Emergency voice communication system for refuges

To facilitate the effective evacuation of people temporarily waiting in each refuge an emergency voice communication system should be provided. It is essential that the occupants of each refuge are able to alert other people that they are in need of assistance and for them to be reassured that their presence in the refuge is known and that assistance will be forthcoming. The emergency voice communication system should either - a) comply with BS 5939-9 and consist of a Type B outstation at each refuge which communicates with a master station located in the building control room (where provided) or adjacent to the fire alarm panel; or b) in some buildings, it may be more appropriate to use an alternative approach such as the use of wireless technology. Such technology needs to be readily operated by, and comprehensible to disabled people.