Plotlay Open the app →

Learn · Field and asset teams · Lesson 7 of 7

Map a building’s fire and services assets

You willPlace fire, evacuation and services assets on a plan, inspect them on site, and export the ESM register, block plans and evacuation diagrams.
Time6 min
Why it mattersOne register per building, each asset tagged on the plan with its standard and next due date, makes safety measures easy to audit.

Try it in Plotlay → Opens an example project with this lesson beside it. Nothing to install.

Steps

  1. Open the floor plan (or the Office floor: fire and services example). With building levels, choose the level first: everything you place lands on it.
  2. Open Library and choose a category: Fire services, Mechanical (HVAC), BMS & controls, Electrical services, Security systems, Hydraulic services or Lifts & other services. Search works too: FIP, hose reel, exit sign, AHU, card reader.
  3. Click the plan to place an item. It goes on its system’s layer (Fire services, HVAC, Security) and joins the register under Items with a tag in sequence, such as EXT-001, and its standard, inspection frequency and expected life.
  4. For many at once, type ASSETS in the command line (or Commands, Facilities): choose the item, then P for points, L along a line or G for a grid in a room at a spacing.
  5. Select an asset in Items and fill in its manufacturer, model, serial and install date. Its inspection form is set up already (Capture, Forms).
  6. On site, set Items to Inspections: due in 30 days, overdue or never, then Work through a list. Answer the form; the inspection date sets last inspected and next due, and a fail raises a corrective action.
  7. Type ESM (or Schedules, then ESM register, block plans and inspections) for the essential safety measures register by level as CSV or Excel, the fire services schedule, a Fire block plan PDF, Evacuation diagrams PDF and Travel distances.

Tips

  • The drawing set adds a fire services block plan for each level with fire assets (F101, F102).
  • Evacuation: from Emergency & evacuation, mark the exits (with their clear width), draw the evacuation routes (the line ends in an arrow), and place assembly points, refuges, warden points, first aid kits, AEDs and shut-offs. Place an Evacuation diagram or a You are here marker where each diagram hangs: the diagram is drawn for that spot, turned to the way the reader faces, with a validity date five years on (AS 3745 typical content; reference only).
  • Travel distances are measured in a straight line from each room’s farthest corner to the nearest exit. NCC limits (such as 20 m and 40 m) are measured along the path of travel and depend on the building class: treat the figure as a first check only.
  • Record evacuation drills on the assembly point’s form (Evacuation drill record); first aid kits, AEDs and evacuation diagrams have their own checks.
  • Hide the other layers in Layers to show only the fire assets on the plan; System in Items does the same for the markers.
  • Standards and frequencies are typical starting points: check them against the current standard and the building’s essential safety measures schedule.
  • The connector does the same with place_assets, list_assets, export_esm_register, record_inspection and export_drawing kind fire_block_plan.

Common mistakes

  • Placing assets with All levels showing: they become site-wide. Choose the level first, or select them and set their level.
  • Retyping a tag by hand to a number already used: tags must be unique. Leave the sequence to Plotlay, or change the tag in Items to one not used.
Check yourself

An exit sign was last tested on 1 March. With a six-monthly frequency, when is it next due?

Words in this lesson

Layer
A group of things in a project, listed in the Layers tab. A hidden layer is left out of the plan, 3D and documents until you show it again.
Level
A floor of the building, such as ground or upper. Each room, drawing and item sits on one level, and the plan shows one level at a time.
Library
Real-sized things to place, by category and subcategory: kitchen, bathroom, furniture, lighting, power, heating, stairs, outdoor, site, commercial, vehicles, plants. Search in your own words (GPO, countertop), filter, and star favourites.
Drawing set
One numbered PDF of sheets (cover, plans, elevations, sections, schedules) with the same title block on each.

Related lessons

Set up asset formsChoose the questions to answer about each kind of asset on site, with required answers and photos.4 minWork through an asset register on siteVisit each asset in turn, nearest first, and record where it is, its form answers or that it is missing.5 minExport to GIS, Excel or Power BIDownload your assets and shapes as GeoJSON, a Shapefile or a CSV, ready for a GIS or a spreadsheet.3 min

Steps checked in the app on 17 October 2026.