Disabled Refuge Systems – BS5839 (Part 9)

BS5839 part 9 – Fire detection and fire alarm systems for buildings – Code of practice for emergency voice communication systems.

1. The Standard provides guidelines for the use of an Emergency Voice Communication (EVC) system in fire emergency situations and the evacuation of disabled persons.
2. Definition ‘Refuge’ – An area that is enclosed with fire-resisting construction (other than any part that is an external wall of a building) and served directly by a safe route to a storey exit, evacuation lift or final exit. Thus constituting a temporary safe space for disabled people to await assistance for their evacuation.
3. An EVC should not contain any moving parts i.e. disc drives, etc.
4. Intended uses for an EVC:
1. Use by the management of the building or complex for its initial evacuation.
2. Use by the fire service during an evacuation.
3. Use by the fire service after an evacuation.
4. Use by disabled people.
5. As a listen in device.
5. It is more economical to wire the EVC in a loop and these circuits should be monitored for faults.
6. All interconnecting cabling should be monitored.
7. An EVC system should be fully monitored and faults reported back to the master control.
8. There should be two separate outstation units available:
1. Type A – An outstation using a telephone handset for voice communication.
2. Type B – An outstation using an intercom and normally mounted on a wall.
9. Types of outstations should be used as follows:
1. An outstation intended for evacuation or fire fighting should be Type A.
2. An outstation used by the disabled should be Type B.
3. An outstation used by the public should be Type B.
10. All controls on an EVC system should be clearly labelled.
11. In areas of high ambient noise the outstation units should be supplemented with a red visual warning signal i.e. a beacon.
12. Type A outstations should have either a door or removable front panel
13. Outstations should be capable of flush mounting.
14. Outstations for evacuation or fire fighting use (Type A) should be red in colour or indicated by a red sign.
15. In sports venues outstations should be lockable.
16. Outstations in refuges should be readily available at all times and should not be locked.
17. In sports venues outstations should be located every 30m.
18. In general, outstations should be placed at a height of 1.3m to 1.4m except in refuges where they should be located at a height of 900mm to 1.2m.
19. The master control unit should be lockable, wall mounting and have the option to be flush mountable.
20.  The master control unit should have its vertical centre of the controls mounted at a height of 1.4 to 1.5m and it should be installed in an area of low fire risk.
21. In the event of power failure the EVC should have sufficient battery back up to maintain the system for 24 hours in quiescent state followed by three hours of use in an emergency.
22. All cabling within an EVC system should be fire rated.
23. An EVC system should be regularly maintained.

Disabled Refuge Systems – BS5588 (Part 8)

BS5588 part 8 – Fire precautions in the design,construction and use of buildings - Code of practice for the means of escape for disabled people.

1. The standard applies to all buildings except single family dwellings, flats and maisonettes and buildings used to house multiple occupation.
2. Definition ‘Refuge’ – An area that is enclosed with fire-resisting construction (other than any part that is an external wall of a building) and served directly by a safe route to a storey exit, evacuation lift or final exit, thus constituting a temporary safe space for disabled people to await assistance for their evacuation.
3. Wheelchair users will not be able to use stairways without assistance. For this reason it is necessary to provide ‘refuge’ on each protected stairway affording egress from each storey and each final exit leading onto a flight of stairs.
4. The minimum space for a refuge needs to be at least 900mm X 1400mm, as it needs to be of sufficient size to allow a wheelchair to manoeuvre.
5. Examples of satisfactory refuges:

                a. An enclosure such as a compartment, protected lobby, protected corridor or protected stairway.
                b. An area in the open air such as a flat roof, balcony, podium or similar place sufficiently protected              (or remote) from any fire risk and provided with its own means of escape.

1. All refuges must have a minimum of 30 minutes fire-resisting separation and a FD 30S type fire door.
2. Where a refuge is a protected stairway, protected lobby or protected corridor the following should apply:
1. The wheelchair space should not reduce the width of the escape route.
2. Where the wheelchair space is within a protected stairway access to the wheelchair space will not obstruct the flow of persons escaping.
3. When the number and locations of refuges have been decided the essential requirement for independent communication between the occupants and evacuation management personnel need to be met.
4. The wheelchair user in each refuge needs to be assured that the building management knows of their presence there. To meet these needs there needs to be:
1. a. A system of two way communication between those people.
2. b. The two-way communication system needs to be readily operated, by and comprehensible to, disabled people.