When the alarm sounds, the most important question is simple: is everyone out? Most workplaces can answer it for employees. Far fewer can answer it for the visitors, contractors and delivery drivers who were in the building at the time.
Why visitors are the gap in most evacuation plans
Visitors don't know the building, the exits or the assembly point. They are often in meeting rooms away from their host, and contractors may be working in plant rooms or on other floors. If the only record of who arrived is a paper logbook at reception, nobody has a reliable list to check at the assembly point.
What a good roll call needs
- A live list of everyone on site, including visitors and contractors, not just staff.
- Access from anywhere, on a phone or tablet, so marshals can use it outside.
- A way to mark people as safe and see who is still unaccounted for.
- Floor or zone information so responders know where to look.
Step by step: running roll call with a visitor management system
- Start the evacuation from the dashboard or a phone. The system builds a list of everyone currently checked in.
- Marshals open the list at the assembly point and mark people as safe as they arrive.
- Hosts confirm their guests, so visitors who don't know anyone else are still accounted for.
- The remaining names are shared with the emergency services, along with where those people were last expected to be.
- After the event, the record is kept for review and drills.
Tips for better drills
- Include visitors and contractors in your drills, not only employees.
- Make sure every check-in method (kiosk, mobile and QR) captures who the visitor is seeing.
- Ask contractors to check out when they leave, so the on-site list stays accurate.
- Give marshals access to the roll call on their phones before a real emergency happens.
- Review the results of every drill and update your assembly points and marshal list.
Zapio VMS includes an emergency evacuation dashboard with a live headcount and roll call by floor. It works alongside your existing fire and safety procedures and helps your team account for everyone on site.
Want to see a live roll call? Book a free demo.
