How to Prepare a Floor Plan for an Evacuation Diagram | Easy Step-by-Step Guide

Learn how to prepare a professional floor plan for an evacuation diagram. Perfect for Airbnb hosts, hotels, offices, schools, and commercial buildings. Fast, easy, and STRA-ready.

How to Prepare a Floor Plan for an Evacuation Diagram

Creating an evacuation diagram starts with one essential document—a clear and accurate floor plan. Whether you own an Airbnb, hotel, office, school, warehouse, clinic, or commercial building, providing the correct floor plan allows professionals to create an evacuation diagram that complies with local fire safety standards and helps protect lives during an emergency.

At RRS Creative Studio, we create professional evacuation diagrams for clients in Australia, the United States, Canada, and other countries. The good news is that your floor plan doesn't have to be professionally drafted. Even a simple sketch can work if it contains the necessary information.

Why is a Floor Plan Important?

A floor plan serves as the foundation of every evacuation diagram. It identifies the building layout, emergency exits, fire equipment, and evacuation routes that occupants will follow during an emergency.

Without an accurate floor plan, it becomes difficult to produce a reliable evacuation map.

A well-prepared floor plan helps:

• Improve emergency preparedness

• Meet workplace and accommodation safety requirements

• Speed up evacuation diagram production

• Reduce costly revisions

• Ensure emergency information is clearly communicated

What Should Be Included in Your Floor Plan?

1. Room Layout

Clearly identify every room within the building.

Examples include:

• Bedrooms

• Bathrooms

• Kitchen

• Living Room

• Office

• Reception Area

• Meeting Rooms

• Storage Rooms

• Laundry

• Utility Rooms

Each room should be labeled whenever possible.

2. Walls and Partitions

Draw the walls that separate each room. Accuracy is more important than artistic quality.

Simple straight lines are perfectly acceptable.

3. Doors

Show every doorway, including:

• Main entrance

• Emergency exits

• Internal doors

• Sliding doors

• Fire doors

Door swing direction is helpful but not mandatory.

4. Windows

Indicate major windows, especially if they may be used as emergency rescue access.

5. Emergency Exits

Mark all emergency exits clearly.

If your building has multiple exits, identify each one.

Emergency exits are one of the most important features of every evacuation diagram.

6. Stairways

If your building has more than one level, include:

• Internal stairs

• External stairs

• Fire escape stairs

Each staircase should connect correctly between floors.

7. Fire Safety Equipment

If available, identify the location of:

• Fire extinguishers

• Fire hose reels

• Fire blankets

• Fire alarm call points

• Smoke detectors

• Fire indicator panels

• Emergency phones

• Defibrillators (AED)

Even approximate locations are extremely helpful.

8. Assembly Area

If you already have a designated emergency assembly point outside the building, indicate its location.

If not, we can help recommend how to display it on your evacuation diagram.

9. "You Are Here" Location

Tell us where the evacuation diagram will be displayed.

For example:

• Room 101

• Reception Desk

• Hallway

• Kitchen

• Apartment Entrance

• Office Lobby

This allows us to accurately place the "YOU ARE HERE" marker.

10. North Direction (Optional)

Adding the building orientation improves navigation, especially for larger commercial facilities.