Chapter 5.2: Campus environment accessibility - Emergency evacuation
5.2.1. Recommended roles of the University
- Include a safety concern statement in the course outline to alert students. Below is an example.
“Students who require assistance and support during an emergency evacuation are encouraged to discuss their needs with the teaching staff and the Accessibility Office (email: <[email protected]>; phone: 23452345)”
- Work out the arrangement of evacuation of people with disabilities under power or lift failure.
5.2.2. Recommended roles of students and staff with disabilities
- Register their names and location details (e.g. office and hostel room number) with the Estates Office and the building’s security office if they require assistance during emergency evacuations.
- Be familiar with the locations of the building’s designated Emergency Assembly Point, Refugee areas, and stairwells. This can be facilitated with training and fire drills.
- Keep calm and be ready to ask people passing by to alert rescuers of your current position and relevant disability status (e.g., deaf or with visual impairment) in case of emergency evacuation.
- Be prepared to instruct others in how to carry you or move your wheelchair (for example) down the staircase.
5.2.3. Essential installation for emergency evacuation
- Smoke detectors with flashing lights, vibrating pads under the pillow in hostels and Deaf Alerter to alert deaf or hard of hearing users in case of danger and emergency evacuation. If the fire alarm is activated, the Deaf Alerter flashes, vibrates, and displays an alarming message.
- Evacuation chairs with explicit signage or directional board showing the location and use of the evacuation chairs in the building.
- Notify the rescuers about the locations of the designated Emergency Assembly Point, Refugee areas, stairwells in each building in case of emergency.
5.2.4. Existing practices of local universities
5.2.5. Existing practices of overseas universities
- Arrangement under emergencies, Stony Brook University
- Emergency Preparedness for People with Disabilities, University of California, Berkeley
- Evacuation Guide for People with Physical Disabilities, Stony Brook University
- Getting out of a building in an emergency, University of Manchester
- Guide for assisting Individuals with Disabilities in an Emergency, Stanford University
- Guide for Individuals with Disabilities in an Emergency, Stanford University
- Non-emergency evacuation of people with mobility disabilities during power or lift failures, University of South Australia
- Office of Emergency Management, University of California, Berkeley