Hi Gwynne,
These chairs could raise a number of issues for large
institutions. I mention some of these, where like you
I have asked questions, and fire or safety experts have
made comments, see below:-
Training of staff, Manual Handling.
Chairs can be quite expensive, particularly the powered
versions.There is the space needed to store them and the
resources needed to regularly check and maintain them.
Particularly if stored in a public and obvious location where
people could mess with them.
In some tall buildings with a number of stair-cases, you
might need a number of chairs, at various levels, on each
stair.
If staff tend to be mobile in the organisation's premises,
could one guarantee that the trained chair-person/s would
be around when needed?
What happens if the chair etc gets stuck in a narrow stair
in a crowded evacuation situation, or should a disabled
person spill out, or if the chair blocks up the escape stair,
should people then get injured, even if it was only a false-
alarm ? Substantial liability here.
Should there be a dedicated chair response team? If so
what role would it play, considering that rescue is really
a role that the Fire Brigade are trained to do?
What if the disabled person has a medical condition that
requred the person to be very, very carefully handled?
I have heard these and similar public liability issues raised
in context to evacuation chairs.
Compared to refuges, evacuation lifts etc may appear to
provide an economic solution but one where the correct
management is imperative. Maybe one for discussion with
your local Fire-Brigade Fire-Safety Officer?
Glynn Williams
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