Fire drill procedure

The Fire Code sets who runs a fire drill, how often each kind of building must hold one, and, for schools, the steps. Each rule below is quoted with its section and page.

Written for the Philippines. Quoted from the 2019 Revised IRR of RA 9514, the Fire Code.

The IRR calls it a fire exit drill: "A practice drill for the orderly and safe evacuation of occupants in the buildings." (Rule 3, Definition of Terms, page 6)

Rules for every fire drill

These apply to any building that must drill, whatever it is used for (Section 10.2.21.1 A, page 162). C/MFM is the IRR's short form for the city or municipal fire marshal.

With the fire marshal "Fire exit drills shall be conducted in coordination with the Office of the C/MFM having jurisdiction."
Often enough to be routine "Fire exit drills, where required, shall be held with sufficient frequency to familiarize all occupants with the drill procedure and to have the conduct of the drill a matter of established routine."
Unannounced "Drills shall be held at unexpected times and under varying conditions to simulate the unusual conditions obtaining in case of fire."
Management plans it "Planning and conduct of drills shall be the responsibility of the management and/or owners of business establishments."
Order before speed "In the conduct of drills, emphasis shall be placed upon orderly evacuation under proper discipline rather than upon speed."
Everyone takes part "Drills shall include suitable procedures to make sure that all persons in the building, or all persons subject to the drill, actually participate."
Use the real alarm "Fire alarm facilities, where available, shall be used in the conduct of fire exit drills."
Report it "The management of every establishment shall submit to the C/MFM having jurisdiction an after activity report of all drills conducted during the prescribed period throughout the year."

Source: Bureau of Fire Protection, Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of RA 9514, the Fire Code of the Philippines, revised 2019. Read 1 October 2026. Read from the BFP file RA9514-RIRR-rev-2019.pdf. bfp.gov.ph blocks automated readers, so the page may ask a person to pass a check. Page numbers are the ones printed at the foot of each page.

A school fire drill, in the order it runs

From Section 10.2.21.3 of the IRR (page 164), the one building type the Fire Code writes the drill steps out for. The order is this site's reading of the rules; the wording under each step is the IRR's.

1 Alarm: "All fire exit drill alarms shall be sounded on the fire alarm system and not on the signal system used to dismiss classes." Section 10.2.21.3 B.1, page 164.
2 Line up: "If a drill is called, the pupils shall be instructed to form in line and immediately proceed to the nearest available exit in an orderly manner." Section 10.2.21.3 A.3, page 164.
3 Take nothing: "Pupils shall not be allowed to obtain anything after the alarm is sounded, even when in classrooms, which would contribute to the confusion." Section 10.2.21.3 A.6, page 164.
4 Walk, no running: "Great stress shall be laid upon the execution of each drill in a brisk, quiet, and orderly manner. Running shall be prohibited." Section 10.2.21.3 A.4, page 164.
5 Search the rooms: "The searching of toilets and other rooms shall be the duty of the teachers or other members of the staff." Section 10.2.21.3 A.5, page 164.
6 Assemble and count: "Each class or group shall proceed to a primary assembly point outside the building and remain there until all are accounted for." Section 10.2.21.3 A.7, page 164.
7 Recall: "The recall signal shall be one that is separate and distinct from and cannot be mistaken for any other signals." Section 10.2.21.3 B.3, page 164.

Source: Bureau of Fire Protection, Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of RA 9514, the Fire Code of the Philippines, revised 2019. Read 30 September 2026. Read from the BFP file RA9514-RIRR-rev-2019.pdf. bfp.gov.ph blocks automated readers, so the page may ask a person to pass a check. Page numbers are the ones printed at the foot of each page.

Fire drills in school

The rest of the school rules, from the same page:

"Drills shall be conducted during class hours; during the changing of classes; when the school is at assembly; during recess or gymnastic periods; etc., so as to avoid distinction between drills and actual fires." (Section 10.2.21.3 A.3, page 164)
"Teachers shall have a complete control of the class." (Section 10.2.21.3 A.4, page 164)
"In case there are pupils incapable of holding their places in a line moving at a reasonable speed, provisions shall be made to have them taken care of by the more sturdy pupils, moving independently of the regular line of march." (Section 10.2.21.3 A.4, page 164)
"BFP personnel shall be appointed to assist in the proper execution of all drills." (Section 10.2.21.3 A.5, page 164)
"An alternate assembly point shall be planned for and used during other drills to ensure safety of the children if and when the primary assembly point cannot be used." (Section 10.2.21.3 A.7, page 164)
"Where necessary for drill lines to cross roadways, signs reading "STOP! SCHOOL FIRE DRILL GOING ON" or equivalent shall be carried by assigned personnel to the traffic intersecting points in order to stop the traffic flow during the drill." (Section 10.2.21.3 A.8, page 164)

Two more rules decide the moment a drill turns real. Whenever school authorities find an actual fire, they call the nearest fire station at once. And the recall signal must be one nobody can mistake for another, so that no pupil walks back into a burning building (Section 10.2.21.3 B.2 and B.3, page 164).

Public schools drill more often

The Fire Code's floor is four drills a year. DepEd Order No. 53 of 2022 asks more of public schools: unannounced earthquake and fire drills in the first and third week of every month. The school's own schedule and the six phases of the earthquake drill are on the earthquake drill page.

Source: Department of Education, DepEd Order No. 53, s. 2022: Mandatory Unannounced Earthquake and Fire Drills in Schools (signed 9 December 2022). Read 30 September 2026.

How often a fire drill must be held

The IRR sets a different minimum for each kind of building. The short form in the middle column is ours; the rule beside it is the IRR's wording.

Fire drill frequency by building, Section 10.2.21, pages 163 to 166.
Building	How often	The rule
Schools	At least 4 a year	"There shall be at least four (4) exit drills a year in consultation and coordination with the C/MFM having jurisdiction." Section 10.2.21.3 A.2, page 164.
Day care	At least once a quarter	"Emergency egress and relocation drill shall be conducted at least once every quarter." Section 10.2.21.4 A.1, page 164.
Hospitals and nursing homes	Every quarter, on each shift	"Drills shall be conducted quarterly on each shift." Section 10.2.21.5 C, page 165.
Residential board and care	Every quarter, 2 of them at night	"Emergency egress and relocation drills shall be conducted on a quarterly basis, with not less than two (2) drills conducted during the night when residents are sleeping." Section 10.2.21.6 A.1, page 165.
Hotels (staff)	Twice a year	"Drills of the hotel emergency organization shall be held twice a year." Section 10.2.21.7 A, page 166.
Dormitories, lodging and rooming houses	At least twice a year	"Fire exit drills shall be regularly conducted at least twice a year." Section 10.2.21.7 B, page 166.
Shops, offices and factories with 50 or more people	At least twice a year	"In every mercantile, business or industrial occupancy subject to occupancy by fifty (50) or more persons, fire exit drills shall be held at least twice a year." Section 10.2.21.8, page 166.
Places of assembly (staff)	Required, no number set	"The employees or attendants of places or public assembly shall be trained and drilled in the duties they are to perform in case of fire, panic, or other related emergencies." Section 10.2.21.2 A, page 163.

None of those is for a family home. For a house, the useful drill is walking the route on your own evacuation plan with everyone who lives there.