Emergency Voice Communication and Disabled Refuge Systems
Not everyone can walk down a stairway when the alarm sounds, and not every emergency is resolved by simply getting everybody out at once. For the people who need to wait for assistance, and for the teams coordinating an evacuation or firefighting, a building needs a way to talk. That is what emergency voice communication (EVC) and disabled refuge systems provide. They sit alongside the fire alarm rather than inside it, and engineers who work on fire systems increasingly meet them. This guide explains what they are, how they relate to the fire alarm, and where they apply.
The essential point: the fire alarm warns people; EVC and refuges give the people who cannot immediately leave, and those managing the evacuation, a way to communicate — a separate system, designed to BS 5839-9.
Who this is for
This is for fire alarm engineers and responsible persons who encounter EVC and refuge systems alongside fire detection. The experience level assumed is competent engineer or an informed duty-holder. It explains the concepts and relationships; the design, equipment and installation requirements come from the current BS 5839-9 and the building's fire strategy, applied by a competent designer.
What EVC is
An emergency voice communication system provides voice links between a control point and defined locations for use in an emergency. It usually comprises a master station — often located at or near the fire panel or a designated fire control point — and outstations, which include refuge points and fire telephones around the building. In a fire, it lets those coordinating the response speak with people at refuges and with firefighting points. It is a distinct system from fire detection and alarm, with its own equipment and its own code of practice, BS 5839-9.
Refuges and assisted evacuation
A refuge is a relatively safe place — commonly on a protected escape route such as a protected stair or lobby — where a person who cannot readily use the stairs can wait for assistance. A refuge point typically carries a two-way communication outstation so that person can speak to the control point, be reassured, and have their assisted evacuation managed. Refuges exist because a safe evacuation strategy has to account for everyone in the building, including those who need help, and communication is what turns a waiting place into a managed part of the plan rather than an anxious unknown.
How it relates to the fire alarm
EVC and the fire alarm are separate systems serving the same goal: safe evacuation. The fire alarm detects fire and warns occupants; EVC provides the two-way voice communication that assisted evacuation and firefighting coordination depend on. They are designed to work together within the overall fire strategy, and an engineer will often find both in the same building, but EVC is specified and installed to BS 5839-9, not to BS 5839-1. Keeping that distinction clear matters when servicing or documenting a site — the two systems have different standards and different test regimes.
Where it applies
The need for refuges and EVC follows from the building, its evacuation strategy and the fire risk assessment. Where some occupants cannot self-evacuate down stairs — as in many multi-storey and public buildings — refuges with communication are commonly required so those occupants can wait safely and be assisted, within the general duty to make appropriate provision for evacuation under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Exactly where refuges and EVC outstations are needed, and how the system is arranged, is a design decision made by a competent person against BS 5839-9 and the applicable building guidance.
When not to rely on this alone
When not to use this article: do not use it to design or position EVC or refuges for a specific building. That requires the current BS 5839-9, the building's fire strategy and a competent designer. This guide explains the concepts and how they relate to the fire alarm.
Professional disclaimer
This is an educational resource for competent engineers and informed duty-holders. It does not replace the current British Standards, statutory guidance or professional judgement. Confirm EVC and refuge requirements against the current BS 5839-9 and the building's fire strategy.
Related reading
Read this with BS 5839-1 system categories, cause and effect and certification and handover documentation.