How to evacuate a person
in a wheelchair?
evacuation of a person in a wheelchair
In emergency situations and evacuations, the availability and deployment of high-quality evacuation equipment is essential. With this you evacuate wheelchair users, disabled people or people with a temporary disability quickly, safely and comfortably.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SITTING AND LYING EVACUATION?
The safe evacuation of a wheelchair user can only be done by using evacuation equipment. In general evacuation equipment can be divided into evacuation in seated position or evacuation in lying position. So evacuation chairs (evac chairs) or evacuation mattresses. With both methods you can evacuate vertically as well as horizontally.
Horizontal evacuation means moving away from the hazardous area to a safer place on the same floor (another fire compartment). This type of evacuation may be necessary in situations where the person cannot use exit stairs to reach the outside and must remain on a certain floor until assistance arrives (e.g. Hospitals).
Vertical evacuation means evacuating to a floor on a lower level (in most cases). Elevators may not be used during an emergency situation.
WHAT SHOULD YOU REMEMBER IN PARTICULAR WHEN EVACUATING A WHEELCHAIR USER?
A wheelchair user may require more assistance when placing in or on the evacuation aid. Always ask what this person can or cannot do by himself and what he / she may need help from you and your evacuation assistant. Remember: the wheelchair remains in the building during an evacuation. So at the meeting point there are the following options:
– evacué (e) remains in evacuation aid (with an evacuation chair it must be provided with a footrest and possibly armrests)
– evacué (e) takes place on another available seat (if not available, one can also sit on the ground if possible)
THE FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR EVACUATING WHEELCHAIR USERS FROM YOUR BUILDING!
Ensure that your general emergency evacuation plan (GEEP) and your personal emergency evacuation plan (PEEP) are up to date. Emergencies by definition are sudden events and the objective is to be prepared. Are you prepared to take that risk?
MORE THAN 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE
Escape Mobility Company has more than 30 years of international experience in developing and offering evacuation solutions.
We always have a solution for your organisation, even in difficult situations or constructional barriers. In the mean time have a look at our huge list of references.
Maintenance evacuation equipment
To ensure an optimal condition of an evacuation chair, maintenance is required at least once a year. Any defects can be remedied in this way and the evacuation chair is always in a guaranteed ready-to-use condition. This allows evacuations, in a company or organisation, to proceed safely.
You can request free advice with our site survey, where we look for the most suitable evacuation concepts for your organisation.
In addition, we support staff with training courses and you can make use of one-off maintenance or maintenance agreements.
