Emergency Evacuation Planning Guide For People with Disabilities

Which Paths Are Usable Circulation Paths?

Tactile directional signs that indicate the location of the nearest usable circulation path should be provided at all circulation paths that are not usable by people with disabilities. It may be practical to physically show new employees who are blind or have low vision where all usable circulation paths are.

Special Note 8

Where tactile directional signs are not in place, it may be practical to physically show new employees who are blind or have low vision where all usable circulation paths are located. Building management should consider installing appropriate visual, tactile, and/or braille signage in appropriate locations conforming to the code requirements in Annex C. Installing  such signage is generally not expensive. Building owners and managers may be unaware that there is something they can do to facilitate the safe evacuation of people who are blind or have low vision.

A new technology in fire safety generically called “directional sound” is on the market. Traditional fire alarm systems are designed to notify people but not necessarily to guide them. Directional sound is an audible signal that leads people to safety in a way that conventional alarms cannot, by communicating the location of exits using broadband noise. The varying tones and intensities coming from directional sound devices offer easy-to-discern cues for finding the way out. As soon as people hear the devices, they intuitively follow them to get out quickly. While not yet required by any codes, directional sound is a technology that warrants investigation by building services management.