Disabled or accessible toilets are designed to accommodate people with physical disabilities. They are typically more spacious than standard toilet facilities to allow space for wheelchairs or carers and often include a higher toilet bowl, grab rails and extended flush handles and taps for easier control.
Accessible toilets are typically found in public areas such as shops, hotels and other businesses where public toilets are usually provided. In the UK, the Equality Act 2010 requires organisations and businesses to make reasonable adjustments to meet the needs of those with disabilities which usually includes having an accessible toilet.
BS8300:2009, the British standard that sets out how buildings should be designed, constructed and maintained to create an accessible and inclusive environment for disabled people, also dictates that all new disabled toilet installations should be fitted with an emergency assistance alarm that can be used by the user in case of emergency.
Emergency Voice Communication
Emergency Voice Communication (EVC) systems are used to provide two-way communication between those inside a building and the emergency services. EVCs are designed to assist the orderly evacuation of people who use a wheelchair and are made up of a variety of devices, including emergency assistance alarms that are found in accessible toilets, to achieve this.
An EVC system typically consists of the following components:
- Assistance Alarm
- As mentioned above, an assistance alarm must be provided in all disabled toilets within non-domestic premises. While not a legal requirement, integrating an emergency assistance alarm into an EVC means that all calls related to disabled communications can be displayed in a central location.
- Fire Telephones
- In most countries, fire telephones are required in buildings over four storeys tall. Fire telephones provide a hardwired, full-duplex communications system and act as a backup to traditional fire service radios.
- Disabled Refuge
- A disabled refuge provides a safe place for wheelchair users or people that are diabled to congregate in the event of an emergency. All non-domestic premises over one storey tall in the UK are required to have a disabled refuge where an emergency exit is by stairs.
- Master Station
- This is the component that connects the system together. Installed in a central location, all devices in the EVC system are connected to the master station to provide a central communication point.
Handpicked Products for Disabled Toilet Alarms
The Crisis EVC range combines compact and stylish touchscreen master stations, fully equipped emergency assist alarms, fire telephones and disabled refuge points into one easy to install and manage EVC system.
EVC Control Panels
The Crisis Assist Call Master Station can accept and display emergency assist alarm calls on combined networks. The touchscreen layout has four buttons, which allow quick access to the main functions, and permanently displays the number of current calls, alarms and faults. Emergency assist alarm calls can be acknowledged by pressing the icon on screen (as required by BS8300) and will return to alarm if not reset within two minutes.
The Crisis EVC Master Station can support up to eight lines of outstation, including emergency assist call points, type A fixed phones, type B refuge hands free points or jack points. Lines auto-identify by flashing blue for assist calls, red for emergency voice communication calls or green for connected calls as detailed in BS5839-9:2011.
The Crisis EVC Network Master Station can also support up to eight lines of outstation and has four buttons allowing quick access to the main functions, while permanently displaying the number of current calls, alarms and faults.
However, the Crisis EVC Network Master Station also has built-in networking capabilities allowing it to form one of the 64 panels on a Crisis EVC Network installation. Each panel can be set as a master station or network expander.
EVC Assist Call
The Crisis Assist Call WC Kit includes an over door, cancel and pull cord plate. They are supplied with a brushed stainless finish and a blue halo to aid location and provide a BS8300 compliant accessible toilet solution including the “acknowledge” signalling required for remote locations. The Assist Call WC Kit integrates emergency assist alarm call systems within an EVCS, providing a single display point for all disabled calls within a building. When a call is made the oven door and cancel units emit a two tone siren with a flashing ‘halo’. When the call is acknowledged from the Crisis Master Station the ‘halo’ lights steadily and the tone double beeps every 15 seconds to reassure the caller help is on the way.
Why Choose Eurofyre?
- Complete System Supplier
- Eurofyre manufactures and supplies all aspects of fire detection and its associated safety products, including Emergency Voice Communication Systems, and can provide expert advice and consultation.
- Demonstration and Training
- We offer demonstrations and expert training on a range of systems, including Crisis EVC systems, in our very own sophisticated training facility.
- After-Sales Support
- Eurofyre offers both on-site and telephone support to assist you in ensuring that your system is fully functional and operating at maximum efficiency. Our after-sales care and support are second to none.
For more information about Crisis EVC, or to discuss any of the other products that Eurofyre have to offer, please feel free to get in touch either by phone on +44 (0) 1329 835 024, by email to [email protected] or via the online enquiry form situated on our contact page.
Don’t forget you can follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook or sign up to our newsletter (in the footer below) to receive all the latest information from Eurofyre.
