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Emergency Evacuation Routes

When a fire, flood or other hazard blocks the usual way out, a planned second route can save time. Routes are easiest to follow when people have walked them.

What is an evacuation route on a farm?

An evacuation route is the path people take to get out of a building, a work area or the farm itself, to a safe place. A good plan has a main route and a second route in case the first is blocked.

Farms have extra challenges: long distances, gates, livestock, soft ground and equipment. Routes need to work in the dark, in bad weather and for people of different ages and abilities.

Update the map each time you build, remove a fence, or add a gate. A map that is a year out of date may lead people the wrong way. Keep the master copy with your written plan.

How do I plan routes for buildings?

Walk through each barn, shop and house and look for exits. Keep doors and paths clear of stored items, equipment and animal pens. Make sure doors open easily from the inside.

Post simple maps showing exits and the meeting place. Local fire officials can inspect your buildings and advise on exits and lighting. Local codes may apply, so ask them.

Make sure exit signs, lights and reflectors work, and replace batteries on a schedule. Ask your fire department about alarms and extinguishers suited to your buildings.

• Two exits from each work area where possible
• Doors that open from the inside
• Clear paths, no stored items
• Lights or reflective markers for night

How do I plan routes off the farm?

Choose at least two roads away from the farm and decide which to use for different hazards. A flood might close low roads, while a wildfire might close the road that leads toward the hills.

Check routes with your county emergency manager and listen to official instructions, because roads may be closed or unsafe. Keep fuel in vehicles when hazards are expected.

Prepare for the road being blocked by people and vehicles during a large event. Leave early, follow instructions from officials and avoid shortcuts through fields unless they are known to be safe.

Where should we meet?

Choose a meeting place away from buildings and hazards, and a second one farther away. The point is to count everyone quickly and know who is missing.

Assign someone to take a headcount and report it to responders. Tell responders if you cannot find a person and where they were last seen. Do not go back in to look.

Teach everyone to stay at the meeting place, even if they are worried about a pet or a family member. Responders will coordinate any search.

• A primary and a backup meeting place
• A person who takes the headcount
• A rule never to go back inside

How do I include people who need help?

Think about children, older relatives, guests and anyone with a disability or injury. Assign a person to help each one, and keep equipment such as mobility aids easy to reach.

Ask people directly what they need, and write down plans that work for them.

People may need extra time to move. Consider stairs, uneven ground and distance, and think about a way to help someone move quickly and safely.

How do we practice?

Run a short drill at least once a year and after changes to the farm. Time yourselves, talk about what slowed you down, and fix it. Practice at different times of day and with different people.

A drill on a calm day helps people remember the steps under stress.

Invite neighbors or the fire department to watch a drill and give feedback. They may notice things you have missed, like a gate that sticks.

• Run a drill each year
• Practice at different times of day
• Fix what slowed you down

What about animals and equipment?

People come first. Do not delay leaving to move animals or equipment. If it can be done safely and early, plan where animals go in advance. See the livestock evacuation article for more.

Keep keys in a known place, and park vehicles facing out where possible.

Keep a short list of what to grab if there is time, such as phones, medicines and documents, and keep it ready by the door. Never go back for items if it is unsafe. Practice leaving in the dark at least once, using only the lights and signs that would be working in a real emergency, and note anything that was hard to see.

Last reviewed: November 12, 2026. Written by the Farm Safety Editorial Team. See our editorial policy.