Evaluate Your Need to Identify as Someone Who Requires Assistance During an Evacuation
You do not have to identify as a person with a permanent disability to qualify for needing assistance. There are many people, including those who identify and those who do not identify as having a disability or who have no visible disability, who may also need assistance. Some people may need assistance because of conditions that are not apparent. Others may have obvious disabilities or conditions but may not need assistance. Some people may perform well in a drill but some will experience problems in emergency situations.
People with respiratory conditions, who were interviewed after going through the 1993 and 2001 World Trade Center evacuations, described the terror they experienced when faced with the grim reality of extreme exertion required to escape down the many flights of stairs in unfamiliar and smoke filled stair towers. They also acknowledged that prior to that emergency evacuation they had never considered themselves as having a disability that would qualify them for inclusion in the emergency evacuation plans for those requiring specific assistance. (Bondi 2001) (Juillet 1993)
Two men who helped a wheelchair user transfer to an evacuation chair hanging in the stairwell of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, and transported her safely down from the 68th floor, observed that they passed a number of older people and some people who were overweight and could not keep up. (Horovitz 2001) People who were deaf and hard of hearing could not receive instructions on the stairwell after the power and lights went out.
Some people with disabilities in the interest of privacy or because they do not need specific assistance, choose not to identify themselves among those listed as "needing assistance or disabled" in the emergency management plan. The danger in doing this is that if you do need assistance, it will not be there when you need it. Many realized after the incident that they did need assistance. Others had not realized how vulnerable they were outside of normal working hours when there were few co workers around to provide emergency assistance. (FEMA & United States Fire Administration 2001)
Many do not recognize their own need for assistance. Encourage your friends and colleagues to identify themselves, if you think they may need specific assistance during an emergency. Use a checklist to help people feel free to self-identify as needing assistance (see Will you need assistance in an emergency evacuation?) Let people know that while self-identification is voluntary, you can ask that the information be kept confidential and that it only be shared with those who have responsibilities for emergency response.
- Is your name on the current log containing the names of all people needing assistance?
- Is the list maintained by the building managers and kept at all security stations?
- Is the list updated frequently so it can also include people who may have temporary activity restrictions?