Our emergency voice communication systems (EVC) provide vital, clear two-way communication during emergencies, particularly for people who cannot easily evacuate. These professional solutions are a legal requirement in many buildings to support disabled refuge areas, fire evacuation strategies, and overall building safety compliance.
We stock comprehensive disabled refuge systems featuring master controllers that support multiple lines/outstations, along with a full range of outstations. These include surface and flush-mounted hands-free refuge points (often with green emergency call points), fire telephones, steward telephones, and advanced disabled refuge units.
Additional products cover disabled toilet alarms and integrated kits designed specifically for accessible facilities.
These robust EVC systems are essential in multi-storey buildings, offices, shopping centres, hospitals, care homes, schools, universities, hotels, and residential apartment blocks. They enable fire wardens or control room staff to communicate directly with people in refuge areas, ensuring coordinated and safe evacuations while meeting UK Building Regulations (Approved Document B) and BS 5839-9 standards.
Whether you need a small 4-line system for a modest building or a large expandable network with dozens of outstations, our range offers reliable, high-quality solutions from leading manufacturers. Easy installation, clear audio performance, and long-term durability make them the trusted choice for fire safety professionals.
Invest in professional emergency voice communication systems to protect vulnerable occupants and demonstrate your commitment to inclusive safety. Browse our full selection today and do please get in touch with us with any enquiries – we'd be delighted to hear from you.
It is a two-way voice link between a control point and people who cannot use the stairs in a fire, usually at a disabled refuge. Offices, shopping centres, hospitals, schools, hotels and apartment blocks use them so a fire marshal can talk to each refuge.
A fire alarm sounds an alert. It does not let anyone answer. EVC is a dedicated speech system: the person at the refuge calls, and the panel operator talks back. It does not detect fire and it does not replace sounders or a voice-alarm system.
PA and VA systems broadcast one way, to the whole building or a selected zone. EVC is point-to-point, so staff can speak to a specific refuge or fire telephone. A shop PA, for example, is not an emergency voice communication system.
BS 5839-9 is the British Standard for emergency voice communication. Approved Document B of the Building Regulations is why many multi-storey buildings need refuges and a method to communicate with them. Specify equipment that is designed for that role.
It is the unit in the refuge, usually hands-free, often with a green call button, surface or flush mounted. The person waiting there presses to call the master panel. It is not a fire-alarm call point.
A handset outstation for firefighters or stewards, on the same EVC network as the refuge points. Use a fire telephone where the strategy needs a handset. Use a hands-free refuge unit where someone must call without holding a phone.
No. A disabled WC alarm calls for help from an accessible toilet in normal use. A refuge system is for emergency evacuation. Some sites need both. You cannot use a toilet-alarm kit as a fire-refuge system but a specially designed toilet alarm can integrate with the EVC to provide a means of alerting building management that someone is isolated in a toilet area in the event of an emergency.
One line per outstation, plus spare. A small building may need a 4-line panel. Larger sites use 8-line or 16-line masters, or an expandable network. Count every refuge and every fire telephone before you choose the panel.
No. It needs its own cabling and a monitored network, as the manufacturer and BS 5839-9 require. It may share a plant room with the fire alarm. It must not share the detection loops.
Commercial Audio Solutions stocks SigTEL and Baldwin Boxall refuge panels, outstations, fire telephones and disabled toilet alarms. Call 01663 767888 or email sales@commercialaudiosolutions.com with the number of refuges and whether you need hands-free points, fire telephones, or both.
