COVER STORY
FINDING A BALANCE
Evaccess advises on choosing personal evacuation equipment that keeps costs low and people safe.
In today’s world, business, property and facility owners face a multitude of outgoing costs for equipment, checks, insurances and advice that ensure the building they own or are operating out of is safe and within the law.
These expenses can be extremely frustrating and can lead to some individuals opting to blindly make purchases of the cheapest equipment or policies that will allow them to begin the operating as a business. For some of these factors, the lowest solution can be perfectly acceptable but with personal evacuation equipment, cutting corners can cost lives.
There are several factors that need evaluating when you are selecting evacuation equipment, but the three main considerations have to be the nature of the passengers, the building itself and who will be operating the equipment. All of these factors have a safety versus cost element, but it is imperative that they are closely evaluated, and the conclusion reached is effective for all parties involved.
The passenger The primary factor to consider is unarguably the most important: the passenger.
The intended use of the equipment will dictate what kind of evacuation chair that is needed. For example, there may be one individual who needs a personal emergency evacuation plan, or the building may be open to the public, and therefore need more generic equipment that can offer a versatile solution to a range of different users with disparate needs.
It is important to note that some wheelchair users are unable to transfer from their chair to an evacuation chair and that wheelchairs come in a wide range of shapes and sizes so for businesses who are open the public or that have a large number of different users need to ensure that this has been considered before purchasing equipment.
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If possible, businesses should look to try and allow wheelchair users to remain in their wheelchairs. Many wheelchair users view their chair as an extension of their person which allows them to be comfortable, safe and independent. These chairs can be highly specialised pieces of equipment which many users will not feel comfortable leaving behind.
When buying equipment for one user, companies often tunnel vision on ensuring that the person can evacuate quickly and safety without looking at the wider picture. The person being evacuated is a person: a colleague or a friend, and it is essential that the equipment chosen delivers a safe evacuation that is dignified and comfortable. One of the most common pieces of feedback that comes from the sale of the cheapest models is that the passenger feels embarrassed to be dragged from their wheelchair and that the equipment can he highly uncomfortable. For a disabled person who may already be in pain or who may be sensitive to incorrect seating postures, this can be excruciating.
In an emergency, a disabled person may be evacuated in their evacuation chair without their usual wheelchair. This means their chair may be left in the building and therefore they would need to remain in the evacuation equipment for some time and so it is absolutely essential that this feels comfortable and dignified. Here lies the cost trade off: the cheapest equipment will be keeping costs down by sacrificing the extra features of dignity and comfort so businesses must put a price on comfort and decide how much they are willing to pay for this luxury.
The building The secondary factor to consider is the building itself. The types of stairs and landings present will be one of the most limiting factors; for example, a standard friction belt chair cannot operate on any spiral or flared stairs effectively and can be hazardous; some chairs have a
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