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

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.