Fire Safety Signs

UK fire safety signs: a buyer's guide

Fire safety signage is one of the few areas of UK signage with hard legal teeth. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 makes the "responsible person" for non-domestic premises legally accountable for fire safety, including provision of compliant signage. Get it wrong and you risk improvement notices, prohibition notices, fines, and in serious cases criminal prosecution.

Direct Signs has manufactured fire safety signage in the UK for over 40 years. Every product on this page meets BS EN ISO 7010 — the unified UK and European standard. We hold ISO 9001 (quality management) and ISO 14001 (environmental management) certifications. Materials are sourced from UK and European suppliers wherever possible.

The four types of fire safety sign

Under BS EN ISO 7010, fire safety signs fall into four colour-and-shape categories. Knowing which is which makes specifying a sign quick and reduces the chance of getting it wrong:

• Fire equipment (red square or rectangle): Identifies fire-fighting equipment — fire extinguishers, hose reels, fire blankets, fire alarm call points. Always positioned directly above or beside the equipment.
• Safe condition / fire exit (green rectangle): Indicates escape routes and final exits. Includes the running-man pictogram and directional arrows. Placed along escape routes at every change of direction.
• Mandatory (blue circle): Tells people what they must do — e.g. "Fire door keep shut", "Keep clear", "Fire action notice". Placed at the action point.
• Warning (yellow triangle with black border): Warns of fire-related hazards — flammable materials, oxidisers, high voltage, hot surfaces. Placed near the hazard.

Photoluminescent vs illuminated

Fire exit signs must remain visible during power failure. There are two compliant approaches:

Photoluminescent ("glow-in-the-dark") signs absorb ambient light and glow during darkness for the time required by the assessed risk. They are passive (no electrical install or maintenance), cost less per unit, and are commonly used in smaller premises and lower-risk areas. Photoluminescent signs must be charged by adequate ambient light during normal operation, so they are unsuitable for permanently dim spaces.

Electrically illuminated signs are backed by emergency lighting that switches to battery on mains failure. They give consistent visibility regardless of ambient light and are typically required in larger buildings, high-occupancy premises, and complex escape routes. The choice between photoluminescent and illuminated is driven by your fire risk assessment and the routes you need to keep visible — not personal preference.

Materials and durability

Choose by environment, not by appearance:

• Self-adhesive vinyl: smooth indoor surfaces — doors, painted walls, glass. Lowest cost, easiest to install. Not suitable for textured or rough surfaces.
• Rigid PVC (Foamex): the standard general-purpose sign material. Indoor and sheltered outdoor use. Lightweight, drillable, mountable with screws or VHB tape.
• Aluminium composite (Dibond): long-life outdoor signage. Resists weathering, doesn't bow with temperature change. Common for external fire exit signs and assembly point markers.
• Aluminium: high-impact or industrial environments — yards, plant rooms, vehicles. Heaviest and most durable.

Photoluminescent versions are available in vinyl, rigid PVC, and aluminium across most products.

Where to place each sign

Placement is part of your fire risk assessment, but the standard pattern is:

• Fire equipment signs: directly above the equipment, sized so they're visible when the equipment is approached from any normal direction of travel.
• Fire exit signs: at every change of direction along the escape route, above the final exit door, and at any junction where the route is not immediately obvious. Mounting height should keep the sign visible above head height in a crowd — typically 2.0-2.4m.
• Fire action notices: at every fire alarm call point and in prominent communal areas (lobbies, lift waiting areas, staff rooms).
• Assembly point signs: at the designated outdoor muster location, visible from the building exits.
• Mandatory and warning signs: at the action point or hazard.

Custom and bespoke fire safety signs

Stock signs cover most situations, but some sites need custom signage: bespoke wording, non-standard sizes, multi-language for international workforces, branded colours for hospitality and retail, or specific regulatory references for sectors like healthcare and aviation. Direct Signs manufactures bespoke fire safety signage to specification with a typical lead time of 3-5 working days from artwork approval. Bulk orders qualify for trade pricing — request a quote via our quote form.