An emergency assembly area is the open place where everyone goes at the alarm to be counted, and it must hold the whole population standing, clear of any building that may burn or fall. For 150 people at 0.5-0.7 m² each that is 75-105 m², so the layout guide’s 200-400 m² plaza is enough if it is far enough from the hall and houses, and a second point on the other side of the settlement covers a blocked route.
Part of Settlement Layout for 150 People
An emergency assembly area is a designated open space where residents gather after an alarm so that everyone can be accounted for and directed.
An Assembly Point Is Only Useful If People Are Counted There
The layout guide places an emergency assembly point at the communal green, large enough for the entire population. The fire guide’s last response step is a head count at the assembly point, and its first two are to sound the alarm and alert occupants (Fire Prevention in Settlements). The point is a place to find out who is missing, not only a place to stand.
Worked Example: Area And Distance
Inputs: 150 people; the gathering-hall guide’s standing allowance of 0.5-0.7 m² per person; plaza 200-400 m².
- Area needed: 150 × 0.5 = 75 m² to 150 × 0.7 = 105 m².
- Plaza margin: 200 ÷ 105 ≈ 1.9 to 400 ÷ 75 ≈ 5.3 times the area needed.
Distance matters as much as area. Using the method in Fire Breaks and Building Spacing, a fully burning wall 10 m long and 3 m high at a flame temperature of 1,000 C delivers about 6 kW/m² at 15 m and about 3 kW/m² at 20 m. The plaza is therefore a sound assembly point for a house fire, but a plaza edge 15 m from the gathering hall is still exposed to about 6 kW/m² if the hall is the building burning, so people must be able to move well beyond that. That is why a second point is needed.
What You Need
- A primary and a secondary point, on opposite sides of the settlement
- A roster by household, kept by a named warden for each cluster
- An alarm that is distinct from the security alert (Signal Systems and Communication)
- Clear paths from every cluster to the points
Method
Step 1: Pick the primary point on open, level ground away from tall buildings and fuel, upwind of the likely fires where possible.
Step 2: Pick the secondary point in another direction, for a blocked route or a fire at the first.
Step 3: Assign a warden per cluster with a household list.
Step 4: On the alarm, each warden leads their cluster to the point, reports present and missing, and the fire team uses the report to know where to search.
Step 5: Drill twice a year, at night once. A drill that never happens in the dark does not test the real case.
Common Mistakes
- Counting by individuals rather than households — a missing child is found faster from a list.
- A single assembly point beside the hall.
- Assembling on dry grass in wildfire country.
Safety
Do not re-enter to search
People who go back into a burning building to look for someone die in it. Report the missing person to the fire team and let a trained crew decide whether entry is possible. Keep the plaza clear of carts and woodpiles so that a crowd can move without a crush.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Emergency Shelter Capability — where people sleep afterwards
- Combine with: Communal Zone — the plaza itself