Abstract: A fire escape unit for installation in buildings such as hospitals includes a hinged platform upon which a movable load such as a bed to be evacuated in an emergency is mounted. The hinged end of the platform is adjacent a hinged portion of an external wall of the building and in the event of a fire the hinged platform is released to adopt an outwardly sloping position and the external wall portion hinged outwards to form an inclined ramp, on to which the bed rolls from the platform, the platform lifting to fill the aperture in the external wall after the bed has passed through to minimize the ingress of air.