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Free emergency response plan template
Free emergency response plan template (PDF-ready). Build a WHS reg 43 emergency plan with procedures, warden roles, evacuation diagrams and drills.
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WHS reg 43 emergency plan for a workplace or facility
6 sections
The fields in the printable form, in a view that fits your screen.
Facility & Plan Details
- Facility name and address
- Occupancy / hazards covered
- Prepared by
- Date prepared
- Next review date
- Plan version
Emergency procedures
- Evacuation procedure
- Fire / smoke procedure
- Medical emergency procedure
- Hazardous materials / spill procedure
- Severe weather / site-specific threat
Emergency control organisation
- Chief warden (and deputy) + contact
- Area wardens + contacts
- First aiders + contacts
Assembly and evacuation
- Primary assembly point
- Alternate assembly point
- Roll call / headcount method
- Evacuation diagram reference
Emergency contacts
- Fire / ambulance / police (000)
- Poisons information / utilities
- Key site personnel + after-hours contact
Testing, training and review
- Evacuation drill schedule and last drill date
- Warden training and dates
- Provisions for visitors and contractors
- Review triggers and next review date
Prepared by
Signature · Print name · Role · Date
Approved by
Signature · Print name · Role · Date
General guidance only. Check the form against your equipment manual, site procedures and local requirements before using it.
Short answer
An emergency response plan template records a workplace's emergency procedures, warden roles, assembly points, evacuation diagrams, emergency contacts and drill schedule. Every workplace needs one: regulation 43 of the model WHS Regulations requires the PCBU to prepare, maintain and implement an emergency plan, including evacuation procedures and testing. The regulation sets no drill interval, so you set it from your risks; AS 3745-2010 is the facilities benchmark.
Checked against Model WHS Regulations as at 5 December 2025 (cited within as the Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011) on by the MapTrack templates team. How we check templates
Key takeaways
- WHS reg 43 requires you to prepare, maintain and implement an emergency plan for the workplace.
- The plan must cover all persons on site, including visitors and contractors.
- Include procedures, warden roles, assembly points, evacuation diagrams and emergency contacts.
- AS 3745-2010 is the facilities benchmark for the control organisation and drills.
- Test procedures with drills and review the plan after changes, incidents or gaps.
What is an emergency response plan template?
An emergency response plan is the written set of procedures a workplace follows when something goes wrong, covering evacuation, fire, medical emergencies, hazardous materials releases and severe weather. Under WHS Regulations 2011 reg 43, the person conducting the business or undertaking must prepare, maintain and implement an emergency plan that provides for effective communication, testing of the emergency procedures, and information, training and instruction for relevant workers. The plan has to account for everyone at the workplace, including visitors and contractors who may not know the site.
This template gives you a ready structure so you are not starting from a blank page. It captures emergency procedures, the response team and warden roles, assembly points and evacuation diagrams, emergency contacts, alarm and communication arrangements, and a schedule for drills and training. For facilities, it aligns with AS 3745-2010, the Australian standard that sets out the emergency planning committee, the emergency control organisation and the evacuation diagrams expected in larger or shared buildings.
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Benefits of using this emergency response plan template
- WHS reg 43 compliance: helps you meet the legal duty to prepare, maintain and implement an emergency plan for your workplace.
- Faster safer response: clear procedures mean people act quickly instead of improvising when fire, injury or a chemical release occurs.
- Defined accountability: warden and response team roles remove confusion about who leads, who sweeps areas and who calls 000.
- Covers all persons: prompts you to plan for workers, visitors and contractors, including anyone with mobility or access needs.
- AS 3745 alignment: structures your plan around the emergency control organisation and evacuation diagrams expected in facilities.
- Audit ready evidence: records your procedures, drill dates and training so you can show regulators the plan is current and tested.
What to include in an emergency response plan template
- Site details, occupancy and the hazards the plan addresses, plus the date prepared and the next review date
- Emergency procedures for evacuation, fire, medical emergency, hazardous materials release, severe weather and any site specific threats
- The emergency response team and warden roles, including the chief warden, area wardens and first aiders and their deputies
- Primary and alternate assembly points, with a headcount or roll call method for accounting for everyone
- Evacuation diagrams showing exits, paths of travel, fire equipment, alarms and the you are here position
- Emergency contacts for fire and rescue, ambulance, police, poisons information, utilities and key site personnel
- Communication and alarm arrangements, covering how an emergency is raised and how instructions reach all persons on site
- Provisions for visitors and contractors, including sign in, induction and how they are alerted and guided out
- Testing and training schedule covering evacuation drills, warden training and how the plan is reviewed and updated
How to use this emergency response plan template
Identify the emergencies and people you must plan for
Walk the site and list credible emergencies such as fire, medical events, hazardous chemical releases and severe weather. Have regard to the nature of the work and the hazards present, and count everyone who could be on site including workers, visitors and contractors.
Write the emergency procedures and assign roles
Document what people do for each scenario, from raising the alarm to evacuating and meeting at the assembly point. Appoint a chief warden, area wardens and first aiders with deputies, and set out exactly who calls emergency services and who coordinates the response.
Map exits, assembly points and contacts
Prepare evacuation diagrams that show exits, paths of travel, fire equipment and assembly points, following AS 3745-2010 where it applies. Record emergency service numbers, poisons information and key site contacts, and display the diagrams where workers and visitors can see them.
Train people and communicate the plan
Give workers information, training and instruction so they understand the procedures and their role. Brief contractors and visitors at induction or sign in, confirm the alarm and communication systems work, and make sure everyone knows how an emergency is raised.
Test, review and keep the plan current
Run evacuation drills and exercise the procedures at a frequency you set in the plan, then capture what worked and what failed. Update the plan after drills, incidents, new hazards or layout changes, and re-issue it so the maintained version stays effective.
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How often should you complete this plan?
There is no single legislated drill interval in the WHS Regulations. Reg 43 requires the plan to provide for testing of the emergency procedures, including how often that testing happens, so you set and justify the frequency based on your risks. AS 3745-2010 is the common benchmark for facilities and covers emergency response exercises (Section 7) and skills retention for the emergency control organisation (clause 6.5), so check the current edition for the frequencies it sets. Higher risk or complex sites often test more often.
Beyond scheduled drills, review the plan whenever something material changes. That includes after an actual emergency or near miss, when work, hazards or chemicals change, when the building layout or occupancy changes, when key wardens or first aiders leave, and when a drill exposes a gap. Treating the plan as a living document is how you meet the duty to maintain it so it stays effective, rather than letting it date on a shelf.
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Frequently asked questions
Practical answers about the form, record keeping and using MapTrack.
Yes. Under WHS Regulations 2011 reg 43, the person conducting the business or undertaking must ensure an emergency plan is prepared for the workplace, then maintain it so it stays effective and implement it in an emergency. The plan must provide for effective communication with the person coordinating the response, testing of the emergency procedures, and information, training and instruction for relevant workers. When preparing it you must have regard to the nature of the work and the hazards at the workplace.
Link to this answerAS 3745-2010 Planning for emergencies in facilities is a standard, not law, but it is the recognised benchmark and is widely used to satisfy the reg 43 duty. It sets out the emergency planning committee, the emergency control organisation with a chief warden and area wardens, evacuation diagrams and exercise expectations. Many leases, insurers and facility managers require it. Following the standard is a practical way to show your plan is sound, even though the WHS regulation itself does not name it.
Link to this answerThe plan must account for all persons at the workplace, not just employees. That means visitors, contractors, labour hire workers, deliveries and members of the public who may be present, including anyone with mobility, hearing or access needs. Because these people often do not know the site, plan how they are signed in, alerted to an emergency and guided to exits and assembly points. Wardens and a roll call method help confirm everyone is accounted for after an evacuation.
Link to this answerReg 43 requires testing of the emergency procedures and that you state how often it happens, but it does not fix a number, so you set the frequency from your risks. AS 3745-2010 is the common reference for facilities and covers emergency response exercises and warden skills retention, so check the current edition for the frequencies it sets. Run them more often for higher risk or complex sites, and always retest after a real emergency, a layout change or a drill that exposed a problem.
Link to this answerYes. This emergency response plan template is completely free, with no MapTrack account required. It downloads as a PDF you can keep or print for your site folder and noticeboards. Use it as is or adapt the procedures, warden roles and diagrams to your workplace. If you later want emergency contacts, evacuation diagrams, drills and warden records managed digitally instead of on paper, MapTrack can hold them alongside your assets and inspections. Start free or book a demo to see how.
Link to this answerApplicable regulatory standards
This form is a starting point. Check the current requirements that apply to your equipment, work and location. The form alone does not establish compliance.
| Standard | Edition | Clauses this template relies on | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Model Work Health and Safety RegulationsRequires the emergency plan this template structures, including procedures, testing and worker information and training. | Model WHS Regulations as at 5 December 2025 (cited within as the Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011) |
| Safe Work Australia (drafted by the Parliamentary Counsel's Committee) |
| Planning for emergencies in facilitiesFacilities standard for the emergency control organisation, evacuation diagrams and emergency response exercises. | AS 3745-2010 (incl. Amd 1:2014, Amd 2:2018) |
| Standards AustraliaSold by the publisher |
| Emergency plans fact sheetSafe Work Australia guidance on what an emergency plan should cover; practical advice, not law. | February 2012 fact sheet (web page last updated 8 October 2021) | Whole instrument | Safe Work Australia |
| Model Code of Practice: First aid in the workplaceGuidance on first aid kits and arrangements the plan's medical response section points to. | July 2019 version |
| Safe Work Australia |
Model Work Health and Safety Regulations
Edition: Model WHS Regulations as at 5 December 2025 (cited within as the Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011)
Requires the emergency plan this template structures, including procedures, testing and worker information and training.
- reg 43: A PCBU must prepare, maintain and implement an emergency plan for the workplace, including evacuation and testing.
Safe Work Australia (drafted by the Parliamentary Counsel's Committee)
Planning for emergencies in facilities
Edition: AS 3745-2010 (incl. Amd 1:2014, Amd 2:2018)
Facilities standard for the emergency control organisation, evacuation diagrams and emergency response exercises.
- 5: Emergency control organisation: positions, numbers, authority and duties
- 3.5: Requirements for evacuation diagrams in a facility
- 7: Emergency response exercises, including the ongoing program and debriefing
Standards AustraliaSold by the publisher
Emergency plans fact sheet
Edition: February 2012 fact sheet (web page last updated 8 October 2021)
Safe Work Australia guidance on what an emergency plan should cover; practical advice, not law.
Model Code of Practice: First aid in the workplace
Edition: July 2019 version
Guidance on first aid kits and arrangements the plan's medical response section points to.
- Section 3.1: First aid kits: contents based on a risk assessment, location and maintenance.
Each source was read at its publisher and the page checked on 26 October 2026. The publisher's current text is the authority.
MapTrack publishes this template. The linked authorities publish their own guidance; they haven't endorsed this form.
The numbers behind this emergency response plan template
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- MapTrack Emergency response plan template, https://www.maptrack.com/templates/emergency-response-plan-template
- Reference list
- MapTrack. (2026). Emergency response plan template [Checklist template]. Retrieved from https://www.maptrack.com/templates/emergency-response-plan-template
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<div style="max-width:480px;font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,'Segoe UI',Roboto,sans-serif;border:1px solid #E5E7EB;border-radius:12px;padding:20px;background:#ffffff;">
<p style="font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.05em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#071D49;margin:0;">Free template</p>
<p style="font-size:18px;font-weight:700;color:#071D49;margin:6px 0 0;">Emergency response plan template</p>
<ul style="margin:12px 0 0;padding-left:18px;color:#374151;font-size:14px;line-height:1.6;">
<li style="margin:4px 0;">Site details, occupancy and the hazards the plan addresses, plus the date prepared and the next review date</li>
<li style="margin:4px 0;">Emergency procedures for evacuation, fire, medical emergency, hazardous materials release, severe weather and any site specific threats</li>
<li style="margin:4px 0;">The emergency response team and warden roles, including the chief warden, area wardens and first aiders and their deputies</li>
<li style="margin:4px 0;">Primary and alternate assembly points, with a headcount or roll call method for accounting for everyone</li>
<li style="margin:4px 0;">Evacuation diagrams showing exits, paths of travel, fire equipment, alarms and the you are here position</li>
<li style="margin:4px 0;">Emergency contacts for fire and rescue, ambulance, police, poisons information, utilities and key site personnel</li>
</ul>
<p style="font-size:13px;color:#6B7280;margin:14px 0 0;padding-top:12px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;">Free <a href="https://www.maptrack.com/templates/emergency-response-plan-template" style="color:#071D49;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none;">Emergency response plan template</a> by MapTrack</p>
</div>Free to reuse, including commercially. This template is published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. Copy it, adapt it, put it on your own site or in your own docs. All we ask is that you credit MapTrack with a link back to this page. The snippet above already includes that credit, so if you use it as-is you’re covered.
About the author
Co-Founder & Commercial Director
Jarrod has spent over a decade in technology consulting and asset management, including roles at Accenture (mining and heavy industry) and CGI as an Asset Management Consultant. He co-founded MapTrack and built and scaled its original platform, then rebuilt it with Lachlan and Alex from thousands of customer conversations and 300+ user research sessions with field teams. His consulting background gives him deep insight into the operational and compliance challenges facing asset-intensive Australian businesses.
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