COVER STORY FINDING ABALANCE
Choosing personal escape devices (PEDs) can be extremely overwhelming for somebody who is not familiar with the industry. Here, Evaccess explains why it need not be.
At Evaccess, we are committed to providing a supportive, one-to-one and transparent service to all our clients. We work closely with all customers from their initial consultation all the way through to delivery and their annual training and servicing.
It can be tempting to opt for equipment with the lowest price point, but this will not always be suitable and could end up being damaging to the operator, the passenger, and even costing more in the longer term. We pride ourselves on ensuring that our customers receive all the information necessary to come to a decision in the knowledge that they have done their utmost to protect all groups involved in the evacuation without spending more than is required. As we are not manufacturers, we are able to show our clients a wide range of different makes and models and make highly personalised recommendations based off their specific requirements and budget.
Passenger In a reduced mobility or disabled evacuation, the passenger needs to be at the centre of all planning and decisions. Thankfully, stay-put policies are being seen as unfit for purpose so disabled people will have the same right to evacuate as anybody else, but ensuring that the passenger stays safe, comfortable and dignified can be overlooked by some.
An assisted evacuation can be needed by an array of people, not always just a person in a wheelchair. They could be elderly, injured, pregnant or too unwell to evacuate alone. It is essential to factor in who is likely to be using the equipment before any PED is purchased; there are a number of complex needs that may need to be considered.
A main consideration that needs to be made is the transfer; in some situations, it is simply not feasible to ask a wheelchair user to vacate their chair. This may be due to complex injury, medical equipment on their chair, inability to transfer themselves or lack of equipment/ staff that could facilitate the transfer. In this situation, the PED would be useless and therefore the person would
be trapped. The transfer could also pose a risk to the evacuation assistant which will be discussed later.
Evaccess offer a number of chairs that require a transfer, from a standard skid chair to the highly popular CD-7 and powered SC-6. In some instances, a transfer-required chair is completely acceptable and can be part of a safe and efficient evacuation, but it is essential that this is a factor that has been thoroughly considered. In an evacuation, the wrong equipment can be as useful as no equipment and at Evaccess we will ensure that our clients understand this to ensure the correct decisions are reached.
Aside from the transfer itself, it is essential that an assisted evacuation is comfortable and dignified. In recent months, we have seen an increase in people opting for the evacuation sledges and slings as their primary method of evacuation. These PEDs require the person to effectively be carried or dragged out of an emergency by members of staff or colleagues. For people with complex needs, this is undignified, uncomfortable and risks further injury. Some evacuation chairs, although better than having nothing, do not offer an ergonomic seating position which may be okay for the brief time on the stairs, but what happens afterwards?
In most emergencies, the emergency services will take time after the evacuation to contain the emergency and deem the building safe to re-enter. If the passenger has been made to vacate their wheelchair, where will they go while this is taking place? Will they be left on the ground? Left in an unsuitable evacuation chair? Or, will they have been afforded a comfortable PED suitable for them to remain in for an extended period, or even a PED which has transported them down in their own chair, so they are not without it?
At Evaccess, we stock a range of equipment items non available to our competitors. We have friction chairs with comfortable seating like our CD-7 and its powered model the SC-6. We also have high tech powered units that are able to take somebody in their powered wheelchair up and down stairs. All models we sell have their own benefit and
06 | TOMORROW’S FM
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