Plan with the person
Needs cannot be inferred solely from a diagnosis or a visible mobility aid. Agree what the person can do, what assistance they require and how to communicate during an emergency, while respecting autonomy and dignity.
Consider mobility, sight, hearing and understanding, together with temporary limitations. The plan must cover the spaces the person actually uses, not just their usual workstation. A meeting on another floor or a visit to a different area may change both the route and the assistance available.
Make sure the warning is received
A siren does not work for everyone in every circumstance. The solution may combine audible, visual or tactile signals and personal communication, according to assessment and the building’s alarm system.
Check warning perception wherever people may be present, including toilets, isolated rooms and periods with fewer staff. Instructions must be understandable and explain what action to take. An accessible warning device without a known procedure does not provide a complete evacuation arrangement or confirm that assistance will arrive.
Resolve the entire journey
Assess doors, changes of level and stairs together with the means intended to overcome them. A refuge is a temporary location within an evacuation strategy. Communication and onward movement must be arranged; it is not somewhere to leave a person waiting indefinitely.
Lifts should be included only where the fire strategy and their technical conditions expressly allow it. Evacuation chairs and other aids require compatibility, trained personnel and a safe method. Do not improvise manual carrying or assume that any chair can safely be used on stairs.
Provide assistance that is actually available
The Emergency plan identifies responsible people, substitutes and coordination with those directing the emergency. It must also cover contractors and visitors, shift changes, holidays and absence of the person usually assigned to help.
Drills should test communication and decisions without imposing hazardous manoeuvres or unnecessary physical effort. Use the findings to improve equipment and routes. Accountability must establish each person’s location and whether assistance is still needed. Reaching an intermediate refuge does not mean that evacuation has been completed or that further support is unnecessary.
