Everything you need to know about putting a ladder in a fire stair

When private access isn’t an option, the fire stairwell becomes the only path to the roof. Read more on how to create access in these environments.

31 July 2026

Categories: Industry Product Education

Accessing the inaccessible. How to use fire stairs to your advantage.

Designing safe and compliant roof access can be one of the most challenging aspects of a building access plan, particularly in residential and mixed‑use developments. When communal spaces are limited, the internal fire stair often becomes the only viable option for roof access.

Why is this issue so common?

In modern developments, especially apartment buildings, shared or communal access zones are becoming increasingly scarce. No one wants roof access routed through a private apartment or tenancy.

As a result, the fire stair is often the only shared space available for accessing the roof.

While practical, this creates two major challenges:

1. Limited space

Fire stairs are typically tight and highly controlled environments. Every millimetre matters, and access solutions must not impede egress or compromise safety.

For this reason, fold‑down ladders are selected in roughly 90% of stairwell roof access scenarios.

2. Compliance uncertainty

Many project teams come to us asking the same question:

“Are fold‑down ladders even allowed in a fire stair?”

The uncertainty around standards and compliance leads to hesitation, project delays, or worst-case scenarios, unsafe access solutions being installed.

What industry standards and guidance say

Interestingly, there is no Australian Standard that directly governs fold‑down ladders in stairwells.

That doesn’t mean it’s a free‑for‑all.

Risk‑Based Assessment Is Key

In the absence of prescriptive standards, the industry evaluates roof access solutions based on risk:

Are you minimising the risk of falls?
Are users exposed to greater danger when transitioning onto the ladder?
Could someone fall down the stairwell if they lose footing?
Is the ladder positioned in a way that forces unsafe movement or reach?

If an access solution increases risk rather than reduces it, it does not belong in your building, regardless of convenience.

Practical solutions we recommend

Every stairwell is different. That’s why all Kattsafe solutions are customisable to your stairwell layout and constraints.

Below are the most effective options we commonly advise:

Extend the concrete slab level or balustrading

When using a ladder adjacent to a stair void, fall protection becomes critical.

Where possible, extending the slab at roof level creates the space needed for a fixed ladder rather than a fold‑down option.

Extending the balustrade or installing a protective cage ensures there is no risk of falling down the stairwell, significantly improving user safety.

Fold‑down ladders that stow away

In highly constrained stairwells, a fold‑down ladder may be the only viable option as they fold completely out of the way, do not obstruct egress and are positioned to minimise reach and transition risk.

This is ideal for tight spaces while maintaining the stair function and is designed with safety first.

Wall‑mounted rung ladders

If space allows, a wall‑mounted rung ladder keeps access equipment clear of the walking path while maintaining consistency and durability.

Rung ladders are low maintenance, they create a clear access route and are fully compliant when installed correctly.

Our past fire stair projects.

We’ve worked on numerous projects where roof access through a fire stair posed significant constraints. In these cases, detailed drawings and stairwell‑specific designs helped resolve compliance concerns early, saving time, cost, and redesign.

Video by Safe Rope Access.