Emergency Evacuation Preparedness: Taking Responsibility For Your Safety A Guide For People with Disabilities and Other Activity Limitations

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 68^th 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? 

Master the Skill of Giving Quick Information on How Best to Assist You

Be prepared to quickly give emergency responders critical information on how they can assist you without causing injury. Take charge and practice how to quickly explain to people how best to assist you. Be prepared to give clear, specific and concise instructions and directions to rescue personnel. Determine how much detail is needed. Be prepared with additional instructions if more details are needed. You know your abilities and limitations and the best way that someone can assist you or ways in which you can assist them. Practice giving these instructions clearly and quickly, not in four paragraphs but a few quick phrases, using the least amount of words possible, for example:

• Take medication from top drawer of desk by window.

• Take my communication device from that table. I am hard of hearing.

• Take my manual wheelchair .

• The traditional "fire fighter's carry" is hazardous for me because of my respiratory condition. Carry me by …..

• I can manage steps independently, carry my other crutch and walk in front of me. 

• I’m blind, let me take your left arm above the elbow and I’ll follow you out.

• I need to hang on to you, I have poor balance, but I can walk steps.

• You have to carry me out, wheelchair user evacuation chairs are hung at the top of “stairway two, north end” and “stairway three, south end.”

Consider using a carry-with-you preprinted message. Customize a message for yourself, for example:

• I’m deaf, do not speak, I use American Sign Language (ASL). Use gestures or write instructions using simple words.

• I cannot speak, but I do hear and understand.  I communicate using an augmentative communication device.  I can point to simple pictures or key words, you will find a communication sheet in my wallet.

• I may have difficulty understanding what you are telling me, so speak slowly and use simple words.

• I have a psychiatric disability.  In an emergency I may become confused.  Help me find a quiet corner and I should be fine in about 10 minutes.

• I have a panic condition.  If I panic and appear very anxious, speak to me calmly and slowly. Be patient. Ask me if I need my medication and I will direct you.  You may need to ask me more than once. Please stay with me until I calm down.

• Diesel exhaust can kill me. Do not put me in or near idling emergency vehicles.

Establish a Personal Support Network

A personal support network is made up of individuals who will check with you and assist when needed.  This network consists of people who are regularly in the same area as you. 

If you rely on personal assistance services (attendants), they may not be available at the time needed. Therefore it is vital that your personal support network consist of additional people.

Do not depend on any one person. Buddy systems (choosing and training one person to assist you in an emergency) that are commonly used have major weaknesses. To be effective, the person and the buddy must be able to make contact with each other quickly when the need arises. In many situations this can be unrealistic because: the person may be absent, you may be in an area different from your usual location or you may be at the site after regular hours when your buddy is not available (co-workers, fellow students, etc.).

Work out support relationships with several individuals. Identify a minimum of three people at each location where you regularly spend a significant part of your week: job, home, school, volunteer site, etc.  Consider speaking with and training as many people as possible to assist you in an emergency. This is especially critical in settings where people have wide-ranging work and travel schedules and it is difficult to predict who will be at the site in the event of an emergency.

Choose people who are dependable and have the physical and emotional ability to reliably assist you. Usually, people will chose people they like, but sometimes these individuals do not have the qualities you really need for this type of assistance.

Know how you will instantly create a personal support team.  In spite of your best planning, sometimes a personal support network must be created on the spot. Think about what you will need, how you want it done and what kind of people you would select if given a choice of people. (See Give Quick Information on How Best to Assist You)

Establish a Personal Support Network