Evacuation Chairs FAQs
What is an Emergency Evacuation Chair?
An emergency evacuation chair helps individuals with limited mobility, such as wheelchair users, safely exit a building during an emergency, like a fire or natural disaster, or if the lift fails. They are commonly found in office buildings, shopping centres, schools, hospitals, care homes, hotels, and healthcare facilities.
How Easy Are Evacuation Chairs to Use?
Evacuation chairs are designed for quick deployment and can be operated by just one person. Our evacuation chairs are provided with a wall-mounted bracket and cover for safe storage, typically near staircases, ensuring they’re easily accessible in emergencies. We also provide training instructions to help staff use the chairs effectively when needed.
Are Emergency Evacuation Chairs Safe?
Yes. All our evacuation chairs are rigorously tested for safety. They’re built to be durable, with a weight capacity of around 180kg, and are CE marked for compliance with safety standards.
Can Emergency Evacuation Chairs Be Used as Regular Wheelchairs?
No. Evacuation chairs are specifically designed for emergency situations and should not be used as regular wheelchairs. While wheelchairs are intended for flat surfaces, evacuation chairs are built for navigating stairs and other emergency exit routes.
Are Evacuation Chairs Easy to Store?
Yes. Our evacuation chairs come with a wall-mounted storage bracket and are stored in highly visible bags, ensuring easy access in an emergency.
Can Evacuation Chairs Be Used on All Staircases?
Our evacuation chairs are designed for staircases with a slope between 28° and 42°. Using them outside this range is not recommended for safety reasons.
Why Purchase An Evacuation Chair Instead of a Ramp?
For lower heights a ramp may be preferable over an evacuation chair however, for staircases especially, an evacuation chair is often a more viable solution. For staircases you often need a very long ramp to overcome steps which can be heavy and slower to deploy in the event of an emergency. In addition, often space limitations mean a long ramp is not viable.
What’s the Difference Between an Evacuation Chair and a Wheelchair?
Evacuation chairs are designed for emergency use, often narrower and more compact than standard wheelchairs to navigate stairs and tight spaces. They are built to be used at steeper angles on stairs, while wheelchairs are intended for daily use on flat surfaces and typically have larger wheels for easier movement.
Where Should the Evacuation Chair Be Placed in a Building?
Place the evacuation chair in an easily accessible and visible location, such as at the top or bottom of a staircase. It’s important that all staff are familiar with its location.