Evacuation plans for hospitality and restaurants

The hospitality sector falls under several ERP classifications. Hotels and holiday residences with accommodation are classified as ERP type O (articles O 1 to O 31 of the fire-safety regulation). Restaurants, brasseries, cafés and tearooms without accommodation are classified as ERP type N (articles N 1 to N 19). A hospitality complex with restaurant, bar and rooms can therefore fall under both classifications for its different activities.

Hotels (type O) impose reinforced rules due to the 'sleeping accommodation' nature: fire-resistant compartmentalisation of rooms, smoke control of corridors, category-A SSI for major establishments, and a mandatory evacuation plan in every room per NF X 08-070.

Restaurants (type N) face specific kitchen-fire protection requirements (extraction hoods, exhaust ducts, gas installations), smoke control of large dining rooms and emergency-exit identification. The evacuation plan is posted in the dining room, near the till and the exits.

One of the major specifics of type O is the obligation to post an evacuation plan in every room, generally behind the entrance door. This A4 plan shows the room's position ('You are here'), evacuation routes to the nearest staircases, instructions in case of fire and the emergency phone number.

For a 50-room hotel, that means 50 plans to print and update with every change. With Fabrik, you design one plan per floor, export it as a high-resolution PDF for A4 printing, and the system automatically generates the per-room version with the 'You are here' marker for each room — saving considerable time during renovations or layout changes.

For hotel-restaurants, hospitality complexes and holiday villages, several plans coexist: a global plan of the establishment, a per-floor plan, a per-room plan, a restaurant plan. All must be consistent and up to date, including when part of the establishment is closed for renovation.

In a restaurant, the evacuation plan represents the dining room, kitchen, service zones, washrooms and covered terrace where applicable. It highlights the emergency exits (often secondary in addition to the main entrance), fire hose reels, extinguishers (especially those suited to kitchen fires — class F), manual call points and gas signage.

For brasseries, fine-dining restaurants and high-volume venues, public occupancy is calculated based on the accessible surface (1 person per m² in restaurants), to which staff are added. The ERP category (1 to 5) follows, along with the SSI, smoke control and exit requirements.