Evacuation for People with
Disabilities
In All Emergencies
| Responses to Emergencies
The most important factor in
emergency safety for people with disabilities is
advanced planning. A guide to help plan
evacuation strategies is available from Disabilities
Services at 346-2934 or 346-3211.
In All Emergencies
After an Evacuation is Ordered
- Evacuate people with disabilities if possible.
- 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
6-6666.
- 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.
- Always ask someone with a
disability how you can help before
attempting any rescue technique or giving
assistance. Ask how he or she can be
best assisted or moved and whether there are
any special considerations or items that need
to come with the person.
Responses to Emergencies
Blindness or
Visual Impairment | Deafness or
Hearing Loss | Mobility
Impairment
Blindness or Visual
Impairment
Bomb Threat, Earthquake, Fire, Hazardous Materials
Release, and Power Outages
- 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 he or she 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).
Responses to Emergencies
Deafness or Hearing Loss
Bomb Threat, Earthquake, Fire, Hazardous Materials
Releases, and Power Outages
- Get the attention of a person with a hearing
disability by touch or 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 the
safest route or direction by pointing toward
exits or evacuation maps.
Responses to Emergencies
Mobility Impairment
Bomb Threat, Earthquake, Fire, and Hazardous
Materials Releases
- 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 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 UO Environmental Health and
Safety 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
using an evacuation
chair or a carry technique.
Power Outages
- If an outage occurs during the day and people
with disabilities choose to wait in the
building for electricity to be restored, they
can move near a window with natural light
that is also near a working telephone.
During regular working hours, building
coordinators should be notified so they can
advise emergency personnel.
- If people would like to leave and an
evacuation has been ordered, or if the outage
occurs at night, call the Department of
Public Safety at 6-5444.
- 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 () will have a
recorded message stating when power is likely
to be restored.
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