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Evacuating Persons with Disabilities

Special consideration is required for evacuating individuals a special need since they may require some direction or assistance in the event of an evacuation.  Evacuation procedures are particularly important for an individual who has a physical disability such as blindness, visual impairment, deafness or some degree of hearing loss, restricted mobility or a debilitating medical condition.  Student with special needs are encouraged to contact Disability Services at Mohawk College to have an individual evacuation plan developed.

All staff, faculty and students must understand the procedures and know their specific responsibilities should an emergency situation arise.

Always ensure that any action you take does not put your life or the lives of your designates in danger.

Staff Responsibilities

• Review the current Emergency Safety Security Procedures booklet, and in particular fire evacuation procedures that apply to your campus.
• Ensure that no person with identified special evacuation needs is left behind in your working area or area of responsibility, and is assisted to a place of safety, as close as safely possible to an exit door, elevator and/or intercom, or if possible, to a secure location outside of the building.
• Notify Security and/or the Fire Department of the specific location of any individuals assisted to a place of safety.

• At the beginning of every semester or new class, assign 2-3 peer helpers per class section, as designates, to assist students who identify that they will require special evacuation assistance.
• In circumstances where the individual has not identified the need for special assistance, but is in apparent need, ask the individual directly if he/she requires assistance and assist him/her to a point of evacuation. 
• Encourage students who have not identified themselves to make contact with Disability Services. 

Student Responsibilities

• Review the current Emergency Safety Security Procedures booklet available in hardcopy and on the College website.
• At the beginning of every semester, or upon starting a new class, introduce yourself to the person in charge of each class, and advise whether special evacuation assistance is required.
• Identify yourself to Disability Services to review procedures and/or to facilitate communication with Disability Services and faculty regarding special evacuation assistance.
• In some situations, such as one involving a mobility impaired person in a wheel chair on an upper floor level, it may not be possible to be evacuated safely from the building.  In these situations, the person must be assisted to a place of safety as close as safely possible to an exit door, elevator and intercom area or if possible, to a secure area outside the building.
• If you are located on a floor without direct access to the outside, contact Security in one of the following ways and give your location:
  
  • From an internal office phone, dial 55 to connect with Fennell, Brantford, or Stoney Creek Campus Security
  • At the IAHS Campus, dial 88 to connect with IAHS Security.
  • Press the emergency button on the internal Bell pay phones (located at major campuses only) to be connected with Security.  Signs above these phones identify your location. Give this location to Security.
  • Use intercoms to connect with Security.

Notes:

1. Do not use elevators to evacuate a person with a disability.
2. Do not leave a person with a disability behind to wait for rescue/evacuation except where the nature of the emergency absolutely requires such action.
3. A place of safety is a fire-rated room or area that is away from the fire or smoke or other dangers.  This may be a classroom or office that is separated from the fire location by means of fire doors and walls, or near an exit door, elevator and/or intercom area.
4. Persons who use wheelchairs should not be carried down stairs by college personnel or students, except as a last resort.  If necessary, or as instructed and facilitated by the emergency team, the person should be assisted from the wheelchair to a regular straight chair (if available), and carried in the straight chair to a point of evacuation or secure place.
5. Familiarize yourself with the campus at which you are located to determine which emergency features are available.