We had a false alarm go off in the building where I work last week. The elevators automatically shut down forcing the use of the fire escapes. The building is 22 floors. I was lucky in that I’d just taken the elevator to the first floor to step outside on a break. When they finally let us back in, I wondered what someone with mobility issues is expected to do had the building been on fire. Just die? Have a kind soul carry them? With most people wfh at least a couple of days per week, this seems really dangerous for anyone who might get stranded.
In my workplace, there are a few options: When a disabled person is on a certain floor above ground floor, there will be a special chair they can be put in, that allows one person to maneuver them down the fire escape. Multiple people in the company are trained on the use of this contraption and are notified before the evacuation is necessary.
When there are more wheelchair bound people in the building than there are evacuation chairs available, they’ll have to be taken to the fire escape behind double fireproof doors, where the area is pressurized with clean air. There the firemen will evacuate them.
A third option is the area where the elevators are. It closes automatically and has a fireproof door where you can wait in front of the elevators for the firemen to evacuate you using the elevators (or otherwise).
Normally there aren’t that many wheelchair bound people in the building that need those chairs, because visitors are normally confined to the ground floor. On a floor where a disabled person used to work (now retired), one of those chairs was permanently available.
Edit: the ones we have resemble these https://evac-chair.com/
These things are absolutely terrifying btw. There’s much better options out there. I never realized until I had the chance to ride one during a practice, I replaced every single one of them for our company after that for evacuation mattresses.
We have a different brand, but otherwise comparable. During our training and practice, we did a few runs with volunteers and also with the colleague who was wheelchair bound. While it does feel a bit weird the first time, it doesn’t feel unsafe to sit in, and also when operating it, you feel like in control without too much effort.
During our evacuations, everybody remains calm, and everything remains orderly and coordinated. I have to admit we never had an evacuation with fire and smoke near the people, but with the early warnings we get, that’s unlikely to happen. The building was designed with good compartmentalisation, so even when there’s a fire, the smoke shouldn’t spread too far.
Good on you, that thing looks terrifying to sit in. I guess a fire is pretty good motivation to strap into the damn thing but it doesn’t look safe at all. I was expecting like sled tracks with a triple wheeled axle that would have some kind of hand break to keep it from free sledding down the stairs and stop entirely if released.
It’s kinda hard to explain, but you need to kinda push it down the stairs. The tracks have loads of resistance, providing it’s maintained properly. I don’t think it’s unsafe with proper maintenance, but the experience of sitting in that chair surely makes you question if you’re absolutely sure about that. You can’t see the tracks from where you’re sitting, and your legs just dangle above a height you perceive as 2+ meters because of the slope of the stairs and the incline of the chair. And then the person behind you actively pushes you into that, making you instinctively react to an incoming free fall.
Also in a fire or any other evacuation it’s very important you stay calm. You’re not gonna stay calm in this. I’m not scared easily but even I fucking hated it. Let alone someone thats wounded and scared to begin with.
I don’t know how many facility managers are here, but get an evac mattress. It’s cheaper and doesn’t need maintenance and is infinitely user Friendly.