When the alarm sounds in a commercial building, every second matters. Yet when drills take place, too often they reveal more confusion than confidence. Lifts don’t isolate. Fire doors jam. Evacuation marshals are missing. Staff hesitate, unsure where to go.
For property and facilities managers and duty-holders, these are not minor inconveniences; they are warning signs that your emergency plan may not perform when it truly counts.
At Ark Workplace Risk, we’ve tested hundreds of buildings across the UK and have seen the same patterns repeat. The good news? Every failure is fixable; if you know where to look.
The five most common reasons commercial buildings fail their drills.
1. The plan exists, but people don’t know it
Many buildings have a beautifully written Emergency Preparedness Plan… filed somewhere no one can find. Procedures aren’t briefed, roles aren’t rehearsed, and new occupiers are rarely inducted. When the alarm sounds, theory collapses under the weight of uncertainty.
How to fix it:
Run short refresher sessions after any tenant or staff change. Make emergency information visible; posters, intranet, induction packs, and keep it simple: Who does what, when, and where?
2. Responsibilities are unclear or overlapping
In multi-tenanted offices and retail environments, different parties may assume “someone else” will take charge. This lack of clarity is the single biggest failure point Ark observes in testing.
How to fix it:
Every building should have a clear Incident Command Structure that is defined, trained, and documented, with no duplication or gaps.
- Responsible Person under the Fire Safety Order
- Evacuation Coordinators
- Fire Marshals for each floor/tenant
- Assembly Point Controller
“In multi-tenanted estates, your greatest risk isn’t fire; it’s confusion.”
3. Drills aren’t realistic
A “drill” that starts with a friendly email warning and ends ten minutes later at the café isn’t a test; it’s a tick box.
Real incidents don’t follow scripts. Lifts fail. Routes block. People panic.
How to fix it:
- Test for realism. Rotate scenarios: blocked exits, after-hours evacuation, partial floor lockdowns.
- Include contractors and visitors. Record timing, communication clarity, and assembly compliance.
The objective isn’t speed, it’s control.
4. No structured review or feedback loop
Most organisations stop the clock at evacuation and never review the findings. Without debriefs, lessons vanish, until the same errors resurface at the next drill.
How to fix it:
After every exercise, conduct a post-incident review. Capture observations from marshals, tenants, and Ark’s observers. Document what went well, what didn’t, and create an action plan.
Under Article 15.1(a) of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, this review and continuous improvement is a legal obligation, not an option.
5. Testing is viewed as a burden, not a benefit
For some, drills feel disruptive. But the real disruption comes when untested systems fail during a genuine emergency. Effective preparedness testing protects people and profits; reducing insurance exposure, operational downtime, and reputational damage.
How to fix it:
Reframe testing as part of operational excellence. Ark clients who run structured, documented tests typically see improved insurance relationships and stronger tenant confidence.
“The drill isn’t a box-ticking exercise; it’s your most honest audit of how safety performs under pressure.”
From failure to readiness:
Ark’s proven testing approach
Our Emergency Preparedness Testing service enables commercial property owners and professionals to move from compliance to capability.
We:
- Audit your existing Emergency Preparedness Plan and procedures.
- Design realistic, risk-based test scenarios aligned to your building type.
- Observe, time, and record drill performance with independent assessors.
- Provide a detailed report with root-cause analysis and prioritised actions.
- Conduct follow-up reviews to verify continuous improvement.
- Every test is benchmarked against Article 15.1(a) (England & Wales) and Regulation 14 (Scotland & Northern Ireland), ensuring full alignment with statutory duties.
Your emergency plan is a living system
An emergency plan should evolve with your building; new tenants, new layouts, new risks. The real test of compliance isn’t paperwork; it’s performance. And when your team can demonstrate readiness with confidence, the benefits extend beyond safety: improved stakeholder trust, operational resilience, and often, favourable insurance terms.
Strengthen Your Next Drill
If your last emergency exercise left more questions than answers, Ark can help. Our specialists design and execute realistic testing programmes that build confidence, reduce liability, and prove compliance across your portfolio.
Request an Emergency Preparedness Consultation Today.