An evacuation chair lets one or two trained people take someone down the stairs safely when the lifts can't be used. It's one of the most common ways of helping people with limited mobility escape from upper floors.

Is an Evacuation Chair a Legal Requirement?

No law says you must have an evacuation chair. But the law does require you to plan for everyone to be able to get out safely, including disabled people – under fire safety law in each nation, and under the Equality Act 2010 (Great Britain) or the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (Northern Ireland). Your fire risk assessment and personal emergency evacuation plans (PEEPs) decide what's needed – and an evacuation chair is often the answer.

Don't Rely on the Fire Service

Your plan must not depend on firefighters to get people out. Normal lifts shouldn't be used in a fire, unless they're specially designed evacuation lifts. Refuges – protected waiting areas on stairs – are for waiting briefly while help arrives from your own staff, not for leaving someone until the fire service comes.

Choosing an Evacuation Chair

  • Weight capacity – many models carry up to around 180 kg.
  • Your stairs – check the chair suits the angle and width of your stairs and landings. Spiral stairs may not be suitable.
  • Operators – some chairs need one person, others two.
  • Storage – mount it on the wall at the top of the stairs, with a cover and a sign.

Evacuation Slides, Sledges and Mattresses

Not everyone can sit in an evacuation chair. In care homes, hospitals and anywhere people may be bed-bound, other equipment is used:

  • Evacuation slides and sledges (sometimes called evacuation mats) – a padded sheet or sledge the person lies on, held in place with straps. Staff can pull it along corridors and slide it safely down stairs.
  • Ski sheets and evacuation mattresses – a ski sheet is fitted permanently under the mattress on the bed. In an emergency, the mattress is wrapped around the person and strapped in place, and the whole thing is slid off the bed and along the floor or down the stairs. This keeps the person on their own mattress, which helps protect them.

Care homes and hospitals often use progressive horizontal evacuation – moving people first into a neighbouring fire compartment on the same floor, behind fire doors, and only moving them downstairs if needed. The equipment you choose should suit your evacuation strategy, the people you care for and the number of staff on duty, especially at night.

Training and Maintenance

  • Operators of any evacuation equipment need proper training and regular practice. In practice sessions, simulate the carry-down rather than carrying a person.
  • Manufacturers recommend an annual service by a competent engineer, plus regular in-house checks.
  • An evacuation chair isn't right for everyone – some people can't transfer into one or stay seated safely. Plan with the person.

See also Fire Drills and Evacuation Plans.

Worth remembering… your fire risk assessment is what decides what your premises need. This guide is general advice, not a substitute for it.

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