Floor Warden / Evacuation Assistant
Floor sweeps and headcounts in an emergency, guiding occupants to assembly points, assisting persons with reduced mobility, evacuation drills. Trained and appointed per ASR A2.3 and DGUV Information 205-023.
ASR A2.3 · DGUV Information 205-023
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What does a Floor Warden / Evacuation Assistant do?
A floor warden, also called an evacuation assistant, makes sure that everyone leaves the building safely in an emergency. On an alarm they sweep their assigned floor or area, guide occupants to the marked escape and rescue routes, assist persons with reduced mobility, carry out a headcount at the assembly point and report the result to the emergency response coordinator. The role supports the employer's duty under Sec. 10 ArbSchG (the German occupational safety and health act) to organise emergency, fire and evacuation measures.
The technical basis is ASR A2.3, the Technical Rule for Workplaces on escape routes and emergency exits, together with DGUV Information 205-033 on alarm raising and evacuation. That document describes the people who take on special tasks in an evacuation where the location, extent and type of use call for it, and records that those tasks are usually assigned through instruction given by the employer. No fixed statutory ratio exists: the number follows from the risk assessment, from building size and layout, from occupancy and from the presence of visitors or persons needing assistance. Under ASR A2.3 point 11 paragraph 3 the employer must give site-specific instruction to every employee who takes on evacuation tasks, at least once a year.
Floor wardens work alongside fire safety assistants (Brandschutzhelfer, covered by ASR A2.2 and DGUV Information 205-023) and first aiders, but their focus is the orderly, complete clearance of people rather than firefighting. In normal operation the assistant knows the escape routes, assembly points and alarm signals, checks that exits and signage are clear, reports obstructions, takes part in evacuation drills and helps update the evacuation plan after structural or organisational changes. After a drill or an incident they contribute to the debrief, so that weaknesses are corrected and every corrective measure carries an owner.
The appointment is documented and has to hold during operating hours, which is why larger sites name several assistants per floor and shift and settle cover for holiday, sick leave and shift changes. What fails a walkthrough is rarely the plan on the wall but the gap behind it: an assistant list that never followed the leavers, instruction without an attendance record, or an assembly point whose headcount procedure has never been tested.
Core duties of the evacuation assistant
- Sweep the assigned floor or zone on alarm and ensure no one remains behind.
- Guide occupants to the marked escape and rescue routes required by ASR A2.3.
- Assist persons with reduced mobility and arrange their safe evacuation.
- Carry out a headcount at the assembly point and report it to the response coordinator.
- Keep escape routes, emergency exits and signage clear and report obstructions.
- Take part in and help run evacuation drills under ASR A2.3 point 11 paragraph 2.
- Know the evacuation plan, assembly points and alarm signals for the building.
- Support updates to the evacuation plan along the lines of DGUV Information 205-033.
- Wear identification, for example a vest, and contribute to the debrief after a drill or an incident.
- Attend the site-specific instruction required at least annually by ASR A2.3 point 11 paragraph 3.
When are evacuation assistants required?
The employer must organise emergency and evacuation measures under Sec. 10 (1) ArbSchG and, under Sec. 10 (2) ArbSchG, designate the employees who take on first aid, firefighting and evacuation tasks. Their number, training and equipment must be proportionate to the headcount and to the particular hazards present, and the works or staff council must be heard before the designation is made.
ASR A2.3 requires escape and rescue route plans and, wherever an escape and rescue route plan is required, evacuation drills at regular intervals. DGUV Information 205-033 on alarm raising and evacuation describes the special tasks of these people, whom it also calls Raeumungshelfer or floor wardens, and treats their assignment as part of the instruction given by the employer. Neither source states a fixed ratio: the number follows from the risk assessment, the size and layout of the building, the number of occupants and the presence of visitors or persons needing assistance.
Under ASR A2.3 point 11 paragraph 3, employees with evacuation tasks must receive site-specific instruction, and that instruction must be repeated at least annually. It covers the escape routes, assembly points, headcount procedure and assistance for mobility-impaired persons, and it has to be adapted after changes to the building. Training is typically combined with the fire safety assistant qualification and with evacuation drills. The designation should be documented, and assistants must be available during operating hours, so larger sites name several per floor and shift. The duty applies regardless of company size wherever the risk assessment shows that orderly evacuation cannot otherwise be assured.
- Duty to designate people for evacuation tasks under Sec. 10 (2) ArbSchG, after hearing the works or staff council
- Escape-route plan and evacuation drill requirements of ASR A2.3
- Site-specific instruction at least annually under ASR A2.3 point 11 paragraph 3
- Risk assessment showing a need for organised evacuation
- Buildings with visitors or persons needing assistance, multi-storey or high-occupancy premises
- Task description for evacuation assistants in DGUV Information 205-033
Sectors that appoint evacuation assistants
- Office and administration buildings
- Hospitals and care homes
- Schools and universities
- Hotels and event venues
- Retail and shopping centres
- Manufacturing and industrial sites
- Logistics and warehouses
- Public authorities
- Laboratories and research facilities
How CIVAC supports the evacuation assistant role
CIVAC maps the evacuation organisation onto three pillars: training, tasks and documentation. Role management records who is appointed as an evacuation assistant, for which floor and which shift, and who stands in during holiday or sickness, so coverage per area is visible before a gap shows up on the day it matters.
Recurring duties such as the evacuation drill, escape route checks, assembly point checks and refresher instruction become scheduled tasks with an owner and a reminder before the due date, and role templates set the shape of each one. The documentation area takes the evacuation plan, drill reports, the appointments and the headcount procedure, while the append-only audit trail records when a drill ran and when an instruction was refreshed. The training pillar evidences per person the instruction expected under DGUV Information 205-033, including the refresher after structural changes. Where the function cannot be filled in-house, an external appointee can be placed through CIVAC, at 49 euros per role per month.
Frequently asked questions
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