Page 385 - IGC BOOK

Provision for the Infirm and Disabled

Staff with hearing or other disabilities must be accommodated within an evacuation plan. Plans
must be in place to assist people with mobility problems or in wheelchairs who cannot use stairs if
a lift is inactivated (in many cases, lifts and escalators are not appropriate as escape routes).

Provision must be made for the needs of other groups with limited mobility, such as the elderly or
infirm. Temporary illness and infirmity must also be taken into account (e.g. a worker with a
broken leg must be accommodated in the evacuation plan).

When these arrangements are put in place, the nature and degree of disability or infirmity
must be taken into account, and this is best achieved in consultation with the individual
concerned. Various solutions might then be sought.

• A profoundly deaf worker might not be able to hear the audible fire alarm, in which case a visible
alarm (flashing light) might be used in conjunction with the audible alarm. Or a buddy system
might be adopted where a colleague alerts the worker to the fire alarm. Or a technical solution
might be sought involving a vibrating pager.

• A wheelchair user above ground level in a multi-storey building might be provided with a refuge
adjacent to the stairwell. They might then be assisted down the stairs by nominated responsible
individuals, perhaps with the aid of an ‘evac-chair’. It must be noted that they should not be left
alone in the refuge and that their safe evacuation is the responsibility of their employer, not the
fire and rescue service.

Fire Drills

Fire evacuation arrangements need to be tested by carrying out fire drills. Generally, fire
drills should be conducted annually (the actual frequency should be determined by the
fire risk assessment).

Fire drills:

• Allow workers to practice emergency procedures.

• Enable the effectiveness of procedures to be tested to ensure that fast, effective
evacuation of the building takes place and that all workers behave in an appropriate
manner.

Records of fire drills, learning points and follow-up actions should be kept.

ENSIGN | Unit IG2 – Element 10 –Fire 40