Ensuring Safety in Public Buildings: The Importance of Stairwell Evacuation Chairs

Nobody expects an emergency or disaster, yet the simple truth is that emergencies and disasters can strike anyone, anytime, and anywhere. Your company’s staff, guests, and visitors, could be forced to evacuate your office building, apartment building, hospital, hotel or hospitality venue when you least expect it. As a building facilities manager, you need to be prepared to get everyone out safely when it comes to evacuating your facility.

In any building, ensuring the safety and well-being of all occupants, not least those with mobility challenges, is paramount. During emergencies such as fires, earthquakes, simple power outages or other unforeseen events that necessitate evacuation, it is crucial to have systems in place that can efficiently assist individuals with mobility impairments. Evac+Chair offers building and stairway evacuation solutions that effectively address some of these needs.

Evac+Chair’s renowned Evac+Chair evacuation chairs, sleds and Power Mobile Stair climbers, are trusted by numerous office buildings, apartments, and hotels across the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.

In this article, we'll talk adelve into the reasons why these chairs are essential and how they can be effectively used.

The Need for Accessibility:
People with mobility impairments face unique challenges during emergencies. In situations where elevators are out of service or when stairways become unsafe, individuals who cannot navigate stairs independently may find themselves in life-threatening situations. Accessible evacuation solutions like the Evac+Chair sleds and Evac+Chair chairs provide a means for safely and swiftly evacuating such individuals, ensuring that they are not left behind during emergency scenarios.

Key Features of Evac+Chair:
Evac+Chair evacuation chairs, sleds, and stairclimbers are designed with several key features that make them indispensable during evacuation procedures:
1. Robust Construction: These chairs are engineered to be sturdy and durable, capable of safely supporting individuals of varying weights.
2. Compact and Portable: Evac+Chair models are designed to be lightweight and foldable, making them easy to store in designated areas throughout a building. This ensures accessibility during emergencies without cluttering up space during non-emergency times.
3. Ease of Use: Evac-Chairs are intuitively designed, with straightforward instructions for operation. Trained personnel can quickly deploy them to assist individuals in need of evacuation.
4. Versatility: Evac+Chair models are suitable for use in various building configurations, including narrow stairwells and tight spaces, ensuring that individuals can be evacuated from virtually any location within a building.
5. Safety Features: These chairs come equipped with safety belts and braking systems, providing stability and control during descent, thereby minimizing the risk of accidents or injuries.

How to Use Evac+Chair:
Utilizing Evac+Chair evacuation chairs effectively involves several key steps:
1. Training: It is essential to ensure that designated personnel receive adequate training in the proper use of Evac+Chair. Training should cover chair deployment, securing the individual being evacuated, and safe navigation down staircases or other evacuation routes.
2. Accessibility: Evac+Chair units should be strategically positioned throughout a building in easily accessible locations. This ensures that they can be promptly retrieved and deployed during emergencies.
3. Emergency Preparedness: Regular drills and exercises should be conducted to familiarize occupants and staff with evacuation procedures involving Evac+Chair. This practice enhances efficiency and reduces panic during real emergencies.
4. Maintenance: Regular maintenance checks should be conducted on Evac+Chair units to ensure that they are in optimal working condition at all times. This includes inspecting moving parts, battery checks on powered units, checking for signs of wear and tear, and verifying the functionality of safety features.

Evac+Chair evacuation chairs are indispensable tools for ensuring the safety and well-being of individuals with mobility impairments during emergencies. Their robust construction, ease of use, and versatility make them an essential component of any comprehensive emergency preparedness plan. By investing in stairway evacuation chairs and providing adequate training to personnel, building owners and managers can significantly enhance the evacuation process, ultimately saving lives and minimizing the risk of injuries during emergencies.