Emergency Evacuation for Persons with Disabilities General This appendix provides a general guideline of evacuation procedures for persons with disabilities, which would make exiting difficult, during fire and other building emergencies. Faculty, staff, students, and visitors with disabilities must develop their own facilities’ evacuation plans and identify their primary and secondary evacuation routes from each building they use. Be familiar with evacuation options. Seek evacuation assistants who are willing to assist in case of an emergency. Ask supervisors, instructors, building emergency coordinators, or Environmental Health & Safety about evacuation plans for buildings. Most MU buildings have accessible exits at the ground level floor that can be used during an emergency. In some buildings, it may be possible for people into unaffected wings of the building rather than exiting. However, in most MU buildings people will need to use stairways to reach building exits. Elevators cannot be used because they are unsafe to use in an emergency and are normally automatically recalled to the ground floor. Evacuation Options Persons with disabilities must evacuate to the nearest exit. Persons with disabilities have four basic evacuation options. Horizontal Using building exits to the outside ground level into unaffected wings of multi-building complexes Stairway Using steps to reach ground level exits from the building Stay in Place Unless danger is imminent, remaining in a room with an exterior window, a telephone, and a solid or fire-resistant door. With this approach, the person may keep in contact with emergency services by dialing 911 and reporting his or her location directly. Emergency services will immediately this location to on-site emergency personnel, who will determine the necessity for evacuation. Phone lines are expected to remain in service during most building emergencies. If the phone lines fail, the individual can signal from the window by waving a cloth or other visible object. The Stay in Place approach may be more appropriate for sprinkler protected buildings or buildings where an of refuge” is not nearby or available. “area It may also be more appropriate for an occupant who is alone when the alarm sounds.
Emergency Evacuation for Persons with Disabilities General This appendix provides a general guideline of evacuation procedures for persons with disabilities, which would make exiting difficult, during fire and other building emergencies. Faculty, staff, students, and visitors with disabilities must develop their own facilities’ evacuation plans and identify their primary and secondary evacuation routes from each building they use. Be familiar with evacuation options. Seek evacuation assistants who are willing to assist in case of an emergency. Ask supervisors, instructors, building emergency coordinators, or Environmental Health & Safety about evacuation plans for buildings. Most MU buildings have accessible exits at the ground level floor that can be used during an emergency. In some buildings, it may be possible for people into unaffected wings of the building rather than exiting. However, in most MU buildings people will need to use stairways to reach building exits. Elevators cannot be used because they are unsafe to use in an emergency and are normally automatically recalled to the ground floor. Evacuation Options Persons with disabilities must evacuate to the nearest exit. Persons with disabilities have four basic evacuation options. Horizontal Using building exits to the outside ground level into unaffected wings of multi-building complexes Stairway Using steps to reach ground level exits from the building Stay in Place Unless danger is imminent, remaining in a room with an exterior window, a telephone, and a solid or fire-resistant door. With this approach, the person may keep in contact with emergency services by dialing 911 and reporting his or her location directly. Emergency services will immediately this location to on-site emergency personnel, who will determine the necessity for evacuation. Phone lines are expected to remain in service during most building emergencies. If the phone lines fail, the individual can signal from the window by waving a cloth or other visible object. The Stay in Place approach may be more appropriate for sprinkler protected buildings or buildings where an “area of refuge” is not nearby or available. It may also be more appropriate for an occupant who is alone when the alarm sounds.
Trowbridge.docx