Emergency Evacuation Planning Guide For People with Disabilities

Chapter 1 GENERAL INFORMATION

Most people will, at some time during their lives, have a disability, either temporary or permanent, that will limit their ability to move around inside or outside a building and to easily use the built environment. In fact, more than one in seven non-institutionalized Americans ages 5 and over have some type of disability (13%); problems with walking and lifting are the most common.

The statistics in the following list are from the 2013 American Community Survey (ACS) published by Cornell University:

• 39.2 million non-institutionalized Americans have one or more disabilities.

• 24.9 million Americans are age 65 or over.

• 9.3 million Americans are age 75 and older.

• 70 percent of all Americans will, at some time in their lives, have a temporary or permanent disability that makes stair climbing impossible.

• 8,000 people survive traumatic spinal cord injuries each year, returning to homes that are inaccessible.

• 11.1 million Americans have serious hearing disabilities.

• 7.3 million Americans have visual disabilities.

• 20.6 million Americans have limited mobility.

Disabilities manifest themselves in varying degrees, and the functional implications of the variations are important for emergency evacuation. One person may have multiple disabilities, while another may have a disability whose symptoms fluctuate. Everyone needs to have a plan to be able to evacuate a building, regardless of his or her physical condition.

While planning for every situation that may occur in every type of an emergency is impossible, being as prepared as possible is important. One way to accomplish this is to consider the input of various people and entities, from executive management, human resources, and employees with disabilities to first responders and other businesses, occupants, and others nearby. Involving such people early on will help everyone understand the evacuation plans and the challenges that businesses, building owners and managers, and people with disabilities face. The issues raised in this Guide will help organizations prepare to address the needs of people with disabilities, as well as others, during an emergency.

This Guide was developed using the five general categories of disabilities recognized in the Fair Housing Act Design Manual. It addresses the four elements of "standard" building evacuation information that apply to everyone but that may require modification or augmentation to be of use to people with disabilities. Most accessibility standards and design criteria are based on the needs of people defined by one of the following five general categories:

The Five General Categories of Disabilities

• Mobility

• Blind or Low Vision

• Deaf or Hard of Hearing

• Speech

• Cognitive

The Four Elements of Evacuation Information That People Need

• Notification (What is the emergency?)

• Way finding (Where is the way out?)

• Use of the way (Can I get out by myself, or do I need help?)

  • Self

  • Self with device

  • Self with assistance

• Assistance (What kind of assistance might I need?)

  • Who

  • What

  • Where

  • When

  • How

GENERAL CATEGORIES OF DISABILITIES

Mobility

Wheelchair Users

People with mobility disabilities may use one or more devices, such as canes, crutches, a power-driven or manually operated wheelchair, or a three-wheeled cart or scooter, to maneuver through the environment. People who use such devices have some of the most obvious access/egress problems. Typical problems include maneuvering through narrow spaces, going up or down steep paths, moving over rough or uneven surfaces, using toilet and bathing facilities, reaching and seeing items placed at conventional heights, and negotiating steps or changes in level at the entrance/exit point of a building.

Ambulatory Mobility Disabilities

This subcategory includes people who can walk but with difficulty or who have a disability that affects gait. It also includes people who do not have full use of their arms or hands or who lack coordination. People who use crutches, canes, walkers, braces, artificial limbs, or orthopedic shoes are included in this category. Activities that may be difficult for people with mobility disabilities include walking, climbing steps or slopes, standing for extended periods of time, reaching, and fine finger manipulation.

Generally speaking, if a person cannot physically negotiate, use, or operate some part or element of a standard building egress system, like stairs or the door locks or latches, then that person has a mobility impairment that affects his or her ability to evacuate in an emergency unless alternatives are provided.

Respiratory

People with a respiratory impairments can generally use the components of the egress system but may have difficulty safely evacuating due to dizziness, nausea, breathing difficulties, tightening of the throat, or difficulty concentrating. Such people may require rest breaks while evacuating.

Blind or Low Vision

This category includes people with partial or total vision loss. Some people with a visual disability can distinguish light and dark, sharply contrasting colors, or large print but cannot read small print, negotiate dimly lit spaces, or tolerate high glare. Many people who are blind depend on their sense of touch and hearing to perceive their environment. For assistance while in transit, walking, or riding, many people with visual impairments use a white cane or have a service animal. There is a risk that a person with a visual impairment would miss a visual cue, such as a new obstruction that occurred during the emergency event, that could affect egress.

Generally speaking, if a person cannot use or operate some part or element of a standard building egress system or access displayed information, like signage, because that element or information requires vision in order to be used or understood, then that person has a visual impairment that could affect his or her ability to evacuate in an emergency unless alternatives are provided.

Deaf or Hard of Hearing

People with partial hearing often use a combination of speech reading and hearing aids, which amplify and clarify available sounds. Echo, reverberation, and extraneous background noise can distort hearing aid transmission. People who are deaf or hard of hearing and who rely on lip reading for information must be able to clearly see the face of the person who is speaking. Those who use sign language to communicate may be adversely affected by poor lighting. People who are hard of hearing or deaf may have difficulty understanding oral communication and receiving notification by equipment that is exclusively auditory, such as telephones, fire alarms, and public address systems. There is a risk that a person with a hearing loss or deafness would miss an auditory cue to the location of a dangerous situation, affecting his or her ability to find safe egress.

Generally speaking, if a person cannot receive some or all of the information emitted by a standard building egress system, like a fire alarm horn or voice instructions, then that person has a hearing impairment that could affect his or her ability to evacuate in an emergency unless alternatives are provided.

Speech Disabilities

A speech disability prevents a person from using or accessing information or building features that require the ability to speak. Speech impairments can be caused by a wide range of conditions, but all result in some level of loss of the ability to speak or to verbally communicate clearly.

The only “standard” building egress systems that may require a person to have the ability to speak in order to evacuate a building are the emergency phone systems in areas of refuge, elevators, or similar locations. These systems need to be assessed in the planning process.

Cognitive Disabilities

A cognitive disability prevents a person from using or accessing building features due to an inability to process or understand the information necessary to use those features.

Cognitive disabilities can be caused by a wide range of conditions, including, but not limited to, developmental disabilities, multiple sclerosis, depression, alcoholism, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, traumatic brain injury, chronic fatigue syndrome, stroke, and some psychiatric conditions, but all result in some decreased or impaired level in the ability to process or understand the information received by the senses.

All standard building egress systems require a person to be able to process and understand information in order to safely evacuate a building.

Other Disabilities and Multiple Disabilities

In addition to people with permanent or long-term disabilities, there are others who have temporary conditions that affect their usual abilities. Broken bones, illness, trauma, or surgery can affect a person’s use of the built environment for a short time. Diseases of the heart or lungs, neurological diseases with a resulting lack of coordination, arthritis, and rheumatism can reduce a person’s physical stamina or cause pain. Other disabilities include multiple chemical sensitivities and seizure disorders. Reduction in overall ability is also experienced by many people as they age. People of extreme size or weight often need accommodation as well.

It is not uncommon for people to have multiple disabilities. For example, someone could have a combination of visual, speech, and hearing disabilities. Evacuation planning for people with multiple disabilities is essentially the same process as for those with individual disabilities, although it will require more steps to develop and complete more options or alternatives.

SERVICE ANIMALS

Service animals assist people with disabilities in their day-to-day activities. While most people are familiar with guide dogs trained to assist people with blind or low vision, animals can be trained for a variety of tasks, including alerting a person to sounds in the home and workplace, pulling a wheelchair, picking up items, or assisting with balance.

Service animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind or low vision, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA.

In addition to the provisions about service dogs, the Department’s revised ADA regulations have a new, separate provision about miniature horses that have been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. (Miniature horses generally range in height from 24 inches to 34 inches measured to the shoulders and generally weigh between 70 and 100 pounds.) Entities covered by the ADA must modify their policies to permit miniature horses where reasonable. The regulations set out four assessment factors to assist entities in determining whether miniature horses can be accommodated in their facility. The assessment factors are (1) whether the miniature horse is housebroken; (2) whether the miniature horse is under the owner’s control; (3) whether the facility can accommodate the miniature horse’s type, size, and weight; and (4) whether the miniature horse’s presence will not compromise legitimate safety requirements necessary for safe operation of the facility.

Under the ADA, State and local governments, businesses, and nonprofit organizations that serve the public generally must allow service animals to accompany people with disabilities in all areas of the facility where the public is normally allowed to go. For example, in a hospital it would be inappropriate to exclude a service animal from areas such as patient rooms, clinics, cafeterias, or examination rooms. However, it may be appropriate to exclude a service animal from operating rooms or burn units where the animal’s presence may compromise a sterile environment.

Under the ADA, service animals must be harnessed, leashed, or tethered, unless these devices interfere with the service animal’s work or the individual’s disability prevents using these devices. In that case, the individual must maintain control of the animal through voice, signal, or other effective controls.

Only under the following rare and unusual circumstances can a service animal be excluded from a facility:

• The animal’s behavior poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others.

• The animal’s presence would result in a fundamental alteration to the nature of a business or a state or local government’s program or activity.

• The animal would pose an "undue hardship" for an employer. Such instances would include a service animal that displays vicious behavior toward visitors or co-workers or a service animal that is out of control. Even in those situations, the public facility, state or local government, or employer must give the person with a disability the opportunity to enjoy its goods, services, programs, activities, and/or equal employment opportunities without the service animal (but perhaps with some other accommodation).

A person with a service animal should relay to emergency management personnel his or her specific preferences regarding the evacuation and handling of the animal. Those preferences then need to be put in the person’s evacuation plan and shared with the appropriate building and management personnel.

People with service animals should also discuss how they can best be assisted if the service animal becomes hesitant or disoriented during the emergency situation. The procedure should be practiced so that everyone, including the service animal, is comfortable with it.

First responders should be notified of the presence of a service animal and be provided with specific information in the evacuation plan. Extra food and supplies should be kept on hand for the service animal.

STANDARD BUILDING EVACUATION SYSTEMS

A standard building evacuation system has three components:

1. The circulation path

2. The occupant notification system(s)

3. Directions to and through the circulation paths

Circulation Path

A circulation path is a continuous and unobstructed way of travel from any point in a building or structure to a public way.

The components of a circulation path include but are not limited to rooms, corridors, doors, stairs, smokeproof enclosures, horizontal exits, ramps, exit passageways, escalators, moving walkways, fire escape stairs, fire escape ladders, slide escapes, alternating tread devices, areas of refuge, and elevators.

A circulation path is considered a usable circulation path if it meets one of the following criteria:

• A person with disabilities is able to travel unassisted through the circulation path to a public way.

• A person with disabilities is able to travel unassisted through that portion of the circulation path necessary to reach an area of refuge. (See 7.2.12 of NFPA 101®, Life Safety Code®, for more information.)

An area of refuge serves as a temporary haven from the effects of a fire or other emergency. The person with disabilities must have the ability to travel from the area of refuge to the public way, although such travel might depend on the assistance of others. If elevation differences are involved, an elevator or other evacuation device might be used, or the person might be moved by other people using a cradle carry, a swing (seat) carry, or an in-chair carry or by a stair descent device. (See 7.2.12 of NFPA 101®, Life Safety Code®, for more information.)

A usable circulation path would also be one that complies with the applicable requirements of ICC/ANSI A117.1, American National Standard for Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities, for the particular disabilities involved.

Occupant Notification System

The occupant notification systems include but are not limited to alarms and public address systems.

NFPA 72®, National Fire Alarm Code, defines a notification appliance as "a fire alarm system component such as a bell, horn, speaker, light, or text display that provides audible, tactile, or visible outputs, or any combination thereof."

Directions to and through the Usable Circulation Path

Directions to and through the usable circulation path include signage, oral instructions passed from person to person, and instructions, which may be live or automated, broadcast over a public address system.

Personal notification devices, which have recently come onto the market, can be activated in a number of ways, including but not limited to having a building’s alarm system relay information to the device. The information can be displayed in a number of forms and outputs. Because this technology is new to the market, such devices and systems are not discussed here; however, emergency evacuation personnel and people with disabilities may want to investigate them further.