From 1 February 2021 the requirement for building owners to conduct trial evacuations or evacuation training programmes will be reinstated provided there are no physical distancing requirements in place for the area in which the building is located.
Physical distancing requirements are imposed during some COVID-19 Alert Levels and can change over time. Specific exclusions have been included in the changes to the amended Fire and Emergency New Zealand Regulations (Regulations) to accommodate those buildings which are in use as Managed Isolation and Quarantine Facilities.
Building owners are not expected to resume trial evacuations or evacuation training programmes immediately after the changes come into force. To work out when the next trial evacuation or training programme notification is due, we 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.
Trial evacuations voluntarily carried out during the period from 25 March 2020 to 31 January 2021 will be considered ‘unscheduled evacuations’ for the purposes of regulation 29(2) of the Regulations and will count as a trial evacuation for timing purposes.
Our team at Safety First will continue to fully support our clients and are offering our usual services as we move into 2021 however, please note that face-to-face training may be limited in some areas due to the large amount of trial evacuations to be scheduled over the next three months.