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

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.”