A fire warden (also called an emergency warden) is a worker given set jobs in the emergency plan, such as raising the alarm, guiding people out and checking everyone is accounted for. The Queensland WHS Regulation does not use the title, but it requires an emergency plan with evacuation procedures, testing, and training for the workers who carry them out.
This guide explains what fire wardens do in a small Queensland workplace, where the role comes from in the law, and what is common practice rather than a legal rule. It also has a warden checklist for an evacuation drill. For what the emergency plan itself must contain, see our guide to emergency plan requirements in Queensland.
Does Queensland law require a fire warden?
We searched the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld) and the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld) for the words "fire warden" and "warden". Neither uses them. So the title "fire warden" is not defined in either, and neither says a business must appoint one or sets a number of wardens.
What the Regulation does require is in section 43 of the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld). A person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) at a workplace must ensure an emergency plan is prepared that provides for:
- emergency procedures, including an effective response, evacuation procedures, notifying emergency service organisations at the earliest opportunity, and medical treatment and assistance, and effective communication between the person the PCBU has authorised to coordinate the emergency response and everyone at the workplace;
- testing of the emergency procedures, including how often; and
- information, training and instruction to relevant workers in implementing the emergency procedures.
The PCBU must also keep the plan effective (section 43(2)) and implement it in an emergency (section 43(4)). In preparing and maintaining it, the PCBU must have regard to all relevant matters, including the nature of the work and hazards, the size and location of the workplace, and the number and make-up of the people there (section 43(3)). Not sure whether that is you? See what is a PCBU.
In practice, someone has to do the evacuating, the head count and the communicating. A fire or emergency warden is the usual name for the worker who does that.
Where wardens appear in the approved codes
An approved code of practice is practical guidance rather than law in itself. But section 26A of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld) requires a PCBU to comply with an approved code, or to manage the hazards and risks in a way that is different but provides an equivalent or higher standard of health and safety. A court can also rely on a code when deciding what is reasonably practicable (section 275 of the Act).
Two Queensland approved codes we checked mention wardens:
- The Managing the work environment and facilities Code of Practice 2021 says emergency procedures should, where relevant, address allocating roles and responsibilities for specific actions in an emergency to people with appropriate skills, and gives "appointment of area wardens" as an example. Its checklist asks whether someone with appropriate skills has been made responsible for specific emergency actions, again giving an area warden as the example.
- The Managing risks of hazardous chemicals in the workplace Code of Practice 2021 says emergency procedures should include actions to be taken by prescribed persons such as fire wardens, for example how to evacuate the workplace or use fire extinguishers. It also suggests a one-page emergency procedure that identifies the first aid officers and emergency wardens.
The work environment code also says evacuation procedures should be displayed in a prominent place, and that workers must be instructed and trained in them.
What does a fire warden do?
The law does not list warden duties, so what follows is common practice that you adapt to your own plan. A warden’s job is whatever your emergency plan gives them. In a small Queensland workplace that typically means:
- Know the plan. Exits, routes, assembly point, alarm, and who the authorised emergency coordinator is.
- Help raise the alarm. Make sure emergency services are called at the earliest opportunity, as section 43(1)(a)(iii) of the Regulation puts it.
- Get people out. Walk the area, direct people to the nearest safe exit, and help anyone who needs assistance to evacuate. The work environment code lists workers or other persons who need special assistance as something procedures should address.
- Look after visitors, shift workers and tradespeople. The code says procedures should account for all the people who may be at the workplace, not just regular staff.
- Do a head count at the assembly point and report to the emergency coordinator and to emergency services when they arrive.
- Do only what is safe. A warden is not a firefighter. Using an extinguisher is only an option where the plan says so, the person is trained, and it is safe to try. See how to properly use a fire extinguisher and types of fire extinguishers.
- Stop re-entry until the coordinator or emergency services say it is safe.
How many fire wardens do you need?
None of the provisions we read sets a number or ratio. Section 43(3) of the Regulation says the PCBU must have regard to the size and location of the workplace, the nature of the hazards and the number of people, so the answer depends on your site. As common practice, small businesses often think about:
- at least one warden and a deputy, so the role is covered when someone is away;
- cover for each shift, floor, building or work area, so a warden can reach everyone quickly;
- how many visitors or contractors are usually on site; and
- a warden who is able to leave their normal task straight away, not someone working alone on a machine.
Treat these as starting points, not rules.
Fire warden training
Section 43(1)(c) of the Regulation requires the emergency plan to provide for information, training and instruction to relevant workers in implementing the emergency procedures. If your plan gives a worker warden tasks, that worker is likely to be one of the relevant workers. Section 28 of the Act also requires workers to comply, so far as they are reasonably able, with reasonable instructions given by the PCBU, and to co-operate with reasonable health and safety policies and procedures that have been notified to them.
What a warden course covers, how long it lasts and how often it is repeated are not set out in the provisions we read, so treat course content and refresher timing as common practice. For small businesses, it commonly means an induction on the plan, a walk-through of exits and the assembly point, and practice during drills. If you work in a multi-tenanted building, check what the building owner or manager already runs for tenants.
Whatever you decide, record it. A simple free Employee Training Register shows who has been briefed, when, and who still needs a refresher.
Shared buildings and building fire safety rules
The work environment code says a plan for a workplace shared by several businesses, such as a shopping centre, construction site or multi-tenanted office building, should be coordinated by the person with management or control of the workplace (it names the property manager, principal contractor or landlord as examples), in consultation with all tenants or businesses there. If you rent space, ask what the building already has before you write your own plan.
Building and fire safety rules may set requirements for a particular building, such as alarms, exits and occupancy. This guide does not cover those rules and we have not checked them. Check your building’s fire safety arrangements with the owner or manager, and ask Queensland Fire Department for advice about fire safety at your premises.
Warden checklist for an evacuation drill
The work environment code says procedures should include regular evacuation practice drills at least every 12 months, and that procedures must be tested in accordance with the emergency plan. Use this checklist as a starting point and adapt it to your own site.
Before the drill
- Confirm who is the emergency coordinator and who the wardens and deputies are today.
- Check the site plan, exit signs and routes are visible and the exits are clear.
- Print the current list of workers, visitors and contractors, and the emergency contact details. Our free Employee Emergency Contact Register Template is a starting point.
- Tell people a drill is happening, or decide in advance that it will be unannounced, and plan for anyone who needs help to evacuate.
During the drill
- Sound the alarm and note the time.
- Check each area and send people to the nearest safe exit. Close doors if the plan says to.
- Help anyone who needs assistance, and keep visitors and contractors with someone.
- Go to the assembly point, count heads against your list and report any missing person to the coordinator.
- Do not let anyone go back inside.
After the drill
- Note the total time, what went well and what did not: blocked exits, unheard alarms, confusion about who was in charge.
- Fix the problems and update the plan so it stays effective (section 43(2) of the Regulation).
- Record who took part and any training given.
- Talk to workers about the result. The work environment code says workers and their health and safety representatives must be consulted when the plan is reviewed and, if necessary, revised.
Templates and related guides
If you do not yet have written emergency procedures, the Emergency Management Policy & Procedure Template (Word) is a starting point to adapt to your own site. More options are in our fire WHS templates.
For more reading, see what to do in an emergency: 11 steps to be prepared, first aid requirements in Queensland and emergency plan requirements in Queensland.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Check the current law or talk to Workplace Health and Safety Queensland for your situation.
Templates for this job
Ready-to-edit Word and Excel templates for Queensland workplaces.
