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Safe evacuation of students in case of fire or other emergency is of great concern
to university officials. The major problem is that most elevators in time of
a fire cease to operate for reasons related to smoke and electrical fires. Even
if they continue to operate they should not be used without consulting emergency
personnel. Therefore, individuals with restricted mobility need to think about
a method of evacuation that will work should an emergency occur. For more information
about planning for emergencies, visit ICAN's
guide to Disaster Planning, or the Red
Cross Disaster Preparedness for People with Disabilities.
Suggestions for Students with Disabilities
- Look out for yourself as well as you can. It is ultimately your responsibility
to study and remember the important parts of each building in which you are
located, including exits, stairways, phone locations, and elevator procedures.
- Assume responsibility for asking several responsible persons in your classes
and residence hall to assist you in case of a fire or emergency. Explain to
them that this may involve physically carrying you. Also tell them special
things they need to know and discuss your need for special assistance with
your instructors and residence hall director.
- Since being carried may not be safe for either party, this procedure should
be used only in actual emergencies. In most cases when there is a false alarm,
a small isolated fire, or even a large fire, and if you are some distance
away from it, it may be better to wait for professional fire personnel to
arrive and ascertain the degree of emergency. Following such an evaluation,
it may be necessary for an evacuation to be conducted. Preferably, one person
should remain with you while another tells safety personnel where you are.
If you can use a telephone, call Public Safety at 575-2222, identify yourself
as disabled, and tell them where you are. Safety personnel can use elevator
override keys for certain elevators if the elevator is safe. This procedure
is standard for most building emergencies.
- Fire-safety identification stickers may be provided for your door so that
personnel will know in emergencies that a student with disabilities lives
there. Since this procedure is of such vital importance, please make your
questions and concerns known to the appropriate official.
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Suggestions for Students with Low Vision or Blindness
- If you are visually impaired, become familiar with the immediate areas in
which you will be located. Find out how to and where to exit in the event
of an emergency. Take the elbow of the person(s) acting as a sight guide to
escort you. Ask the sight guide to orient you where you are and provide any
further assistance you may need.
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Suggestions for Students who are Deaf or Hard of
Hearing
- If hearing impaired, you may not perceive audio emergency alarms. Plan an
alternative warning technique.
- Two methods of warning are the following:
-Have someone write a note telling you what the emergency is and the nearest
evacuation route. (Example: "Fire - go out rear door to right and down.
NOW!)
-Have someone turn the light switch off and on to gain your attention. Then
have them indicate to you, through gestures or in writing, what is happening
and what you are to do.
- It may be prudent to ask someone in advance to escort you from the building
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Suggestions for Helpers
- Wheelchairs have many movable or weak parts that are not constructed to
withstand the stress of lifting (e.g., the seat bar, footplates, wheels, movable
arm rests).
- Naturally, if there is imminent danger and evacuation cannot be delayed,
the student with a disability should be carried or helped from the building
in the most efficient manner. Often, the student with a mobility limitation
knows best how he/she should be moved out of the building. For example, a
person may be carried using a two-person locked-arm position, or may sit in
a sturdy chair, preferably one with arms. The best procedure is to let professional
emergency personnel assist in the evacuation of this student.
- Some students in wheelchairs may have electric artificial respirators attached
and should be given priority assistance if smoke or fumes are present. Otherwise,
that student's ability to breathe may be severely jeopardized.
- Remember that a wheelchair user may have little or no strength.
- If the wheelchair is left behind, remove it from the stairwell and leave
it where it does not block exits.
- Turn the motor off and remove the batteries from a power wheelchair before
attempting to transport it. Make sure that the footrests are locked.
- If a seatbelt is available, secure a wheelchair user in a chair.
- If a wheelchair user needs to be carried more than three flights, a relay
team may be needed.
- The faculty member may meet emergency personnel and tell them where the
student with mobility limitation is located.
- It is extremely important that students with a mobility limitation not be
moved unnecessarily and improperly, possible causing physical injury.
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Medical Emergencies
- Faculty and staff are not to provide or participate in the provision of
any (1) medical procedure, i.e., catheterization, assistance with coughing/choking
techniques, or (2) personal needs, i.e., lifting, emptying a urine bag, toileting.
Assistance provided by untrained persons may lead to even greater difficulty
for the person with the disability.
- In Case of a medical or life-threatening emergency call 911 for assistance.
Contact the university Health Center if help is needed but there is no life-threatening
emergency. If the student has a personal attendant, the attendant's primary
responsible is to see that the student is cared for appropriately; if not,
the primary responsibility rests with the emergency response team.
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