--- title: "Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEP) Australia Guide" description: "How to develop, drill-test, and maintain Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) in Australian buildings: who prepares a PEEP with the occupant, how PEEP information is stored and shared under the Privacy Act, the three PEEP types, and accommodation and NDIS settings." canonical: https://evacpath.com/blog/personal-emergency-evacuation-plans-peep-australia source: https://evacpath.com/blog/personal-emergency-evacuation-plans-peep-australia --- # Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEP) Australia Guide > How to develop, drill-test, and maintain Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) in Australian buildings: who prepares a PEEP with the occupant, how PEEP information is stored and shared under the Privacy Act, the three PEEP types, and accommodation and NDIS settings. _EvacPath Team · 2026-07-14 · 8 min read_ A Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) is the individual action document that describes how one named person who cannot use the standard exit routes independently will get out of a building in an emergency. [AS 3745](https://evacpath.com/blog/evacuation-diagram-requirements-australia) recognises the PEEP as the tool for managing that evacuation, and it is what puts the Emergency Planning Committee duty to identify occupants who need assistance into practice for a single person, on one site, with one set of routes; the wider [legal framework of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and AS 3745](https://evacpath.com/blog/accessibility-evacuation-planning-people-with-disability) sits behind it. A PEEP is developed with the person, not for them, starting from a consultation meeting that covers the nature of the impairment and the assistance they will accept, and the record of that meeting stays with the EPC. Because a PEEP holds personal information about someone's disability or medical condition, it is treated as sensitive under the Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles: the signed plan sits in a restricted EPC register, the buddy holds only the procedure section rather than the full medical context, and fire brigade liaison summaries describe location and assistance needs without naming the condition unless the person consents. In [NDIS accommodation](https://evacpath.com/blog/evacuation-diagrams-for-ndis-disability-facilities) the Quality and Safeguards Commission expects the PEEP to be referenced from the participant's care plan and stored under the same access controls as other personal documents. - Standard PEEP: a named plan for regular occupants, including staff with disclosed accessibility needs, students with documented requirements, and residents in disability or aged-care accommodation. - Generic Emergency Evacuation Plan (GEEP): a pre-approved template a warden activates for visitors and short-stay occupants who present with an evacuation need on the day. - Dynamic PEEP: a plan that changes with the resident or patient over time, used in healthcare, aged-care, and SDA settings where mobility, cognition, or equipment dependency shifts. Most audit findings against AS 3745 emergency planning are not gaps in policy. They are gaps in PEEP coverage, PEEP currency, and the link between the PEEP and the building evacuation diagram. This guide is the operational companion: what types of PEEP exist, how to develop one, how to test it, and what to maintain after the document is signed. EvacPath has delivered AS 3745-aligned diagrams for care-sector and NDIS settings, from a care-provider office through to a 4-unit NDIS SDA build (see the [case studies](https://evacpath.com/case-studies)), and our diagrams show accessible routes, refuge areas, and evacuation chair locations so a PEEP can reference them by code. [Pricing](https://evacpath.com/pricing) starts at A$70 per diagram. ## Three PEEP types and when each applies Australian practice recognises three working PEEP types. They are not formally named in AS 3745 itself, but they reflect how buildings actually run their planning. - Standard PEEP. Named, individual document for a known regular occupant. Used for staff with disclosed accessibility needs, students with documented requirements, and residents in disability or aged-care accommodation. The Standard PEEP names the person, the route, the buddy, and the equipment. - Generic Emergency Evacuation Plan, sometimes called a GEEP. A pre-approved plan for visitors and short-stay occupants who present with an evacuation need on the day. The GEEP exists as a template the warden activates at reception, paired with a visitor lanyard or sign-in flag. Used in hotels, conference venues, hospitals (outpatients), retail centres, and government public-access buildings. - Dynamic PEEP. A plan that changes with the resident or patient over time. Used in healthcare wards, [aged care facilities](https://evacpath.com/blog/evacuation-diagrams-for-aged-care-facilities), and SDA accommodation where mobility, cognition, or medical equipment dependency shifts. The Dynamic PEEP has a documented review trigger tied to the care plan, not a fixed annual schedule. A building can need all three at once. A childcare centre may have Standard PEEPs for two staff members with mobility needs, GEEPs activated for a parent visitor on crutches, and a Dynamic PEEP for a child whose care plan changes through the year. The Emergency Plan should name which types are in use and where the templates live. ## The PEEP development process step by step A workable PEEP development sequence used across Australian sites: - Identification. The [Emergency Planning Committee](https://evacpath.com/blog/how-to-set-up-emergency-planning-committee), HR, or care team flags a person who needs a PEEP. Triggers include onboarding disclosure, return-to-work after injury, care-plan update, or a near-miss in a recent drill. - Consultation meeting. The PEEP is developed with the person, not for them. Initial meeting covers the nature of the impairment, what the person can and cannot do unaided, what assistance is acceptable, and what concerns they have about evacuation. Privacy applies: the meeting record stays with the EPC. - Site walk-through. The person walks the routes with a warden or facilities manager. The walk surfaces what plan-view assessment misses: door swing direction, ramp gradient under load, lift call-button reach, surface grip when wet. - Route selection. Primary route, secondary route, refuge area if multi-storey. Routes are tied to the building evacuation diagram so the warden and the person can both see them on the same artefact. - Equipment audit. Evacuation chair, hearing-impaired notification device, wheelchair-friendly assembly area surface, communication aid for the assembly point. Each item is logged with a location and a responsible owner. - Buddy assignment. One primary buddy, one secondary, both trained on the specific PEEP. The buddy is not chosen for proximity alone, training and availability during typical occupancy hours matter more. - Sign-off. The person, the buddy, and the EPC chair all sign. The signed PEEP enters the document register with a review date. A PEEP that skips the consultation meeting and the walk-through is a desk exercise. It will not survive the first drill. ## What an operational PEEP contains The accessibility guide lists the headline PEEP fields. The operational version goes deeper on the assistance procedure itself. A working PEEP template should capture, at minimum: - Person identifier (name, role, work area or room number, photo if consent given). - Nature of the assistance need, in the person own words where possible. Avoid clinical labels that make the document feel like a medical record. - Trigger conditions. What signals the buddy to act: alarm, building announcement, verbal direction from a warden. - Step-by-step assistance procedure. What the buddy says, where they stand, what they do, in sequence. - Primary route, with reference to the building diagram (e.g. "follow Route 2 from Diagram 03 to Assembly Area A"). - Secondary route and the conditions that trigger switching to it. - Refuge area or hold point, if used. Procedure for confirming arrival to the warden and for waiting safely. - Equipment list with locations: evacuation chair, transfer board, communication aid. - Communication plan. How the person is alerted in the alarm conditions (visual strobe, vibrating pager, tap on the shoulder). - Reunification at assembly. How the person checks in, how a missing-person report is raised if they do not arrive. - Buddy roster. Primary buddy, secondary buddy, contact methods, training currency dates. - Review date and review trigger conditions. - Sign-off block. Person, buddy, EPC chair, date. ## Buddy systems that hold up under stress The buddy is the load-bearing element of any PEEP. A few patterns that fail in audits and drills: - Single-buddy assignments with no backup. The buddy takes leave or moves desks and the PEEP is silently broken. - Buddy chosen for proximity but not trained on the equipment. Untrained evacuation-chair operation can injure both the operator and the occupant. - Buddy who works a different shift to the person. Common in hospitals and 24-hour facilities where the day shift signs off the PEEP and the night shift inherits it without orientation. - Buddy with their own evacuation need. A buddy who cannot use the stairs unaided cannot be a primary buddy for someone else who cannot use the stairs. A workable rule: every PEEP names two buddies trained on the equipment, present during the standard occupancy hours of the person, and physically able to carry out the procedure. The [warden training requirements](https://evacpath.com/blog/evacuation-warden-training-requirements-australia) include PEEP-specific drills as a recurring item, not a one-off induction. ## Aligning the PEEP with the building evacuation diagram The PEEP should reference specific diagrams by their code or location. A PEEP that says "evacuate to the assembly area" without identifying which assembly area on which diagram leaves the buddy guessing under stress. Where the building has accessible routes, refuge areas, evacuation chair locations, or warden intercommunication points, the diagram should show them. AS 3745 lists these as recommended optional elements. Where a refuge area or evacuation chair is in use anywhere in the PEEP register, treat the corresponding diagram element as effectively required. Diagram mounting also matters. Mounting at the lower end of the 1,200 to 1,600 mm window (closer to 1,200 mm) reduces friction for wheelchair users reading the diagram from a seated position. The same applies in [SDA accommodation](https://evacpath.com/industries/sda-accommodation) where most occupants will read the diagram seated. ## Drill-testing the PEEP A PEEP is unverified until it has run end-to-end at least once in a drill. The drill does not need to be a full building evacuation. A targeted PEEP drill with the person, the buddy, and a warden observer is enough to surface the assistance procedure issues. Things a PEEP drill commonly catches that desk review misses: - Door closer pressure. A spring-closed fire door that an able-bodied warden opens easily can be a stop point for a wheelchair user without the buddy positioned to hold it. - Lift response time. The lift the PEEP nominates (where emergency lift use is permitted) responds slower than the route plan assumes during a building-wide alarm. - Refuge area communication. The warden intercommunication point is too high, or the procedure for raising the brigade does not match what the warden actually does. - Assembly area surface. Loose gravel or kerb steps that block the wheelchair user from reaching the muster point named in the plan. - Buddy availability. The buddy is in a meeting on a different floor at the time the drill runs. Without a present secondary buddy, the PEEP fails on the spot. Findings from PEEP drills go back into the document. The next drill confirms the fix. Drill records (date, persons present, findings, actions) become part of the audit trail described below. ## Review and update triggers PEEPs should have both a fixed review schedule and a triggered review process. Fixed: at least annually for Standard PEEPs, more frequently for Dynamic PEEPs in clinical or care settings. Triggered: any of the following events should prompt an immediate review. - Change in the person mobility, sensory, cognitive, or medical condition. - Change in the building layout, exit routes, refuge areas, or evacuation chair locations. - Change of buddy or change of buddy availability. - New equipment installed (lift, alarm system, evacuation chair) or existing equipment removed. - Change of work location or working hours for the person. - Findings from a drill that indicate a procedural gap. - Audit by an external assessor, fire safety auditor, or NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission inspection. ## Privacy and PEEP storage A PEEP contains personal information about a person disability or medical condition. Treat it as sensitive. The Privacy Act 1988 and the Australian Privacy Principles apply. Workable storage practice: signed PEEPs sit in a restricted EPC document register. The buddy holds a working copy of the procedure section only, not the full medical context. The warden register references the existence of the PEEP and the buddy assignment, not the clinical detail. Fire brigade liaison documents (where used) summarise location and assistance needs without naming the condition unless the person consents. In NDIS settings, the Quality and Safeguards Commission expects PEEPs to be referenced from the participant care plan and stored alongside other personal documents under the same access controls. ## Common PEEP gaps that audits find A short list of recurring gaps observed in real-world AS 3745 audits, drawn from published audit case studies and the kinds of corrections fire safety auditors typically require: - PEEPs exist for staff but no GEEP exists for visitors with declared accessibility needs. - PEEP routes reference a building diagram that has since been re-issued, leaving the route descriptions out of sync. - Buddy training currency is undocumented or expired. - Evacuation chairs are listed in PEEPs but the chairs themselves have not been service-checked. - Refuge areas are listed in PEEPs but not shown on the building diagrams. - No record of any PEEP drill in the past 12 months. - Dynamic PEEPs in care settings have not been updated despite a documented care plan change. - PEEP documents are stored on a shared drive with no access control, or printed and pinned on a wall (privacy violation). Each gap has a fix that costs less than the audit finding. The pattern across these gaps is the same: PEEPs are written, signed, and then not maintained. Building the maintenance into the EPC standing agenda (PEEP register review as a recurring item) closes most of them. ## PEEPs and the building evacuation diagram The diagram is the public artefact every occupant sees. The PEEP is the private artefact the named occupant and their buddy work from. The two have to agree on routes, refuge areas, and assembly points, or the PEEP is fiction. EvacPath produces AS 3745-aligned [evacuation diagrams](https://evacpath.com/blog/evacuation-diagram-requirements-australia) for Australian businesses, including diagrams that explicitly show accessible routes, refuge areas, evacuation chair locations, and warden intercommunication points where present. We also produce diagrams for [NDIS facilities](https://evacpath.com/blog/evacuation-diagrams-for-ndis-disability-facilities), [SDA accommodation](https://evacpath.com/industries/sda-accommodation), [hospitals](https://evacpath.com/blog/evacuation-diagrams-for-hospitals-healthcare-facilities), [aged care](https://evacpath.com/blog/evacuation-diagrams-for-aged-care-facilities), [schools](https://evacpath.com/blog/evacuation-diagrams-for-schools-universities), and [childcare centres](https://evacpath.com/blog/evacuation-diagrams-for-childcare-centres) where PEEPs are most often in active use. Send your floor plan and notes on accessible routes and refuge areas through the /get-started page. We deliver print-ready PDFs in 3 to 5 business days. Pricing starts at A$70 per diagram, with volume pricing for multi-site portfolios.