Rescue elevator system, comprising a rescue ladder and an elevator running on rails on a top side of the rescue ladder up to an end position at one end of the rescue ladder, and an elevator drive comprising a rope, a rope winch for pulling the rope and a deflection roller over which the rope is guided from the rope winch to a suspension point at the elevator, wherein the deflection roller is disposed below the rails at or near the one end of the rescue ladder, characterized in that the suspension point is displaced towards a trailing end of the elevator averted from the one end of the rescue ladder such that in the end position of the elevator, the suspension point is located in a distance from the deflection roller in the extension direction of the rails, and the elevator comprises a passage ladder to bridge the distance between the suspension point and the deflection roller in the end position of the elevator, said passage ladder lying on top of the rope and being mounted between the rails at a hinge axis perpendicular to the extension direction of the rails and extending generally towards the one end of the rescue ladder such as to be pivotable between a flat position in which it lies generally parallel to the plane of the rails and an inclined position in which it is inclined downwardly towards the bottom side of the rescue ladder.