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Strategies for Assisted Evacuation Addressing Hindrances for Occupants with Disabilities
April, 2007
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has developed a guide and checklist for emergency evacuation planning for people with disabilities. The following is an excerpt. The complete guide and checklist can be found at www.nfpa.org/evacuationguide -- Editor.
Everyone needs to have a plan to evacuate a building regardless of his or her physical condition. It is impossible to plan for every situation that may occur in every type of emergency, but building owners and managers can be as prepared as possible.
Four elements of standard building evacuation information apply to everyone, but may require modification or augmentation to be of use to people with disabilities. These are:
( Notification - what is the emergency?
( Way finding - where is the way out?
( Use of the way - can occupants get out by themselves or do they need help?
( Assistance - what kind of assistance might they need?
Most accessibility standards and design criteria are based on the people's needs defined by one of five general categories: mobility impairments; visual impairments; hearing impairments; speech impairments; and cognitive impairments.
A standard building evacuation system has three components: 1) the circulation path, 2) the occupant notification system, and 3) directions to and through the circulation path. An emergency evacuation plan for people with disabilities considers these two sets of concerns in combination.
ELEMENTS OF AN EXIT STRATEGY
A circulation path is the continuous and unobstructed way of travel from any point in a building or a structure to a public way. The components of the circulation path include, but are not limited to rooms, corridors, doors, stairs, smoke-proof enclosures, horizontal exits, ramps, exit passageways, escalators, moving sidewalks, fire escape stairs, fire escape ladders, slide escapes, alternating tread devices, areas of refuge and elevators.
It 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.
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 circulation device might be used, or the person might be moved by other people using a cradle carry, a swing carry or by a stair descent device.
The occupant notification systems include but are not limited to alarms and public address systems. The National Fire Protection Association 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 visual outputs or any combination thereof."
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.
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 stated in the evacuation plan and shared with the appropriate building and management personnel.
IDENTIFYING NEEDS
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.
Mobility Impairments
People with mobility disabilities who use devices such as canes, crutches, a power-driven or manually operated wheelchair, or a three-wheeled cart or scooter, to manoeuvre through the environment have some of the most obvious access/egress problems. Typical problems include manoeuvring 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.
People with ambulatory mobility disabilities can walk but with difficulty, have a disability that affects gait, do not have full use of their arms or hands, or lack coordination. People who use crutches, canes, walkers, braces, artificial limbs or orthopedic shoes are included in this category. Activities that may be difficult include walking, climbing steps or slopes, standing for extended periods of time, reaching, or 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.
People with 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.
Visual Impairments
This category includes people with partial or total vision loss. Some people with a visual disability can distinguish light and dark, sharply contrasting colours 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, which could affect egress.
If a person cannot use or operate some part or element of a standard building egress, or cannot use displayed information that requires vision in order to be understood, then that person has a visual impairment that could affect his or her ability to evacuate in an emergency unless alternatives are provided.
Hearing Impairments
People with partial hearing often use a combination of speech reading and hearing aids to 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 communications 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.
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 Impairments
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 should be assessed in the planning process.
Cognitive Impairments
All standard building egress systems require a person to be able to process and understand information in order to safely evacuate a building. Cognitive impairments prevent a person from using or gaining access to building features due to an inability to process or understand the information necessary to use those features.
Cognitive impairments can be caused by a wide range of conditions, including but not limited to developmental disabilities, multiple sclerosis, depression, alcoholism, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson disease, traumatic brain injury, chronic fatigue syndrome, stroke and some psychiatric conditions. All result in some decreased or impaired level in the ability to process information received by the senses.
Other Impairments
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. Several diseases can reduce a person's physical stamina or cause pain.
Other disabilities include multiple chemical sensitivities and seizure disorders. Many people experience a reduction in overall physical ability as they age. People of extreme size or weight often need accommodation as well.
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