Guide to ISO 23601 Fire Evacuation Maps

ISO 23601 is an international standard for the design of fire evacuation plans that are intended to be displayed as safety signs in buildings and public areas. It uses specific design principles to communicate key information about escape routes, fire exits, refuge areas, and assembly points in a simplified and standardised format that can be easily understood by people of different nationalities without the use of language.

Key ISO 23601 design principles include the following:

• A simplified floor layout, with internal walls shown as half the thickness of external walls
• All emergency exits and escape routes, with horizontal routes shown as light green and vertical routes shown as dark green
• The point of location of the user - “You are here”
• The direction of North
• Action to take on discovering a fire and on hearing the fire alarm
• Procedure for calling the fire service
• Any specific evacuation provisions for people with disabilities
• Orientation of the plan so that what is shown as being on the left or right of the viewer on the plan is actually on the viewer's left or right in the physical space
• An overview plan, assembly points, and legend
• Use of EN ISO 7010 safety symbols

Additional information can include the location of:

• Fire alarm control panel and manual call points
• Fire-fighting equipment, including fire extinguishers, fire blankets, and fire hose reels
• Wet or dry riser outlet valves
• Sprinkler control valves
• AOV controls
• First aid equipment
• Evacuation equipment
• Fire-suppression systems
• Utility shut-off points
• Other information as relevant

ISO 23601 recommends that plans should be located:

• At positions where occupants can learn the means of escape
• At strategic points of the escape route, which can be:
  • On every floor at primary entry points
  • Near lifts and stairs
  • In every room, e.g. conference rooms, staff rooms, hotel bedrooms
  • At appropriate training points
  • At principal junctions and intersections