Evacuation Equipment for the Disabled & Elderly
Evacuation chairs, med sleds, and other devices for the mobility-impaired are vital for safety of all building occupants. Multi-level building owners and managers have a legal and moral responsibility to not only purchase and install the evacuation equipment, but also to educate their tenants and provide emergency plans for their facilities.
Most facilities have some plan, formal or informal, that probably need to be dusted off. But even when such emergency evacuation plans are reviewed and revised, most still do not provide for the special needs of the disabled, elderly, and children. Under the American Disabilities Act (ADA), architectural barriers must be removed or redesigned to accommodate access (and emergency egress) for the disabled.
The use of elevators in multi-storied buildings are often not operable during emergencies and are never safe emergency exit routes.
Stairwells and ladders are challenging to navigate for many mobility-impaired and elderly people without assistance.
In addition to these architectural barriers, there are also communication barriers to overcome. Facility tenants and staff must know where people that require emergency evacuation assistance are. And they must be trained to use the proper routes and evacuation equipment to safely exit the building or stage in an area awaiting rescue without putting themselves or those they are helping in danger.
There are numerous factors that determine what the right plan and equipment for emergency evacuation is for your building. We highly recommend consulting the ADA Emergency Preparation Guide . If you determine your facility requires evacuation chairs, med sleds, rescue sheets, or other equipment to assist moving the mobility-impaired to a staging area for evacuation or to fully exit the building, our consultants can help you select the right equipment for your facility and its tenants as well as the training required to safely utilize it.
One of the key decisions when selecting emergency evacuation assistance equipment is whether seated or supine (laying down face up) evacuation is needed.
Sitting vs Lying Evacuation
The safe evacuation of a wheelchair user or otherwise mobility-impaired person in a multi-level building can only be done by using the proper evacuation equipment.
Evacuation Chairs: Seated Evacuation Equipment
Evacuation chairs. Using an evacuation chair offers the mobility-impaired an option to be seated during evacuation.
For some this is the most comfortable position both physically and emotionally as it gives them a birds-eye view of their progress and the path. An emergency evacuation chair enables both horizontal (moving to a safe area on the same level) and vertical (moving to a different level) evacuations. Specially designed evac chairs can traverse stairs.
Some evac chairs even ascend stairs which, in some buildings, may be part of the safest emergency evacuation route, especially in flood-prone areas.
Note that proper use of evacuation chairs requires training to protect the assistants and evacuees from harm. The chairs are designed to do all the work with quite simple movements by the assistant, but the assistant must know how to operate the chair.
Transit chairs. A transit chair is an expensive solution for horizontal evacuations only as they, like wheelchairs, are not designed to navigate stairs and if the mobility-impaired user is able to transfer to the transit chair, there is no special training required by the assistant.
Med Sleds & Rescue Sheets: Lying Evacuation Equipment
Medical sleds. Lower tech than evacuation chairs, medical sleds come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and functionality. Decisions about which is right for your facility will depend on factors such as the age and size of the evacuees, the number of flights of stairs, and the availability of able-bodied assistants.
Rescue sheets. These immensely popular evacuation aids are used in many hospitals and skilled nursing facilities to move non-ambulatory patients and residents from impending danger. The sheets are permanently installed beneath the mattress and provide handles that enable rescuers to evacuate the patient atop their bed mattress. This is often the safest and most comfortable method for removing the infirm and elderly.
What Emergency Evacuation Aids Are Right for Your Facility?
This is a challenging question, but one that must be answered for the safety of your building’s occupants and to avert liability (morally and legally) if the unthinkable ever happens. Opposing forces are at work when making decisions about safety equipment for your building. The budget, the diversity of occupants/visitors, the architecture of the building…so many things to consider and find the right balance that promotes the safe evacuation of everyone in case of an emergency. We offer assistance in confidently selecting the right evacuation chair, medical sled, rescue sheets, or whatever devices your facility requires.