Section 405 — EMERGENCY EVACUATION DRILLS

Emergency fire and evacuation drills complying with Sections 405.3 through 405.10 shall be conducted not less than annually where fire safety and evacuation plans are required by Section 403 or where required by the fire code official. Lockdown plan drills shall be conducted in accordance with the approved plan. Such drills shall not be substituted for fire and evacuation drills required by Section 405.3. Drills shall be designed in cooperation with the local authorities.

on Jul 18, 2025 11:14 AM (CDT) THEREUNDER.

EMERGENCY PLANNING AND PREPAREDNESS

Emergency fire and evacuation drills shall involve the actual evacuation of occupants to a selected assembly point and shall provide occupants with experience in exiting through required exits.

Exceptions:

1. In ambulatory care facilities and Group I-2, the movement of care recipients to a safe area or to the exterior of the building is not required.
2. In Group R-2.1, Condition 2, the assembly point for residents is permitted to be within an adjacent smoke compartment.
3. In Group R-4, actual exiting from emergency escape and rescue openings shall not be required. Opening the emergency escape and rescue openings and signaling for help shall be an acceptable alternative.
4. In Group I-3, Conditions 2 through 5 where a defend-in-place response is permitted, the assembly point for detainees is permitted to be within an adjacent smoke compartment.
5. In Group I-3, Conditions 2 through 5, movement of detainees is not required to an assembly point where there are security concerns.

Required emergency evacuation drills shall be held at the intervals specified in Table 405.3 or more frequently where necessary to familiarize all occupants with the drill procedure.

[California Code of Regulations, Title 19, Division 1, §3.13(a)(1)] Fire Drills. (Group E Occupancies)

(a) Group E Occupancies.

(1) General. Every person and public officer managing, controlling or in charge of any public, private or parochial school shall cause the fire alarm signal to be sounded upon the discovery of fire. Every person and public officer managing, controlling or in charge of any public, private or parochial school, other than a two-year community college, shall cause the fire alarm signal to be sounded not less than once every calendar month at the elementary and intermediate levels, and not less than twice yearly at the secondary level, in the manner prescribed in California Code of Regulations, Title 24, Part 2, Section 907.

A fire drill shall be held at the secondary level not less than twice every school year.

TABLE 405.3—FIRE AND EVACUATION DRILL FREQUENCY AND PARTICIPATION

Responsibility for the planning and conduct of drills shall be assigned to competent persons designated to exercise leadership.

Drills shall be held at unexpected times and under varying conditions to simulate the unusual conditions that occur in case of fire.

Exceptions:

1. In severe climates, the fire code official shall have the authority to modify the emergency evacuation drill termination points and frequency.
2. In Groups R-2.1, I-2, I-3 and R-4, where staff-only emergency evacuation drills are conducted after visiting hours or where care recipients are expected to be asleep, a coded announcement shall be an acceptable alternative to audible alarms.

Records shall be maintained of required emergency evacuation drills and include the following information:

1. Identity of the person conducting the drill.

4-14 2025 CALIFORNIA FIRE CODE

on Jul 18, 2025 11:14 AM (CDT) THEREUNDER.

EMERGENCY PLANNING AND PREPAREDNESS

2. Date and time of the drill.

3. Notification method used.

4. Employees on duty and participating.

5. Number of occupants evacuated.

6. Special conditions simulated.

7. Problems encountered.

8. Weather conditions when occupants were evacuated.

9. Time required to accomplish complete evacuation.

Where required by the fire code official, prior notification of emergency evacuation drills shall be given to the fire code official.

Where a fire alarm system is provided, emergency evacuation drills shall be initiated by activating the fire alarm system.

As building occupants arrive at the assembly point, efforts shall be made to determine if all occupants have been successfully evacuated or have been accounted for.

Exception: In Group I-2 and ambulatory care facilities, the movement of care recipients to safe areas or to the exterior of the building is not required.

An electrically or mechanically operated signal used to recall occupants after an evacuation shall be separate and distinct from the signal used to initiate the evacuation. The recall signal initiation means shall be manually operated and under the control of the person in charge of the premises or the official in charge of the incident. Persons shall not reenter the premises until authorized to do so by the official in charge.

[California Code of Regulations, Title 19, Division 1, §3.13(c)(2) and (3)] Fire Drills. (Organized Camps)

(c) Organized Camps.

(2) Within 24 hours after arrival, every group of persons attending an organized camp shall be made familiar with the method by which the fire alarm may be activated and with the procedures to be followed upon notification of fire.

(3) At least 1 fire drill shall be held within 24 hours of the commencement of each camping session. Additional drills shall be conducted at least once each week thereafter. When sessions exceed a 7 day period, at least 1 drill shall be held during night-time sleeping hours.