A clear spoken announcement gets people out of a building faster and more calmly than a bare siren — but only if it is recorded properly and ready before the moment you need it. This page gives you a complete set of professionally recorded English emergency announcements for public-address (PA) and voice-evacuation systems: fire, evacuation, drills, system tests, security and all-clear messages. Every message comes with both the ready recording and the exact wording (script), so you can hear it, read it, and download it free in MP3 and WAV — with no sign-up.
Published 24 July 2026 · by VoicePA · the set is kept up to date.
- 21 ready-to-use announcements covering the situations every building has to plan for — audio and the wording;
- MP3 and WAV for each message — MP3 to play straight away, a 16-bit / 44.1 kHz WAV master to load into hardware;
- a calm, clear professional female voice — an acoustics-led choice explained below;
- free and without registration — grab a single file or the whole set as one archive.
On this page: what these announcements are · fire & evacuation · for staff · reduced mobility · drills & system tests · coded staff messages · security & vigilance · all-clear · staff & service · why a female voice · loading files · what your building needs · good practice · FAQ
What these announcements are — and when you need them
Most public and workplace buildings use a public-address (PA) or voice-evacuation system to tell people what to do in an emergency. Instead of a tone that everyone interprets differently, the system plays a specific spoken message — a voice evacuation message: leave now, prepare to leave, stay put, or stand down. Having these public-address emergency messages recorded in advance — clearly, calmly and consistently — means the right words play the instant they are needed, in a voice designed to be understood over background noise.
The set below is organised by situation. Each entry has the exact wording, an online player so you can hear it before you download, and two files: an MP3 to play as-is and a WAV master to load into a device or convert. The messages are written in plain, internationally understandable English and avoid naming any single country’s rules, so they suit hotels, transport, retail, offices, healthcare and industrial sites anywhere.
Fire and emergency evacuation
The core messages that move everyone out of the building. Play the main announcement on a loop after the alert tone until the area is clear; use the phased version where large or tall buildings evacuate in stages.
Fire alarm — evacuate the building
Attention please! Fire alarm! Please remain calm and leave the building using the emergency exits, following the green evacuation signs located in the rooms and above the doors. Do not use elevators!
When to use it: The core fire-evacuation announcement for any building. Plays on a loop after the alert tone until the area is clear.
Emergency situation — evacuate now
Attention please! Emergency situation! Please remain calm and leave the building using the emergency exits, following the green evacuation signs located in the rooms and above the doors. Do not use elevators!
When to use it: A general evacuation message for non-fire emergencies that still require people to leave immediately.
Prepare for evacuation (phased)
Attention please! Fire alarm! Please remain calm and prepare for evacuation. Wait for the evacuation announcement.
When to use it: A pre-alert for zones evacuated in a second phase — high-rise buildings and large sites using staged evacuation.
For staff: escorting patients and children
In hospitals, care homes, schools and childcare, staff do not just evacuate themselves — they take those in their care with them. These two messages are addressed to staff for exactly that.
Fire Alarm — Escort Patients Out
Attention. Fire alarm. Please escort your patients and leave the building, using the evacuation routes and exits. Follow the green signs located in the rooms and above the doors. Do not use the lifts.
When to use it: A fire message for staff in care settings — escort patients out, then leave. Common in hospitals and clinics.
Fire Alarm — Escort Children Out
Attention. Fire alarm. Please escort the children and leave the building, using the evacuation routes and exits. Follow the green signs located in the rooms and above the doors. Do not use the lifts.
When to use it: The same for anyone responsible for children — escort them out first, then leave. For schools and childcare.
Helping people who cannot leave on their own
A dedicated message for anyone who needs assistance to evacuate, directing them to a refuge area and staff contact. It is easy to overlook and important to get right.
Assistance for people with reduced mobility
Attention please! If you have difficulty leaving the building on your own, please proceed to the nearest fire-safe area, following the green signs, to the door marked with a wheelchair symbol. On arrival, contact the building staff using the intercom inside the fire-safe area.
When to use it: Directs anyone who cannot self-evacuate to a refuge area and staff contact — essential for public and workplace buildings.
Fire drills and system tests
Routine but essential. Clear drill and test announcements stop people mistaking practice for a real event (or a real event for practice) and keep everyone calm during scheduled maintenance of the system.
Fire drill — start
Attention please! This is a fire drill! Please remain calm and leave the building using the emergency exits, following the green evacuation signs.
When to use it: Clearly announces a planned drill so people act correctly without treating it as a real fire — or mistaking a real fire for a drill.
Fire drill — all clear
Attention please! The fire drill is over. Please remain calm and return to your places.
When to use it: Ends the drill and returns occupants to normal activity.
Fire safety system test in progress
Attention please! A scheduled test of the building fire safety systems is in progress. Please remain calm and stay where you are. The end of the test will be announced.
When to use it: For routine maintenance and testing of the alarm and voice-evacuation system, so occupants stay put and calm.
Fire safety system test complete
Attention please! The scheduled test of the building fire safety systems is complete. Please remain calm.
When to use it: Confirms the test is finished.
Coded staff messages
Some sites want to alert staff without alarming the public. A coded message does exactly that: the words give nothing away — no mention of fire or evacuation — so only trained staff know what they mean. The code phrase itself is chosen and defined by each building; the recordings below are a ready, neutral example set.
Code One Thousand — Standby
Attention staff. Code One Thousand.
When to use it: A CODED staff message: it deliberately says nothing about fire or evacuation, so the public cannot decode it. This one puts staff on standby to prepare. The actual code word is set per building.
Code One Thousand Cancelled
Attention staff. Code One Thousand, cancelled.
When to use it: Cancels the standby — the prepare-to-evacuate signal is called off.
Code One Thousand Confirmed
Attention staff. Code One Thousand, confirmed.
When to use it: Confirms the code — staff move from standby to an actual evacuation.
Time Check — Staff Alert
Attention staff. Time check.
When to use it: A second coded staff signal, for an emergency needing immediate action; again the wording reveals nothing to the public.
Security and vigilance
Messages for public-safety and security situations. The vigilance announcement works well on a schedule in busy public spaces; the neutral evacuation message lets you clear a building calmly without stating a sensitive cause; the security-threat message gives run-or-shelter guidance for a direct threat.
Security vigilance — unattended items
Dear visitors! Please keep your personal belongings with you. If you notice unattended bags or other suspicious items, please inform security or building staff. Touching or moving such items is dangerous!
When to use it: A preventive public-safety message, well suited to scheduled playback in transport hubs, malls and other busy public spaces.
Evacuation for technical reasons (neutral)
Attention please! For technical reasons, please leave the building using the emergency exits, following the green evacuation signs. Please remain calm. Do not use elevators!
When to use it: A calm, neutral evacuation message used when it is preferable not to state the specific cause, to avoid panic.
Security threat — evacuate or shelter
Attention please! A terrorist threat has been detected in the building. Assess your surroundings. If your escape route is safe, leave the building immediately. If danger is nearby and there are no signs of smoke, barricade yourself in a room and wait for help.
When to use it: A run-or-hide message for a direct security threat; broadcast at the decision of the site's security management.
All clear
Every alarm needs a stand-down — especially a false one. Play the appropriate all-clear once the situation is confirmed safe, either to bring people back in or to signal normal operation.
All clear — return to your places
Attention please! The alarm has been cancelled. There is no danger. Please remain calm and return to your places. We apologize for the inconvenience.
When to use it: Stands down the alarm and returns occupants to the building after a false alarm or resolved incident.
All clear — normal operation
Attention please! The alarm has been cancelled. There is no danger. The building is operating normally. We apologize for the inconvenience.
When to use it: The stand-down variant for when occupants do not return to the building.
Staff and service messages
Two everyday staff messages that keep an incident organised: calling the responsible officer, and sending staff to their assembly points. The wording is generic — adapt the role and place to your site.
Fire Officer To Security Desk
Attention staff. Will the fire safety officer please report to the security desk immediately.
When to use it: A service call for staff — summons the fire-safety officer to the security desk. Swap the role or place to suit your site.
Staff To Assembly Points
Attention staff. Please act according to your instructions and proceed to your assigned assembly points.
When to use it: Sends staff to their assigned assembly points to act on their instructions.
Why the voice is female — acoustics, not fashion
The whole set is recorded in a professional female voice, and that is a deliberate, acoustics-led choice. Here is the reasoning.
1. A female voice sits above the low rumble of a building. A male speaking voice has a fundamental of roughly 85–155 Hz; a female voice, roughly 165–255 Hz. The noise from ventilation, chillers and machinery is concentrated at low frequencies and masks the low part of speech first. A higher-pitched voice simply competes less with that rumble for the same frequency band.
| Sound source | Main band | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Ventilation, chillers, machinery | low frequencies | masks the low part of speech first |
| Male voice (fundamental) | 85–155 Hz | overlaps the rumble — more easily masked |
| Female voice (fundamental) | 165–255 Hz | sits above the main rumble energy — clearer |
2. A higher pitch carries urgency. Guidance from the US National Institute of Standards and Technology on emergency communication in buildings puts it plainly: urgency is conveyed partly by a higher-pitched voice, and while the speaker’s sex matters less than pitch, female voices are usually higher-pitched. Research by Edworthy and Hellier (2003) adds that the wider pitch range of a female voice can signal a wider range of urgency — from a calm test notice to an urgent “leave now.”
3. Voice wakes and moves people better than a tone. In a randomised study published in Pediatric Research (2020), a spoken alarm woke about 87% of sleeping children while a standard tone alarm woke only about 56%. The headline point for any building: a spoken announcement is far more effective than a bare tone — and a female voice is at least as effective as any other.
4. It matches worldwide practice. Female warning voices have been standard in aviation for decades, the recorded voice heard in around 200 airports and stations worldwide is female, and voice-alarm good practice recommends using distinct, contrasting voices for different message types — with a female voice as the primary evacuation voice a common choice.
Loading the files into your PA or voice-alarm system
These are system-agnostic pre-recorded voice alarm messages — not tied to any one manufacturer’s panel — so they load into virtually any PA or PAVA (public-address / voice-alarm) system. One rule covers most hardware: keep the WAV master and convert a copy for the specific device. Many voice-announcement units accept only their own format (a particular sample rate and bit depth, or a proprietary memory image), so always convert from the WAV master rather than the MP3 — re-compressing MP3 to MP3 noticeably degrades clarity.
- Download the WAV version of the message you need (the “WAV master” button under each player).
- Check the format your device requires in its manual (sample rate, bit depth, WAV / MP3 / proprietary image).
- Convert a copy of the master with a free audio editor such as Audacity if the device needs a different format.
- Load the file the device’s usual way — USB, SD card or the manufacturer’s utility.
- Test on site: intelligibility in every zone, and the looped repeat with a natural gap between plays.
The Latin file names (for example emergency-announcement-fire-alarm-evacuation.mp3) are read correctly by any player or device.
What your building actually needs
If you came looking for a fire or evacuation announcement for a school, shop, hotel, office or factory, the messages are all above. This table is a starting point for the minimum set most buildings of each type use.
| Building | Core set | Worth adding |
|---|---|---|
| School | fire alarm, drill start/over | system test, security vigilance |
| Hospital / clinic | emergency evacuation, reduced-mobility | system tests, all-clear |
| Shopping centre / shop | fire alarm, reduced-mobility, all-clear | security vigilance on a schedule |
| Hotel | fire alarm, emergency, reduced-mobility | system tests, security vigilance |
| High-rise office | fire alarm, prepare-for-evacuation | security messages, all-clear |
| Factory / warehouse | fire alarm, emergency evacuation | system tests, security vigilance |
| Transport hub | evacuation (neutral), security vigilance | security threat, all-clear |
Good practice for emergency announcements
- Speak calmly and evenly. A steady, unhurried delivery is understood and acted on better than a dramatic one.
- One message, one file. Keep each announcement as its own recording; let the system add any alert tone at the start.
- Loop with a gap. Repeat the message with a few seconds of silence between plays so it stays intelligible.
- Design for the noise. Enough speakers, evenly spaced, with headroom over the background noise — clarity comes from even coverage, not sheer volume.
- Keep language simple. Short, plain sentences and, where you have international visitors, a second-language version after the English.
FAQ
What should a fire evacuation announcement say?
Keep it calm but urgent, in a fixed order: get attention, state the situation, tell people to leave by the nearest exit, say not to use the lifts, and point to the assembly point — for example, “Attention please! Fire alarm! Please leave the building using the nearest exit. Do not use the lifts.” The exact ready wording and recording for this and every other message are above.
Do PA and voice-alarm systems need MP3 or WAV?
It depends on the device. Most players and PA controllers accept MP3, which is why an MP3 is provided for every message; where a voice-alarm panel needs uncompressed audio, use the WAV master. Both formats are provided free, so you are covered either way.
Are these emergency announcements free, and do I need to sign up?
Yes — free, and no registration. Download a single file or the whole set as one archive, with no attribution requirement, and use them in your public-address and voice-evacuation systems.
Can I get the announcement wording as a script, not just audio?
Yes. Every message shows its exact wording on this page, so it doubles as a ready evacuation-announcement script you can copy into your building’s procedures — with the matching recording already made.
What format are the files?
Each message comes as an MP3 (ready to play) and a WAV master at 16-bit / 44.1 kHz mono for loading into hardware or converting to another format.
Will they work with my hardware?
Yes — the WAV master converts to the format of any voice-announcement unit. If your device plays WAV or MP3 directly, load the files as they are; otherwise convert a copy of the master as described above.
Why is the announcer female?
It is an acoustics decision: a female voice (around 165–255 Hz) sits above the low-frequency rumble of ventilation and machinery, so it is masked less, and a higher pitch conveys urgency more clearly. See “Why the voice is female” above.
Which announcements should I pick for my building?
Start from the table by building type: fire and evacuation messages for everyone, plus the reduced-mobility, drill, security and all-clear messages your site and procedures call for.
Can I play a message automatically on a schedule?
Yes — the security-vigilance announcement is often played every 30–60 minutes in busy public areas using a scheduler or timer built into the PA system.
You have the files — now the system to deliver them
Ready recordings are half the job. The other half is the amplifiers, loudspeakers and lines that carry the message clearly to every corner of the building. Size your system for your rooms in the online calculator — speaker count, amplifier power and cable size from your floor plan — or pick equipment from the catalog.
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