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NZ early childhood centres are required to conduct a trial evacuation every four months. The Fire Evacuation module tracks these against three periods each year — P1, P2, and P3 — and records the outcome of each trial against a standard checklist.

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The three periods

Trial evacuations are organised into four-monthly periods based on when the evacuation was conducted: The module shows the current year’s periods with their completion status and flags which period is currently due. The next due date is calculated automatically — four months from your last trial.

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Recording a trial evacuation

From the Fire Evacuation module, go to Trial Reports and click Record Trial Evacuation.

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Evacuation details

  • Date — when the trial was conducted
  • Time — start time
  • Duration — how long the evacuation took (minutes and seconds)
  • Conducted by — the staff member who led the trial

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Report upload

Upload a copy of the trial evacuation report document if you have one. This might be a form completed during the drill or a report prepared afterwards.

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FENZ submission

Record whether the trial report was submitted to FENZ:
  • Who submitted it — your centre or an external organisation
  • Submission method — email or FENZ website
  • Date submitted
  • Whether submission was acknowledged by FENZ

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Checklist

Work through the seven-item checklist, marking each as Yes, No, or Not Applicable, with optional comments:
  1. Injuries — were there any injuries during the trial?
  2. Alarm heard — was the alarm clearly audible throughout the building?
  3. Exits clear — were all exits clear and accessible?
  4. Fire action notices — were fire action notices visible and followed?
  5. Systems — did fire systems (alarms, suppression) operate correctly?
  6. Equipment — was fire equipment (extinguishers, hoses) accessible and in place?
  7. Occupants — were all occupants accounted for at the assembly point?
Add any overall notes about the trial, then save the record.

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After recording

The trial is marked as complete for its period. The next due date is calculated automatically — four months from the evacuation date — and updates on your dashboard. If any checklist items were marked No, use the notes field to record what happened and follow up through your Hazard Register or Maintenance Log as appropriate. Trial evacuation issues don’t automatically create deficiencies in the way Emergency & Drills does — they’re recorded in the trial report itself.

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Trial report history

All past trial reports are listed under the Trial Reports tab, organised by year and period. You can open any past report to review the full checklist and submission details.