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What is ‘safe’? Continued |
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For one thing, don’t make practice evacuations voluntary. Those who will opt out of the exercise may in fact be the ones who will pose the greatest challenges - and most likely will not be ones with disabilities. Practice
evacuations with less than the full complement of people in the building can also give a false timeframe for evacuating
the building.
Another step is to refine or develop a safety team consisting of staff of the organization. These
teams present an opportunity for the development of a “buddy program,” whereby team members are paired with individuals with disabilities to assist them in the
evacuation and rescue process. In developing an emergency evacuation plan for people with disabilities, it’s important to
remember the basics.
Work with
local fire officials. Communicate with all employees; in multitenant buildings, communicate with tenants and encourage them to do the same with
their employees.
Show
everyone where rescue paths are located. Do an assessment to determine what additional
equipment may be needed and determine the best location for the equipment. Make sure your key safety team members know where the equipment is stored. Nothing can replace a calm and safe evacuation. That cannot happen without planning, communication
and practice. Joan W. Stein is the president and CEO of
Accessibility Development
Associates Inc. (ADA Inc.), an ADA consulting firm located in Pittsburgh. This article originally appeared in the October 2002 issue of Building Operating Management. Copyright 2002,
Trade Press Publishing Corp. |
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