Evac+Chair has been specified by gym and health club chain Fitness First as part of its evacuation strategy for the mobility impaired.

With 500 clubs worldwide and over 170 clubs in the UK, the group has pledged to make its facilities accessible for all customers, including persons of reduced mobility, the temporarily injured and the able bodied.

As part of the undertaking, managers at Fitness First pinpointed around 130 clubs where, due to two or more storeys or basement facilities, there was a need to aid disabled customers in an evacuation.

The company has purchased 130 of the chairs, with eight members of staff taking part in the Evac+Chair Key Trainer Master Class©. It is now in the process of training all staff in the use of the chairs in clubs where they have been installed.

The chair is an easy-to-use device which can be employed in the event of an emergency when lifts can't be used.

Light in weight it allows one person to transport another downstairs or on the flat quickly and safely with a minimum amount of training required and very little physical strength.