Evacuation

IN ALL EMERGENCIES
After an evacuation is ordered...

• Check on people with special needs during an evacuation. A buddy system, where people with disabilities arrange for volunteers to alert them and assist them in an emergency, is a good method.
• Do not use elevators unless authorized to do so by police or fire personnel. Elevators can fail during a fire or a major earthquake.
• If the situation is life threatening, call Ext. 7775 or the campus pager at
  9-385-5100.
• Always ask those with disabilities how you can help before attempting any rescue technique or giving assistance. Ask how they can best be assisted or moved and whether there are any special considerations or items that need to come with the person.

RESPONSES TO EMERGENCIES (bomb threat, earthquake, fire, hazardous materials release and power outages):

Blindness or Visual Impairment

• Offer to lead them out of the building to safety.
• Give verbal instructions about the safest route or direction using compass directions, estimated distances and directional terms.
• Do not grasp a visually impaired person’s arm. Ask if they would like to hold onto your arm as you exit, especially if there is debris or a crowd.
• Give other verbal instructions or information (e.g., elevators cannot be used).

Deafness or Hearing Loss

• Get the attention of a person with a hearing disability by touch and eye contact. Clearly state the problem. Gestures and pointing are helpful, but be prepared to write a brief statement if the person does not seem to understand.
• Offer visual instructions to advise of safest route or direction by pointing toward exits or evacuation maps.

Mobility Impairment

• It may be necessary to clear the exit route of debris (if possible) so that the person with a disability can move out or to a safer area.
• If people with mobility impairments cannot exit, they should move to a safer area, for example:
  Most enclosed stairwells.
• An office with the door closed, which is a good distance from the hazard (and away from falling debris in the case of earthquakes). If you do not know the safer areas in your building, call Campus Services for a building survey.
• Notify police or fire personnel immediately about any people remaining in the building and their locations.
• Police or fire personnel will decide whether people are safe where they are and will evacuate them as necessary.
• If people are in immediate danger and cannot be moved to a safer area to wait for assistance, it may be necessary to evacuate them using an evacuation chair or a carry technique.
• Power Outages
  If people with disabilities choose to wait in the building for electricity to be restored and the outage occurs during the day, they may move close to natural light that is also near a working telephone. If they would like to leave and need assistance, or if the outage occurs at night, call the campus pager at 9-383-5100.
• Some campus telephones may not operate during a power outage, but pay telephones are likely to be operating. As soon as information is available, the campus emergency information line (383-7700) will have a recorded message stating when power is like to be restored.