Voice Alarm Phased Evacuation Explained

One function of a voice alarm system is to provide the means to enable the ‘phased evacuation’ of a building. Phased evacuation is literally the systematic removal of people from an area, floor or building during an emergency such as a fire. By phasing the evacuation of a building it is possible to ensure that the people in the most danger are able to escape first. In many buildings it is not possible to use a lift in the event of a fire; lifts are often made to travel to the ground floor the instant the fire alarm system is activated. This leaves the stairwells and other evacuation routes available for people to follow in order to escape the building. In a high rise, or any multi-level building, simply expecting everyone to leave the building at the same time could, potentially, lead to panic and blockage on these evacuation routes*. The ability to initiate a controlled, area-by-area evacuation of a building – known as phased evacuation – helps prevent this.

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