:22 first count, 60 of 62 (7:00). 10:26 count complete, 62 of 62 (11:00): the last two, a contractor and a visitor's host, were in the toilet block and had not heard the alarm.
    6 What worked and what did notAlarm: not audible in the toilet block (No). Routes: the office exit was clear (Yes). Wardens: in place in five of six areas (Partly), because the packing area warden was on leave and no alternate was named. Contractors and visitors: the contractors knew the assembly point from their induction and the visitors were led by their hosts (Yes). Count: matched the number expected after 11:00 (Yes).
    7 Findings and actions1. Alarm not audible in the toilet block: fit a sounder there and check the other rooms (facilities manager, due in 14 days). 2. No alternate warden in the packing area: name an alternate for every area (safety coordinator, due in 7 days). 3. The count was late: change who holds the lists at the assembly point (safety coordinator, due in 14 days).
    8 Lessons and sign-offShared at the next team briefing and with the contractors' supervisors; the targets are to be reviewed after the next drill. Signed by the drill lead, one observer and the site manager.

    The figures, the targets and the people are invented to show how the form is used. They are not benchmarks, and your own targets come from your own plan and risk assessment. A missed target is a finding to understand, not a score.

    When a spreadsheet stops being enough

    A paper form or a spreadsheet works for one site that holds a few drills a year. It stops working when many sites hold drills of several kinds, when the number on site must come from the access and sign-in system and not from a roster, when findings must reach an owner with a due date and a reminder, and when you need to see which warden or area was missing in more than one drill.

    A software record can keep the drill types and scenarios, hold the roster and the warden assignments, take the count at the assembly point on a phone, record the timeline with a clock that all observers share, turn a finding into an action with an owner and a check, and show repeat findings by site and by area. Ask how it works when there is no signal and how people without a smartphone are counted. The list below applies the rule used by the emergency response software guide. Nothing in it shows that a product records a drill timeline or targets, so ask to log one of your own drills in a demonstration.

    Same rule for every product: tagged “Emergency Management”, “Emergency Response”, “Mass Notification”, “Crisis Management”, “Critical Event Management” or “Emergency Communication”, with a sourced emergency notification or coordination capability in its record, or one the vendor stated to us, labelled as vendor-stated. Documented and conditional capabilities qualify; check the linked scope before treating a module as included.

    Tekmon pays for a sponsored placement (above); its place in this list follows the same rule as every entry. How lists are ordered

    All 9 matching profiles are shown. Documentation review, not hands-on testing or a claim of compliance.