---
title: "Evacuation Diagrams for Vet Clinics and Animal Facilities AU"
description: "A practical guide to evacuation diagram requirements for veterinary clinics, animal hospitals, boarding kennels, and large animal practices in Australia. Covers AS 3745 obligations, animal-specific evacuation challenges, S8 drug storage, radiation areas, and after-hours operations."
canonical: https://evacpath.com/blog/evacuation-diagrams-for-veterinary-clinics-animal-facilities
source: https://evacpath.com/blog/evacuation-diagrams-for-veterinary-clinics-animal-facilities
---

# Evacuation Diagrams for Vet Clinics and Animal Facilities AU

> A practical guide to evacuation diagram requirements for veterinary clinics, animal hospitals, boarding kennels, and large animal practices in Australia. Covers AS 3745 obligations, animal-specific evacuation challenges, S8 drug storage, radiation areas, and after-hours operations.

_EvacPath Team · 2026-04-07 · 10 min read_

Veterinary clinics and animal facilities operate in environments that present challenges that are almost entirely absent from standard commercial buildings. Animals under anaesthesia, kennels full of boarding patients, controlled drug storage, X-ray rooms with radiation considerations, and oxygen cylinders all need to be factored into evacuation planning.

Under [AS 3745](https://evacpath.com/blog/evacuation-diagram-requirements-australia):2010 and applicable WHS legislation, any facility with workers or members of the public is required to have a documented emergency plan and compliant evacuation diagrams. Veterinary practices, animal hospitals, boarding kennels, and large animal facilities are no exception. This guide covers what vet practice owners and facility managers need to know.

## Unique Challenges of Evacuating with Animals

Evacuating a veterinary facility is not simply a matter of directing people to the exits. Animals, especially those in surgical recovery, under sedation, or in pain, cannot be left unattended during an emergency, but moving them quickly also presents risks. A cat recovering from surgery cannot simply be carried out by a receptionist; a large dog in post-operative care may require multiple staff members and specialist equipment to move safely.

These realities do not override the obligation to protect human life first, but they do mean that evacuation procedures for veterinary facilities need to be more detailed than those of a typical office. The facility's emergency plan should address which animals can be moved quickly, which require clinical staff to move safely, and what the protocol is for animals that cannot be moved within the evacuation timeframe.

Common animal-related evacuation challenges in veterinary settings include:

- Animals in surgical recovery that cannot be safely moved without clinical supervision
- Sedated or anaesthetised patients that require manual airway management during transport
- Kennel and cattery patients that may panic, bite, or escape during emergency evacuations
- Large animals in equine or livestock facilities that require specialised handling equipment and clear pathways
- Exotic and avian species that are sensitive to temperature, stress, and handling
- Animals in isolation wards with infectious disease concerns that complicate co-location at assembly areas
- Aggressive animals that may endanger staff during rapid evacuation

## Legal Obligations Under WHS and AS 3745

Veterinary practices are workplaces and are subject to the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (or equivalent state legislation) in the same way as any other employer. Under WHS regulations, all workplaces must have emergency plans that are regularly tested. AS 3745:2010 provides the recognised standard for evacuation planning and diagram preparation.

The duty holder, typically the practice owner, principal vet, or facility manager, is responsible for ensuring that an [Emergency Planning Committee](https://evacpath.com/blog/how-to-set-up-emergency-planning-committee) (EPC) is established or that the emergency planning function is fulfilled, that evacuation diagrams are current and compliant, and that all staff are trained in emergency procedures.

For animal boarding facilities that operate 24 hours a day, emergency planning must account for all operational periods, including overnight and weekend shifts when staffing levels may be reduced. The WHS obligation does not diminish outside of standard business hours.

## What Evacuation Diagrams Must Show in a Veterinary Facility

Veterinary practice floor plans include several areas and features that must be clearly shown on evacuation diagrams beyond the standard AS 3745 mandatory elements:

- Surgery and procedure rooms, including the primary operating theatre
- Recovery wards and intensive care areas
- Kennel and cattery areas, with exit routes that allow animal evacuation if feasible
- Isolation ward location, clearly labelled
- X-ray room and any other radiation-controlled areas
- Drug storage room, particularly Schedule 8 (S8) controlled drug safe location
- Oxygen cylinder storage and any other compressed gas cylinder locations
- Autoclave and sterilisation room
- Diagnostic laboratory area if present
- Staff-only and restricted access areas distinguished from public-accessible zones
- Reception, waiting room, and client consultation room exit routes
- First aid kit and defibrillator locations
- Emergency contact numbers including practice after-hours line and poisons information

The distinction between staff-only areas and areas accessible to clients is important for veterinary practices. During an emergency, directing a client into a surgery corridor or past a drug storage room creates both safety and security risks. Diagrams and procedures should direct clients via reception and waiting area exits, while staff routes may utilise internal corridors to reach patients before evacuating.

## X-Ray Rooms and Radiation Considerations

Veterinary X-ray rooms are controlled radiation areas. In the event of a fire or other emergency, these rooms should be treated similarly to any other restricted-access area: people should evacuate and not re-enter without authorisation from emergency services.

Evacuation diagrams do not need to include radiation shielding diagrams or regulatory signage, but the X-ray room location should be clearly identified on the diagram so that fire wardens and emergency services are aware of its location. Lead-lined walls can affect search and rescue operations if firefighters are not aware of a room's position and purpose.

Where a practice uses portable X-ray equipment that may be stored in different locations, the fixed storage location for the equipment and any lead-lined primary use area should still be indicated on the diagram.

## Schedule 8 Drug Storage and Oxygen Cylinders

Veterinary practices hold Schedule 8 (S8) controlled drugs, including ketamine, morphine, and other opioids, under strict regulatory conditions. These are stored in a locked, fixed safe typically bolted to the wall or floor. In an emergency, the safety of staff comes first and the drug safe should not be a reason for any individual to delay evacuation.

However, the location of S8 storage should be on the evacuation diagram so that emergency services, particularly police, who may attend any incident involving S8 drugs, are aware of the room and safe location. This is relevant for post-incident access and security.

Oxygen cylinders used in anaesthesia present a fire risk if exposed to heat. Cylinder storage areas should be clearly shown on evacuation diagrams. Where cylinders are stored externally, this location should appear on the site overview or external area of the diagram. Full cylinders in storage must be secured upright and, in the event of a fire, emergency services should be notified of their location and quantity.

## After-Hours and 24/7 Operations

Emergency animal hospitals and 24-hour veterinary clinics present specific after-hours challenges. Overnight, a facility may be staffed by a single vet or nurse, with a full ward of inpatients. Emergency planning must address scenarios where only one or two staff members are on site.

In this context, a lone worker cannot both manage an emergency and move multiple inpatients. The emergency plan should establish clear priorities: activate the alarm, contact emergency services, and then assess whether any animals can be safely moved within the evacuation timeframe. Evacuation diagrams should be placed at key staff stations, the nursing station, treatment room, and reception, so that lone workers can quickly locate exits and emergency equipment without needing to search.

For overnight boarding facilities such as standalone kennels and cattery businesses, similar principles apply. If a single carer is responsible for forty animals overnight, expecting them to individually move each animal to safety before evacuating is not a realistic procedure. The emergency plan must address this honestly, and diagrams should make exit routes and alarm activation points immediately clear to anyone working alone.

## Rural Large Animal Practices vs Urban Small Animal Clinics

Large animal veterinary practices, equine clinics, livestock facilities, and mixed rural practices, have very different physical footprints from suburban small animal clinics. A large animal facility may have loose boxes, covered yards, crush areas, and vehicle access laneways that all need to be reflected in evacuation planning.

Horses and cattle cannot be quickly moved through standard doorways and are highly reactive to smoke, fire, and the smell of burning. Emergency procedures for large animal facilities should address how to release animals from stalls or yards, where they will be secured outside, and how to prevent them from re-entering a burning building. Evacuation diagrams for these facilities should show all stable, yard, and holding areas, as well as the gates and laneways that provide emergency egress.

Urban small animal clinics in strip shopping centres or suburban commercial buildings face a different set of constraints: limited space, shared building exits, and proximity to other tenants. In a shared building, the clinic's evacuation diagram must be consistent with the building's overall emergency plan. If the building manager has an overarching diagram for the whole building, the clinic's individual diagram should not contradict it, particularly around assembly areas and exit routes.

## Emergency Animal Containment and Coordination with Authorities

In a major emergency such as a building fire, released or escaped animals create secondary risks for emergency services and the public. Dogs running loose on a suburban street during a fire evacuation present a road safety hazard. Escaped large animals near a highway are potentially fatal.

Coordination with local animal management services, council rangers, the RSPCA, or state-based animal welfare agencies, should be considered as part of the facility's emergency plan for large-scale incidents. Contact details for the nearest RSPCA emergency line and council animal management service should appear on the evacuation diagram or in the emergency contact list that accompanies it.

For routine emergencies such as a fire in one section of the building, containment rather than mass release is usually the better approach: moving animals to a part of the building away from the hazard, or to a secured external area such as a fenced yard, before evacuating staff. Evacuation diagrams can support this by clearly showing internal zones and the connections between them, helping staff make rapid decisions about movement routes.

## Practical Tips for Vet Practice Owners and Managers

Getting evacuation diagrams right for a veterinary practice is not complicated, but it does require attention to the specific features of the facility. A few practical steps make a significant difference:

- Ensure your floor plan is current, include any recent fit-out changes such as new kennel runs, relocated X-ray equipment, or added treatment areas
- Mark all gas cylinder locations, including oxygen and anaesthetic gas storage, on the plan before submitting it for diagram preparation
- Confirm which areas are staff-only and which are accessible to clients so that client exit routes can be shown separately from staff routes
- Place diagrams in the treatment room and surgical prep area as well as at the main entrance. These are the areas where staff are most likely to need them during an emergency
- Review diagrams after any fit-out or when drug storage or gas equipment locations change
- Include after-hours emergency contacts on the diagram, not just the standard 000 number
- Run a fire drill at least once a year that includes after-hours or skeleton-staff scenarios

## Get Evacuation Diagrams for Your Veterinary Practice

EvacPath creates AS 3745-compliant evacuation diagrams for veterinary clinics, animal hospitals, boarding kennels, and large animal facilities across Australia. We account for surgery areas, kennel wards, X-ray rooms, S8 drug storage, oxygen cylinder locations, and the distinction between staff and client zones.

Send us your floor plan and we will deliver print-ready PDFs in 3 to 5 business days. No site visit required. Pricing starts at A$70 per diagram. Basic Package A$280 for up to 4 diagrams, Standard Package A$420 for up to 8 diagrams.