Emergency
Response Management
Assisting
People with Disabilities
General Guidelines
The following guidelines should be considered
when assisting a person with disabilities during an emergency.
- Assess how immediate the emergency is and communicate the nature
of emergency to the person.
- Ask the person how he/she would like to be assisted.
- Evacuate mobility devices with the person if possible (ie.,
crutches, wheel chairs, etc)
Disability Specific Guidelines
Visual Impairments:
For persons with visual impairments, describe the nature
the emergency and offer to guide him/her to the nearest emergency
exit and evacuation assembly area. Have the person take your elbow
and escort him/her advising of any obstacles such as stairs, narrow
passageways or overhanging objects. When you have reached safety,
orient the person to where he/she is and ask if further assistance
is needed.
Hearing Impairments:
Communicate with the person by writing a note or through simple
hand gestures about the nature of the emergency and what they should
do.
Persons Using Wheelchairs:
Ask the person what methods of assistance he/she prefers. Some people
have minimal ability to move and lifting them may be dangerous to
their well being. Some persons using wheelchairs have respiratory
complications. Remove them from smoke or fumes immediately. If the
person wants to be moved in his/her chair, keep the following considerations
in mind:
- Always turn the wheelchair so it is lowered down the stairs
backwards (person facing up the stairs), so the occupant cannot
slip forward out of the chair and down the stairs.
- Wheelchairs have many movable and weak parts.
- Some persons have no upper trunk or neck strength. Push the
chair with the person sitting in the chair.
- Powered wheelchairs have very heavy batteries; an evacuation
chair for stairs may be needed with the powered chair to be retrieved
later.
- If a seatbelt is available, use it.
If the person needs to be removed from his/her
wheelchair for an evacuation ask the following:
- How he/she prefers to be moved from the chair.
- If pain or harm will result from moving extremities.
- If any equipment is needed for immediate safety of life-support.
Wheelchairs should be retrieved as soon as possible
and given high priority.
Persons Using Crutches, Canes, Walkers,
etc.:
Ask the person what method of assistance he/she prefers. |
