Area of Rescue Assistance: Requirements Guide for Illinois Buildings

What an area of rescue assistance is

An area of rescue assistance (sometimes called an area of refuge) is a protected space within a building where people who cannot use stairs can wait safely for assisted evacuation during an emergency. In most multi-story buildings, elevators are recalled or unavailable during a fire event — stairs become the only evacuation path, and not every occupant can use them.

The concept exists in the International Building Code (IBC), NFPA 101, and accessibility standards including the ADA. Illinois jurisdictions adopt these codes with local amendments — always confirm specific requirements with your Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) before designing or pricing a system.

When is one required?

The general IBC pattern: multi-story buildings with accessible floors above or below the level of exit discharge need either areas of rescue assistance or an accessible means of egress via other code-accepted methods. Common situations where they're required:

The exceptions and amendments matter as much as the rule. A fully sprinklered building may not need areas of refuge at all; a partially renovated one might suddenly need several. This is an AHJ conversation before it is a product conversation.

• Multi-story buildings without fully sprinklered protection (sprinklered buildings may qualify for exceptions in some jurisdictions)
• Buildings where the accessible route relies on elevators for floors above grade
• Renovations that change occupancy or egress design — a remodel can trigger requirements the original building never had
• Assembly, healthcare, and residential occupancies often face stricter interpretations

The two-way communication requirement

An area of rescue assistance is not just a marked space on a stairwell landing — code requires a two-way communication system connecting each area to a constantly attended location (a fire command center, lobby desk, or monitoring point). That requirement is what turns a painted sign into a life-safety system.

• Two-way voice communication between each area and the attended point
• Visual and audible signaling so occupants know their call was received
• Backup power so the system operates during the emergency that disabled the elevators
• Instructions and signage at each station
• Testing and documentation your AHJ and insurer can review

What UL 2525 listing means

UL 2525 is the product safety standard specifically for two-way emergency communication systems for rescue assistance. Equipment listed to UL 2525 — such as Jeron's Pro-Alert series, the first system listed to this standard — has been independently tested for the reliability this application demands.

As with all life-safety equipment, the listing belongs to the product; your building's compliance posture is determined by the AHJ reviewing the whole installation. We specify UL 2525-listed equipment because it removes the equipment question from that review.

Planning a system: the practical sequence

• Confirm applicability with your AHJ — how many areas, on which floors, under which local amendments
• Locate stations on the egress path — stairwell landings, elevator lobbies, or rated enclosures per the approved plan
• Define the attended point — a staffed lobby, a fire command center, or an off-site monitoring service
• Design power and supervision — battery backup, line supervision, fault alerting
• Document testing — acceptance testing with the AHJ, then a documented periodic test schedule
• Train the people who answer — a call that rings somewhere nobody understands is a system that failed quietly

Where these systems get it wrong

• Stations installed without confirming the AHJ's interpretation — relocated later at real cost
• Communication points that ring an empty office after hours
• No battery backup, or backup that was never load-tested
• No signage or instructions — occupants don't know the station exists or how to use it
• No documented test schedule — the system's condition is unknown until an emergency or an inspection reveals it

Frequently Asked Questions