Braillito Maps · Accessibility guides
Disabled refuge areas: size, signs and evacuation in England
A refuge is a relatively safe area where people who cannot use the stairs without help wait for a short period during a fire, as part of the building’s evacuation management plan (Approved Document B, Volume 2, 3.1 and 3.4). In England, Approved Document B asks for one on every storey for each protected stairway that provides an exit, at least 900 mm by 1400 mm and accessible to a wheelchair user, with an emergency voice communication system and a blue ‘Refuge – keep clear’ sign (Approved Document B, Volume 2, 3.4 and 3.6 to 3.8). The Home Office guide adds the rule that matters most: people should never be left in a refuge to wait for the Fire and Rescue Service (Home Office guide on means of escape for disabled people, escape option 2). This guide covers buildings other than dwellings; the US rules are in area of refuge.
This guide summarises the sources it cites; it is not legal advice. The official texts are the reference.
What a disabled refuge is
Approved Document B, Volume 2, is the government guidance on fire safety in buildings other than dwellings, for use in England (Approved Document B, Volume 2, cover). Approved documents give practical guidance on common building situations about how to meet the requirements of the Building Regulations 2010 (Approved Document B, Volume 2, What is an approved document?). In the Secretary of State’s view, requirement B1, means of warning and escape, is met when, among other things, all people can escape to a place of safety without external assistance (Approved Document B, Volume 2, requirement B1, intention), and the fire safety measures should take account of the needs of everyone who may access the building (Approved Document B, Volume 2, 0.8).
Section 3, on vertical escape, includes measures for people who are unable to use stairs without help (Approved Document B, Volume 2, 3.1). Refuges are one of them: they form part of the management plan and offer relatively safe areas for people to wait for a short period only (Approved Document B, Volume 2, 3.4). Two kinds of place can work as a refuge: an enclosure such as a compartment, a protected lobby, a protected corridor or a protected stairway; or an area in the open air, such as a flat roof, balcony or podium, that is protected or remote from any fire risk and has its own means of escape (Approved Document B, Volume 2, 3.5). A protected stairway is a stair that leads to a final exit to a place of safety and is adequately enclosed with fire resisting construction (Approved Document B, Volume 2, Appendix A, protected stairway).
Where refuges go and how big they are
| Element | What Approved Document B says | Paragraph |
|---|---|---|
| Where | on every storey, except storeys consisting only of plant rooms, for each protected stairway providing an exit from that storey | Approved Document B, Volume 2, 3.4(a) |
| Position | not necessarily inside the stair enclosure, but with direct access to the stair | Approved Document B, Volume 2, 3.4(b) |
| Number of spaces | it does not need to equal the number of wheelchair users who may be in the building; a single refuge may be occupied by more than one person during the evacuation procedure | Approved Document B, Volume 2, 3.4(c) |
| Size | a minimum of 900 mm by 1400 mm, accessible by someone in a wheelchair | Approved Document B, Volume 2, 3.6 |
| Escape route | in a protected stairway, lobby or corridor, the refuge should not reduce the width of the escape route or obstruct the flow of people escaping | Approved Document B, Volume 2, 3.6 |
| Communication | an emergency voice communication (EVC) system complying with BS 5839-9 | Approved Document B, Volume 2, 3.7 |
| Sign | clearly identified; in protected lobbies and protected stairways, a blue mandatory sign worded ‘Refuge – keep clear’, in addition to fire safety signs | Approved Document B, Volume 2, 3.8 |
The size is for one wheelchair. As the Home Office guide puts it, most refuges can accommodate only one wheelchair, which works where there is more than one wheelchair user as long as there is a suitable evacuation strategy: as one person moves on, the next takes their place in the refuge (Home Office guide on means of escape for disabled people, escape option 2).
The voice communication system, the sign and the lifts
- Emergency voice communication. The EVC system consists of Type B outstations communicating with a master station in the building control room, if there is one, or next to the fire detection and alarm panel. In some buildings, wireless technology may be more appropriate (Approved Document B, Volume 2, 3.7).
- The sign. Refuges and evacuation lifts should be clearly identified, and in protected lobbies and protected stairways the refuge has the blue ‘Refuge – keep clear’ sign (Approved Document B, Volume 2, 3.8).
- Lifts. Generally, lifts should not be used when there is a fire in the building, unless their use forms part of a management plan for evacuating people, the lifts are appropriately sited and protected, and they contain safety features to ensure they remain usable during a fire; guidance on evacuation lifts is in Annex G to BS 9999 (Approved Document B, Volume 2, 5.32). Where a firefighting lift is provided, it can be used to evacuate disabled people, and the management plan should describe how, and what will happen when the fire and rescue service arrives (Approved Document B, Volume 2, 5.33).
For lifts in everyday use, and what the US requires of them, see ADA elevator requirements.
A refuge is not where the evacuation ends
The Home Office guide on means of escape for disabled people is written for the people responsible for a building. It says their fire safety risk assessment includes an emergency evacuation plan for all people likely to be in the premises, including disabled people, and that the plan should not rely upon the intervention of the Fire and Rescue Service to make it work (Home Office guide on means of escape for disabled people, 1.1).
- Nobody waits there for the fire service. People who need assisted escape can meet their assistants at a refuge, but people should never be left in a refuge point to wait for the Fire and Rescue Service (Home Office guide on means of escape for disabled people, escape option 2).
- Preferred routes. For people with mobility impairments, the preferred options are horizontal evacuation to outside the building, horizontal evacuation into another fire compartment, or a fire evacuation lift (Home Office guide on means of escape for disabled people, 4.2).
- Evacuation chairs. They should not be considered as an automatic solution for wheelchair users: not everyone can transfer into one or stay seated in one, and the operators need training and practice (Home Office guide on means of escape for disabled people, 4.4.1).
- Personal plans. Staff and regular visitors can have a personal emergency evacuation plan (PEEP) tailored to their needs (Home Office guide on means of escape for disabled people, 1.4); occasional visitors get standard plans (Home Office guide on means of escape for disabled people, 1.5), and visitors should always be offered an escape plan (Home Office guide on means of escape for disabled people, section 5).
- Practice. Escape plans should be practised regularly, and at least every six months (Home Office guide on means of escape for disabled people, 3.4).
When a new building is handed over, the fire safety information should include any provision enabling the evacuation of disabled people, which can be used when designing personal emergency evacuation plans (Approved Document B, Volume 2, 19.5(c)). Under the Equality Act 2010, emergency escape routes are among the physical features a service provider’s duty to make reasonable adjustments covers (EHRC Code of Practice for services (2026), paragraph 7.71); see Equality Act reasonable adjustments.
What to look for in a building
If you cannot use stairs without help, or you look after a building, these questions follow the two documents:
- On each floor, is there a refuge for each protected stairway that leads out, with direct access to the stair (Approved Document B, Volume 2, 3.4(a) and (b))?
- Is it big enough and clear? At least 900 mm by 1400 mm, reachable in a wheelchair, and not taking up the width of the escape route (Approved Document B, Volume 2, 3.6).
- Can you call for help from it? Look for the emergency voice communication outstation (Approved Document B, Volume 2, 3.7).
- Is it marked? A blue ‘Refuge – keep clear’ sign in protected lobbies and stairways (Approved Document B, Volume 2, 3.8).
- Who comes to get you? Ask staff for the escape plan for visitors; it should be offered to you, and it should not depend on the fire service (Home Office guide on means of escape for disabled people, 1.1 and section 5).
Refuges and Braillito Maps
Braillito Maps does not record refuges or evacuation plans. It is a community map that answers ten questions about each place: step-free entrance or ramp, wide doorway, accessible toilet, accessible parking, tactile paving, braille signage, braille menu, audible signals, guide dogs welcome and a quiet environment.
Some of them sit close to this page. Audible signals tell you whether alerts can be heard, not only seen; braille signage, whether signs can be read by touch; and the step-free entrance and the wide doorway, whether you can get in and move through the building at all. Each question is answered yes or no, or stays without data until someone knows, and the score of a place is the number of yes answers out of ten, always shown with its number, never by colour alone.
Only mark what you saw. If what a place says is wrong, it can be reported. Meet Braillito Maps.
Frequently asked questions
What is a disabled refuge?
A relatively safe area where people who are unable to use stairs without help wait for a short period during a fire, as part of the building’s management plan; it can be a compartment, a protected lobby, corridor or stairway, or a protected area in the open air (Approved Document B, Volume 2, 3.1, 3.4 and 3.5).
How big is a disabled refuge?
A minimum of 900 mm by 1400 mm, accessible by someone in a wheelchair, without reducing the width of the escape route (Approved Document B, Volume 2, 3.6).
Where are refuges required?
On every storey, except storeys with only plant rooms, for each protected stairway providing an exit from that storey, with direct access to the stair (Approved Document B, Volume 2, 3.4).
What sign does a refuge need?
Refuges should be clearly identified, and in protected lobbies and protected stairways there should be a blue mandatory sign worded ‘Refuge – keep clear’, in addition to fire safety signs (Approved Document B, Volume 2, 3.8).
Can someone be left in a refuge until the fire service arrives?
No. The Home Office guide says people should never be left in a refuge point to wait for the Fire and Rescue Service, and that the evacuation plan should not rely on the service to make it work (Home Office guide on means of escape for disabled people, 1.1 and escape option 2).
Can lifts be used to evacuate disabled people in a fire?
Generally, lifts should not be used in a fire unless their use is part of a management plan and they are sited, protected and equipped to remain usable. A firefighting lift, where provided, can be used to evacuate disabled people (Approved Document B, Volume 2, 5.32 and 5.33).
More accessibility guides
- Area of refuge: what an area of refuge is, the wheelchair spaces, the call box, the signs and how evacuation works with elevators.
- Approved Document M (Part M): Part M of the Building Regulations in England, volume by volume: M4(1), M4(2) and M4(3) homes, and ramps, doors, lifts and toilets in other buildings.
- Equality Act reasonable adjustments: the three requirements of section 20, why the duty is anticipatory, who pays, and what a shop, restaurant or service can change in its building.
- Disabled toilet dimensions (UK): the Doc M toilet under Approved Document M: room size, where the WC goes, the rails, fitting heights, ambulant and enlarged cubicles, and Doc M packs.
- Changing Places toilets: what they are, the hoist and the changing bench, which buildings in England must have one since 2021, and how to find one.
- ADA elevator requirements: car dimensions, door width and timing, call button height, audible and visible signals, and braille on the jambs and buttons.
- All accessibility guides
Sources
Every figure in this guide comes from one of these official texts, which we read in October 2026.
- Approved Document B: Fire safety, Volume 2: Buildings other than dwellings, 2019 edition incorporating 2020, 2022, 2025 and 2026 amendments. Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (UK), on GOV.UK, for use in England; GOV.UK page updated 16 September 2026; read October 2026.
- Fire safety risk assessment: means of escape for disabled people. Home Office (UK), on GOV.UK, first published 29 March 2007; updated 12 September 2023.
- Equality Act 2010: Code of Practice for services, public functions and associations, 2026. Equality and Human Rights Commission, on GOV.UK, in force since 5 August 2026; ISBN 978-1-5286-6395-3; read October 2026.
Braillito Maps
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