Disabled Refuge Communication Systems Explained
Not everyone can use the stairs when the alarm sounds. For those who cannot descend unaided, an evacuation strategy may rely on refuges — protected places to wait for assistance — and on a way to communicate from them. Disabled refuge communication systems provide that link, so a person waiting is never simply out of contact. They sit alongside the fire alarm without being part of it, and an engineer benefits from understanding what they do and how they are checked. This guide sets that out.
The central point is that a refuge communication system supports assisted escape by keeping people who wait in contact with those managing the evacuation.
Who this is for
This is for competent fire alarm and security engineers who install or maintain refuge communication systems, or encounter them alongside fire alarms. The experience level assumed is competent engineer. Use it for the principles; whether refuges and their communication are needed, and how, comes from the fire strategy, the accessibility and evacuation plan, and the relevant emergency voice communication guidance, coordinated with BS 5839-1 for the fire alarm.
What a refuge system is
A disabled refuge communication system links refuge points — relatively safe waiting areas for people who cannot use stairs unaided during a fire — to a control point, so someone waiting can speak with those managing the evacuation. It supports assisted escape by keeping occupants and management in contact rather than leaving a waiting person isolated. It is a form of emergency voice communication, distinct from though related to the fire alarm, and its provision follows the fire strategy, the evacuation plan and the relevant EVC guidance. The essential function is simple: a reliable two-way link from the refuge to the people who can arrange help.
Refuge systems and the fire alarm
It helps to keep the two systems distinct in your mind. The refuge communication system supports the evacuation of people who need assistance; the fire alarm detects fire and raises the warning. They are separate functions that work together within the fire strategy, not one system doing two jobs. A refuge system is typically provided where the evacuation strategy relies on refuges, and it is coordinated with, rather than part of, the fire detection. How they are arranged together comes from the fire strategy and the relevant EVC guidance, alongside BS 5839-1 for the fire alarm. Confusing the two, or assuming the fire alarm covers the refuge function, is a mistake worth avoiding.
Why they matter for escape
The importance of refuge communication is easy to underrate until you consider the person relying on it. Because some occupants cannot descend stairs unaided, the evacuation strategy may have them wait in a protected refuge until help arrives — and a communication link lets them summon and stay in contact with those managing the evacuation. From field experience, the quiet failure is a refuge system that no one has used or tested, so a person could wait, press for help, and not be heard. The need for refuges and their communication comes from the building's evacuation strategy and accessibility plan, following the relevant guidance, and the communication is what makes the strategy real rather than theoretical.
Checking a refuge system
On service, the refuge system deserves genuine, end-to-end attention. Confirm each refuge outstation communicates clearly with the control point, that the master unit indicates and answers calls correctly, that the system is powered and monitored, and that intelligibility is adequate at both ends. From field experience, the recurring findings are outstations that do not answer, poor intelligibility that defeats the point, and a system nobody has ever tested. Record what you find, and flag any refuge point that cannot reliably reach the control position, because assisted escape depends entirely on that link working when it is needed.
Common points to check
Recurring issues include refuge outstations that do not answer or connect, poor speech intelligibility, and a system that has never been properly tested. Confirming every refuge point reliably reaches the control position is the essential check.
When not to rely on this alone
When not to use this article: do not use it to design a refuge or evacuation strategy for a specific building. That comes from the fire strategy, the accessibility and evacuation plan, and the relevant EVC guidance, applied by competent professionals.
Relevant standards
Refuge communication is a form of emergency voice communication addressed within BS 5839-9, a code of practice, coordinated with BS 5839-1 for the fire alarm and the building's fire strategy. The legal duty for fire precautions and safe escape in most non-domestic premises sits under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Separate the legal duty from the recommended methods, and always work to current editions.
Professional disclaimer
This is an educational and workflow resource for competent engineers and does not replace the current British Standards, the fire strategy, the evacuation plan, or competent judgement. Verify refuge communication arrangements against current documentation.
Related documentation
Use this with the current BS 5839-9 and BS 5839-1, the fire strategy and the accessibility and evacuation plan. Record refuge communication tests end to end, and flag any refuge point that cannot reliably reach the control position.