Emergency Evacuation Preparedness: Take Responsibility for Your Safety
Contents of this chapter
- Preparing Takes Time and Effort
- What the Law Says
- Create, Review and Practice Plans
- Get Involved in the Planning Process
- Emergency Health Information
The media repeatedly reported stories about the two wheelchair users who successfully escaped from the World Trade Center using evacuation chairs on September 11th, 2001. We also heard about one wheelchair user who died (see "A Day To Remember").
We did not hear about others whose activity limitations prevented them from successfully evacuating. But we heard reports from those who successfully evacuated the towers and who told of passing people who could not keep up (e.g., older people, people with respiratory conditions and limited endurance, and other people with no apparent disability).
Their chances of surviving could have significantly improved if evacuation plans had been in place:
- which included them.
- that were regularly practiced by reviewing procedures using announced as well as surprise drills.
If you just rely on the employer or the building manager to make sure things are in place, it may or may not happen.
Paul Ray of Dearborn Heights, Mich., is a contractor for Ford Motor Co. His office had a fire drill about a month ago. Ray, who has quadriplegia and works on the second floor, said it was the first fire drill in the 18 months he's worked there. When the alarm went off, he went to the elevator bank, where Ray said designated fire wardens seemed surprised to see him. He said he had never been told about the building's evacuation plan.
"My confidence was not exactly inspired," said Ray, a programmer. "I was a little surprised. I thought Ford would have a little better control over the situation."
"I'm hoping that they're at least a little more aware of the fact that I am there, working on their second floor," Ray said. "I don't know if it's something they just don't think about it or everybody's just so stressed out with their other nonsense that they don't have time to deal with it. As a quadriplegic I do not go down stairs, period. I don't have the balance for it. It's a little disturbing." (Bondi 2001)
Don't let this happen to you. In planning for your life safety in emergency situations, hope doesn't count for much! Make sure you are included in the decisions on which equipment and procedures will work for you. Given today's current expanding disaster possibilities, quick evacuation can be critical.
A Harris Interactive survey commissioned by the National Organization on Disability, December 2001, found that "50 percent of employees with disabilities say no plans have been made to safely evacuate their workplace, compared to 44 percent of people without disabilities. Eighteen percent of people with disabilities feel extremely or very anxious about their personal safety in the event of a crisis, compared to 8 percent of people without disabilities." (National Organization on Disability 2002)
Preparing Takes Time and Effort
Preparation may seem like work. It is. Preparing does take time and effort. You can do a little at a time. The important thing is to start preparing. The more you do, the more confident you will be that you can protect yourself. Don't assume you have been included in emergency plans.
What the Law Says
Because there are no federal guidelines requiring disaster or evacuation plans, many people are unclear exactly whose responsibility it is. (Bondi 2001)
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) does not require formal emergency plans. But ADA's Titles I, II and III do require that employers, public services, and public accommodations and services operated by private entities modify their policies and procedures to include people with disabilities. Therefore when plans are created or revised they need to include people with disabilities and activity limitations. Give Attachment A: "Disability-related Issues for Emergency Plan Coordinators" to personnel who are responsible for creating, reviewing, maintaining, practicing and revising emergency plans.
Create, Review and Practice Plans
| Date | Activity | Date updated | ||
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| Practice plans through regular drills. | ||||
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Get Involved in the Planning Process
Seek out the risk management team to determine if there is a CURRENT plan. Review the plan. Make sure your site is not just using a boilerplate, nonspecific or generic disaster plan. Each building and sometimes each area [in large buildings] is unique and should have its own plan. It is important to treat all people with disabilities as individuals. Do not "lump" all people with disabilities into one category. For example, there are some emergency plans where all people with disabilities were "directed" to go to the area of rescue assistance to await members of the emergency team to escort them to safety. As a general rule there is no reason that individuals with hearing or vision loss cannot use the stairs to make an independent escape as long as they are effectively notified of the need to evacuate and can find the stairway. (Bondi 2001)
When there is no plan, or when the plan is not current, encourage management to develop one and become involved in the planning process.
Include yourself and others with or without disabilities who:
- have a user's perspective and are knowledgeable about the relevant federal, state and local accessibility building codes;
- can share information from a cross disability perspective, (they have experience and can consider the needs of those with different types of disabilities [hearing, vision, mobility, speech, cognitive and sensitivity to airborne chemicals]);
- can provide concrete, practical knowledge.
Make sure you are included in the decisions regarding which equipment and procedures will work for you. You need to be a part of the discussion regarding the selection of and use of the accommodation, procedures, equipment and assistive devices that will work for you to provide a safe evacuation. You are the best provider of information regarding your specific abilities and limitations and how best to provide you appropriate and effective assistance. (Cameron)
Individuals with disabilities don't always agree on the best ways to provide accessibility services. Be prepared for some debate. Usually there is an easy, appropriate solution that provides adequate accommodation options.
Talk to the emergency services coordinator regarding how qualified people with disabilities can be recruited. Sometimes you can find qualified people with disabilities by contacting a disability related organization such as an ATA (Alliance for Technology Access) Center or Independent Living Center (ILC). ATA centers are community based, consumer directed centers focusing on technology. Independent living centers (ILCs) are private, nonprofit corporations that provide advocacy and services to maximize the independence of individuals with disabilities and the accessibility of communities. To contact an ATA Center or an ILC in your area, and for a listing of other disability related organizations (see References and Resources.)
Fire Department Issues
Be aware that some police and fire department personnel are more experienced and knowledgeable regarding disability-related evacuation access issues. Other fire departments may not have the most updated information regarding evacuation issues for people with disabilities and activity limitations. Therefore, open discussions and give and take debates are important. If you get advice you do not agree with, decide what is best for you.
Approaches vary among local fire and police departments, regarding:
- Empowering people to be experts.
- Whether individuals with disabilities and other activity limitations should remain in the building and when provided, assemble in an area of refuge to await the arrival of the fire fighters to get help with evacuation.
- Whether evacuation chairs (fold up chairs, which can be stored near emergency exits and allow for people to be moved up or down stairs) should be used? Some fire departments mistakenly believe that they can jam up the stairways. This is not the case. It has been proven by one company that someone operating an EVAC+CHAIR can keep up with people without disabilities. "At least one other person can walk beside this evacuation device at a normal rate of descent."(Byzek 2001) On September 11, 2001, two wheelchair users escaped from the World Trade Center using "evacuation chairs with inexperienced helpers because they broke the rules. Most who did what they were expected to do - wait to be rescued - died." (Byzek and Gilmer 2000)
- Whether service animals should be permitted to evacuate down the stairway with their owners. Tthere are examples of the fire department instructing that the dog be separated from its owner. This is typically not necessary and clearly proven by Michael Hingson, a survivor of the September 11th attacks who was working in the North Tower of the World Trade Center Tower when it was struck. Evacuating from the 78th floor, Michael, who is blind, relied on his own instincts, his guide dog, Roselle, and his business associates to make it to safety. He recounts, "I feel like I was as prepared as possible. I knew the evacuation procedures, I attended all the building fire drills, I knew the exit routes. So when the attacks hit, I had a sense of preparedness, self-sufficiency, and the confidence to take a leading position in evacuating myself and others to safety."
Practice Plans Through Regular Drills
Practice is very important; it increases skill and instills confidence in one's ability to cope in an emergency. On September 11, 2001 one wheelchair user who did escape from the World Trade Center using an evacuation chair explained to the press that she had forgotten that the evacuation chair was under her desk. Two secretaries remembered and reminded her where it was! (Byzek and Gilmer 2000)
Her forgetting about the device, combined with another wheelchair user who worked at World Trade Center recalling only a single demonstration of the device shortly after the 1993 bombing, indicates that the need for preparedness had worn off soon after the first attack. Whatever evacuation plan existed had not been practiced regularly. When disaster struck, the plan fell apart. Most of those who had been assigned to help with rescue devices were frightened and fled downstairs. (Byzek and Gilmer 2000)
Practice and drills consist of one of three types of activities:
- walk through procedures,
- announced drills,
- surprise drills.
Plans should ensure that shift workers and others who work on the premises or are at the site outside typical hours, (cleaning crews, evening meeting coordinators, etc.) are included in drills. Identify and plan for times (of the day and the week) plus locations in the workplace where the basic life safety or emergency contingency plans have not been put in place or due to some other factor, might not work.
Walk Through Procedures
Recommend that a portion of staff meetings be devoted to discuss and practice separate parts of a plan. This allows you and your colleagues to concentrate efforts on the particular parts of the plan and particular individuals requiring more extensive practice. This time can be used, for example, to practice evacuation techniques, methods of transferring in and out of evacuation devices, carrying techniques, use of evacuation devices, and use of two-way communication systems in areas of rescue. It is critical that members of an emergency response team (e.g., fire wardens, floor monitors) be involved in this practice. This is also a way of introducing new people to important parts of the plan. (United States Fire Administration 1995)
Innovative educational techniques such as role-playing or the use of audio visual aids can also be helpful.
Don't assume you'll know how to use the evacuation chair when you need it. Make sure you and your support network practices using it.
Know how to get to all the exits. Practice this as part of your regular drills.
Know how to report safety hazards (i.e. fire extinguishers that need servicing, exits which are not kept clear, furniture and other items that block barrier free passages).
Teach your support network how to operate your equipment in an emergency (for example, how to disengage the gears of a power wheelchair).
If you are hard of hearing or deaf, practice having co-workers communicate important information to you through gestures.
If you are blind have co-workers practice guiding you.
If you use a service animal be sure you include the animal in all drills.
When there are people whose knowledge of English may be limited, training should cover techniques so they are understood and can be practiced without additional translation (pictures, simple plan language).
Announced Drills
As with the walk through procedures, these drills serve as training tools. Such drills will also help identify crucial coordination activities and communication links. Announced drills are also a good time to practice:
- communicating emergency information to people with vision and hearing loss,
- coping with different scenarios and unforeseen situations such as blocked paths or exits.
Surprise Drills
The emergency plan should include conducting surprise drills two or three times a year, at different times of the day and different shifts. These drills should include some realistic elements (e.g., blocked paths or exits), forcing people to use alternative routes. Performance of these drills should also be evaluated and feedback given to all participants. Plan revisions and updates typically need to be made after these evaluations.
Emergency Health Information
Carry on you at all times emergency health information containing your critical health information and emergency contacts. Emergency health information communicates to emergency and rescue personnel what they need to know about you if they find you unconscious, confused, in shock, or just unable to provide information. Make multiple copies of this information to keep in your: emergency supply kits, car, work, wallet (behind driver's license or official identification card), wheelchair pack, etc. See Attachment B: EMERGENCY HEALTH INFORMATION