Evacuation Chair Training in London: Building Real Emergency Readiness

London contains some of the most complex buildings in the UK. Historic offices, high-rise residential blocks, universities, hotels, theatres, hospitals and modern commercial developments all present different evacuation challenges.

Many of these buildings depend on passenger lifts for normal access between floors. During a fire or another emergency, however, those lifts may be unavailable or unsuitable for evacuation unless they are specifically designed, managed and approved for that purpose.

This creates an important question for every responsible person, facilities manager and fire-safety professional:

How will someone who cannot use the stairs reach a place of safety?

An evacuation chair can form part of the answer, but simply purchasing a chair and placing it beside a staircase does not create a working evacuation procedure. Staff need to understand when it should be used, how it operates, who is responsible and how the equipment fits within the building’s wider emergency plan.

Professional evacuation chair training in London helps turn equipment into a practical and deliverable procedure.

For a detailed introduction to powered equipment and the different ways it can support inclusive evacuation, read our pillar guide to powered evacuation chairs in the UK.

Why evacuation chair training matters

An evacuation chair may appear straightforward when demonstrated by an experienced trainer. In an emergency, the circumstances can be very different.

An operator could be working in reduced visibility, hearing an alarm, receiving conflicting information and supporting a person who is understandably anxious. Other occupants may also be using the staircase, while emergency services are approaching the building.

This is not the right time for staff to read instructions for the first time.

Training gives nominated operators an opportunity to handle the chair in a controlled environment. They can learn how to deploy it, communicate with the user and move safely through the intended evacuation route.

Effective training should help staff understand:

• Where evacuation chairs are located
• Who may require assistance
• When the chair should be used
• How to open and prepare the equipment
• How to support the passenger
• How to descend or ascend stairs where the model permits it
• How to negotiate landings
• How to communicate during the evacuation
• What to do after reaching the final exit
• How to return the chair to service
• How defects should be reported
• How the equipment fits into PEEPs, GEEPs and the fire strategy

Without this knowledge, an organisation may own suitable equipment but still be unable to use it confidently when it is needed.

The legal and organisational context

The person responsible for a non-domestic premises must take appropriate fire-safety precautions and make suitable emergency arrangements.

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person must assess fire risks and implement appropriate measures to protect relevant people. Article 21 also addresses the provision of adequate safety training for employees.

Training must be appropriate to the risks and should be repeated periodically where necessary. It should also be adapted when new or changed risks arise.

The Government’s guidance on means of escape for disabled people reinforces the principle that an organisation should not rely on the fire and rescue service to complete its evacuation arrangements.

The employer, building operator or responsible person must have its own plan.

The Health and Safety Executive’s emergency procedures guidance also highlights the need to consider people who may require special assistance and to ensure that workers understand emergency arrangements.

Evacuation chair training is therefore not an isolated equipment exercise. It supports the organisation’s ability to put its documented procedures into practice.

Why London buildings need a site-specific approach

A generic training session may explain how a chair works, but it cannot automatically account for the layout and challenges of every London building.

The capital includes:

• Listed and heritage buildings
• Narrow and winding staircases
• High-rise offices
• Underground workplaces
• Basement restaurants and bars
• Hotels with multiple accommodation floors
• Universities spread across several buildings
• Shared commercial premises
• Residential buildings with communal areas
• Healthcare and care environments
• Venues with large numbers of visitors
• Buildings undergoing refurbishment
• Properties with several responsible organisations

Even modern buildings can present difficult evacuation routes. A chair may need to pass through a protected corridor, cross a landing, change staircases or travel through a busy final exit.

Site-based evac chair training in London allows staff to practise on the actual route wherever this is safe and appropriate. It can reveal issues that would otherwise remain hidden until a drill or emergency.

For example:

• Is there enough space to deploy the chair?
• Can it turn on each landing?
• Does a door restrict the route?
• Is the chair stored on the correct side of the staircase?
• Is the exit route kept clear?
• Are there steps between the bottom of the stairs and the final exit?
• Is additional equipment required for basement evacuation?
• Where will the passenger be taken after leaving the staircase?
• Can operators communicate with the fire marshal or control point?

The answers may affect chair selection, storage, staffing and the wider evacuation procedure.

Owning an evacuation chair is not enough

One of the most common weaknesses in evacuation planning is a chair that has been purchased but not fully integrated into the fire-safety system.

It may remain sealed in a cover for years. Staff may not know who is expected to operate it. The nominated operators may have left the organisation, or nobody may have practised on the building’s staircase.

In other cases, the equipment has been moved from its assessed location or stored behind furniture. Inspection labels may be missing and the organisation may not know whether the chair is ready for use.

A complete management process should address:

• Equipment selection
• Location and signage
• Operator training
• Familiarisation for potential users
• PEEP and GEEP procedures
• Routine visual checks
• Servicing and maintenance
• Fire drills
• Refresher training
• Staff changes
• Incident reporting
• Review of the evacuation plan

Training is the point at which many of these elements come together. It gives staff an opportunity to identify gaps, ask practical questions and understand their individual responsibilities.

What should evacuation chair training include?

A professional session should combine theory, demonstration and supervised practical use.

Understanding inclusive evacuation

The session should begin with the purpose of an evacuation chair and its position within the building’s emergency plan.

Operators should understand that not every person who cannot use stairs has the same needs. Someone may have a visible physical disability, but others may require assistance because of fatigue, pain, pregnancy, injury, a heart or respiratory condition, sensory impairment, anxiety or a temporary mobility restriction.

The objective is to provide a dignified and proportionate procedure rather than make assumptions about what a person can or cannot do.

Pre-use checks

Operators should learn how to identify whether the chair appears ready for use.

Checks may include:

• The chair is in its designated position
• Access to it is unobstructed
• Safety belts and supports are present
• Handles and mechanisms operate correctly
• Tracks or wheels appear undamaged
• The battery is charged on a powered chair
• Service and inspection information is current
• There are no obvious signs of damage

Any concern should be reported through the organisation’s agreed process.

Safe deployment

Different models open and operate in different ways. Staff should practise releasing the chair from its storage position and preparing it without placing themselves or others at risk.

Repeated supervised practice helps make deployment more familiar. This is particularly important when a chair folds into a compact shape and has several handles, supports or safety components.

Passenger preparation and communication

Good evacuation chair training is not only about the operator’s technique. The experience of the passenger is equally important.

Before moving, the operator should explain what will happen using clear and reassuring language. Where possible, consent and individual preferences should already have been discussed through the PEEP process.

The operator may need to explain:

• How the person will transfer
• Where their hands and feet should be positioned
• How belts or supports will be applied
• What the chair may feel like on the stairs
• Where they are being taken
• Who will remain with them

The person should be treated with respect throughout. Operators must never rush a transfer or use inappropriate manual-handling techniques simply because an alarm is sounding.

Practical staircase operation

Each participant should have the opportunity to operate the equipment under supervision.

Practical training can include:

• Positioning at the top of the stairs
• Establishing balance and control
• Moving onto the first step
• Maintaining a controlled descent
• Communicating with the passenger
• Stopping safely if required
• Negotiating landings
• Returning the chair to its wheels
• Moving towards the final exit

Where a powered evacuation chair is being used, the session should also cover its controls, battery management, powered ascent or descent capabilities and relevant safety features.

The exact process must follow the instructions for the particular make and model. Training on one chair does not automatically make somebody competent to use every evacuation chair.

Evacuation chairs, PEEPs and GEEPs

A chair should be connected to a planned procedure.

A Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan, commonly known as a PEEP, records the arrangements for an individual who may require assistance during an emergency. It can identify the person’s preferred method of evacuation, their transfer requirements, the equipment to be used and the staff needed to support them.

A General Emergency Evacuation Plan, or GEEP, provides arrangements for visitors and other people whose individual needs may not be known in advance.

The plan may need to answer:

• Which route will be used?
• Which chair is appropriate?
• Can the person transfer into it?
• How many trained operators are required?
• What happens if the usual operator is absent?
• Is a refuge involved?
• How will communication be maintained?
• Who authorises movement from the refuge?
• Where is the final place of safety?
• How will mobility equipment be recovered or replaced?
• What happens outside normal working hours?

A refuge is not normally intended to become a permanent destination where someone waits indefinitely for the fire and rescue service. It forms part of a managed evacuation strategy and needs suitable communication, procedures and onward movement.

Training allows staff to practise their roles within these arrangements rather than treating the chair as a standalone product.

Who should receive evacuation chair training?

The correct number of operators depends on the building, staffing arrangements, working patterns and number of people who may need assistance.

Training may be appropriate for:

• Fire marshals
• Security teams
• Facilities staff
• Reception teams
• Duty managers
• Hotel staff
• University support staff
• Care teams
• Health and safety personnel
• Building management teams
• Event staff
• Night and weekend personnel

Organisations should not train only one person for each chair. Annual leave, sickness, shift patterns, hybrid working and staff turnover can quickly leave a building without a competent operator.

Coverage should be considered across all occupied hours.

In a multi-tenanted London building, responsibilities must also be clear. The landlord, managing agent and individual employers may each have relevant duties. They should understand who owns the chair, who checks it, which tenants may use it and whether trained staff will be available.

How often should training be refreshed?

There is no single refresher interval that will be appropriate for every building. The organisation should decide the frequency through its risk assessment, manufacturer guidance, staff competence and local procedures.

Refresher training should be considered when:

• Staff have not practised for a significant period
• A new chair is installed
• The equipment model changes
• The evacuation route changes
• The building is refurbished
• A trained operator leaves
• A drill identifies a weakness
• Staff report low confidence
• A new person requires a PEEP
• The fire risk assessment is reviewed
• An incident or near miss occurs

Short practice sessions between formal courses can help maintain familiarity. These should still be properly managed and should not involve unsafe experimentation.

An organisation needs to be able to show not only that training took place, but that sufficient competent operators remain available.

Manual handling and operator safety

Evacuation arrangements must protect the passenger and the people providing assistance.

Operators should not be expected to lift, carry or physically support someone in a way that creates an uncontrolled risk. Transfer requirements should be assessed in advance wherever possible.

Relevant considerations include:

• The passenger’s mobility and balance
• Their ability to assist with a transfer
• Pain, spasms or involuntary movements
• The height and strength of operators
• The space available
• The number of staff required
• Wheelchair and seating needs
• The use of transfer aids
• Environmental hazards
• The distance to the final place of safety

The HSE’s moving and handling guidance explains the importance of avoiding hazardous handling where reasonably practicable, assessing tasks that cannot be avoided and introducing measures that reduce risk.

An evacuation chair can reduce the need for manual carrying, but it must still be selected and used correctly.

Standard and powered evacuation chairs

Traditional evacuation chairs usually use friction-controlled tracks to descend stairs. They can be effective when the route primarily involves downward travel and a suitable operator is available.

Powered evacuation chairs use a motorised system to assist controlled movement. Depending on the design, some models can travel both down and up stairs.

Powered ascent can be particularly important in:

• Basement workplaces
• Underground venues
• Lower-ground-floor restaurants
• Transport environments
• Split-level buildings
• Locations where the escape route rises towards ground level

London has a considerable number of basements and below-ground commercial spaces. An ordinary descending chair will not solve an upward evacuation requirement.

The choice between a standard and powered chair should therefore follow a route assessment. The organisation should not purchase equipment simply because it is familiar or inexpensive.

Training must then be delivered on the exact model selected.

Evac chair training in London for different sectors

Offices and commercial buildings

London offices often operate with hybrid working, shared occupation and rotating facilities teams. Training should account for variable staffing and ensure that competent operators are present whenever the building is occupied.

Hotels and hospitality venues

Hotels must consider guests whose needs are not known before arrival. Staff coverage is required throughout the day and night, including weekends. Procedures may also need to support guests unfamiliar with the building.

Universities and schools

Education buildings can contain lecture theatres, laboratories, libraries, accommodation and historic staircases. Students may move between several buildings, making consistent procedures and accurate equipment records especially important.

Heritage buildings

Listed status and protected architectural features may restrict permanent alterations. A portable evacuation solution can be valuable, but narrow stairs, uneven steps and limited landings require careful assessment.

Healthcare and care environments

Users may have complex mobility, cognitive, postural or medical needs. Evacuation equipment and training must reflect the individual population, staffing arrangements and clinical environment.

Residential buildings

Residential evacuation strategies must consider residents who may require assistance, the management structure and the building’s overall fire strategy. In-scope buildings must also take account of the Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025, which came into force on 6 April 2026.

Equipment should never be introduced without understanding how it fits within the building’s assessed evacuation approach.

Common evacuation chair training mistakes

Some recurring problems can undermine otherwise good intentions.

These include:

• Training only one member of staff
• Using a generic demonstration away from the actual route
• Failing to include the chair in fire drills
• Assuming every wheelchair user can transfer
• Treating every disability in the same way
• Providing no refresher training
• Purchasing a descending chair for a basement route
• Failing to check landings and doorways
• Storing the chair in an inaccessible position
• Not updating training after staff changes
• Failing to maintain the equipment
• Expecting the fire and rescue service to complete the evacuation

Effective evac chair training in London should identify these weaknesses and help the organisation establish a repeatable, documented procedure.

A complete approach from The Evacuation Company

The Evacuation Company works with organisations across London to make evacuation more than a compliance exercise.

Our support can include:

• Site and evacuation-route assessments
• Standard evacuation chairs
• Powered evacuation chairs
• Evacuation chair hire
• Individual and group operator training
• Train-the-trainer courses
• PEEP, GEEP, BEEP and RPEEP support
• Equipment servicing
• Inspection and PUWER testing
• Fire drills and procedure reviews
• Ongoing advice and aftercare

Training can be delivered at the client’s premises so staff learn within the environment in which the equipment may be used. This helps connect the practical operation of the chair to the building’s real evacuation route.

Turning equipment into emergency readiness

An evacuation chair can be an essential part of an inclusive fire-safety strategy, but the equipment is only effective when people know how and when to use it.

Professional evacuation chair training in London gives staff the knowledge, practice and confidence needed to support someone during an emergency. It also helps responsible persons identify weaknesses in staffing, storage, equipment selection and evacuation routes before those weaknesses become critical.

The objective is not simply to produce a training certificate. It is to create a procedure that works for the building, the operators and the people who may depend on it.

If your organisation needs evac chair training in London, The Evacuation Company can assess your building, review your existing equipment and provide practical training on your own evacuation routes.

Contact The Evacuation Company to discuss training, equipment, PEEPs or a complete evacuation assessment.

Estimated reading time: 14 minutes

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