Frightening happening today!

[lisapooh]

Have any of us thought about how we would evacuate an area in an emergency. I was at the language lab at school this afternoon when the fire alarm went off and we had to evacuate. This is on the second floor of the building. I was trying to figure out how I was going to bump down a flight of steep steps to the ground floor and get away from the building. Fortunately it was a false alarm, but what would I do?

Also a security guard arrived quickly and was ready to help me if needed as the lab staff called them to let them know that there was a student in a wheelchair up there. I'm glad they did that. Still not sure what to do though.
Frankly I was ready to call 911 on my cell to let the fire people know where I was.

 

[Michigan]

My 11 year old does wheelchair track and field every year in Windsor, Canada. At the banquet, which is on the 2nd floor, they put off fireworks indoors. Now how stupid is this? There are over 200 people in wheelchairs on a 2nd floor and no way out but 2 elevators in the event of a misfire of the fireworks. We now leave the room before they fire them off and go back in after it's over.

 

[SueM in MN]

I laughed in horror at the fireworks inside. How idiotic is that?
Even if they had ramps to the ground floor every 10 feet, fireworks inside just sounds like tempting fate a little too much.

They hold a bus evacuation practice in our school district each year where they evacuate the bus without using the lifts. Parents can choose whether or not their child participates and the bus drivers tell me that most of the kids in wheelchairs don't actually get off the bus. The drivers just tell what they would do with that child. I figure if there is an actual emergency, I would rather know they had done it before.

 

[lisapooh]

I agree Sue. One thing I have never understood at school is that they forewarn the ESE teachers to the fire drills. What good is that? Sure it means that the school has good times according to the school rules but no one has figured out how we are getting out the kids in wheelchairs of they aren't in the chair at the time of the fire. For example the profound kids are often in special seating chairs or on the floor. How do 2 people drag 8 practically immobile children outside? Where do we need help and who goes to which room to help if needed?

 

[Kermit]

At the company where I used to work, HR made sure that all of the people in wheelchairs had several people "assigned" to them to carry them out of the building in case of a fire.

We had a guy come to work in a wheelchair temporarily after he was in a really bad wreck, and they got a few guys to volunteer the day he came back. Imagine everyone's surprise when we had a bomb threat the next day!

 

[Andrew Bichard]

Three comments:

First: I have seen special chairs in builders catalogues (I am an architect) specially designed for evacuating wheelchair users down stairs. They look like a cross between a sack truck and a sled - a chair with two wheels at the front and sleds underneat for sliding down stairs. The idea is to have one on each floor.

Second: I went on a Magic Cruise last December. I had to attend boat drill with everyone else, but no-one offered to explain how I would get to the boat deck if the elevators were out of action as would be the case in a fire.

Three: Airlines have a rule that the disabled cannot sit at the emergency exits. I need to be carried to the door. I assume that I would be last to leave the aircraft.

Andrew.

 

[LindaDVC]

When I worked at Shriners Hospital in Philadelphia we often had fire drills on holidays, after 5:00, etc when the staff was the lowest. They wanted to make sure they could get the kids safe when the least amount of staff was available!

Now that I work for the Schools I notice we are typically warned that we are about to have a drill!

Last year we had a bad storm and had to take tornado positions. That means head to the bathrooms like we had practiced. However this time the power went out and we were in there for a LONG time. I was with 7 autistic young boys and a few staff members. We had practiced this lots of times but never thought to shut off the lights. I now advise to include lights off in practices --you can quickly turn them back on and let the kids know it will be okay in prep for the time the lights stay off awhile. The building we were in lost a few windows and had some rooms flooded but we were all okay. STRESSED but okay!

Linda

 

[faeflora]

Lisapooh,
I would go to your student services coordinator for students with disabilities and have them move your class to a first floor room.
When I was attending classes in college fairly recently I used student services to schedule classes, their job was to make sure that my classes were in an accessible building (not all buildings on this campus were accessible) and on a first floor (since this University did not have a reasonable exit plan for the disabled or the sled that was mentioned above.). This is definitely considered a reasonable accommadation as required by the ADA. I would definitely consider this option and see what they say.


faeflora....35 days and counting till WDW

 

[lisapooh]

Faeflora,
This is where the lab is not the class. It is the language labs for the entire school. All the language video tapes are stored here and we are not allowed to remove them from the premises. Also they have the video taping equipment. I was actually video taping an assignment for my Conversational Skills class.
The actual classes are on the 1st floor of another building.
I will ask what they have in place for evacuation from this area. If none is in place I will speak to the head of the ASL interpreter program to see if I can do the lab hours in the ASL office and by checking out tapes from her and using the computer programs there.
I will still have to go up to video tape but that should not be frequent.

 

[Wheelsie]

Andrew...

You just expressed my deepest fear...and why I will NEVER fly a plane again (unless held at gunpoint LOL)


I know my DH is a wonderful human being...and would do anything for me...

But my fear is that strapped into a plane EVEN HE would forget what a selfless human being is and leave me strapped into this falling metal brick!!!!

I've never expressed my true fear on this subject to anyone until earlier this week talking to DH...

I think he thinks he would come help me...but can ANYONE really say they wouldn't fin for themselves in that kind of catastrophe?????

Up to know Id just played it off that I have a general fear of flying...(of heights yes...flying no)

Now I think he understands and can sympathize with why I requested we NOT fly last yr to WDW but instead rent a car and spend 2 days driving down (poor baby he was so tired driving all that way there and back )

At least now I don't feel so alone in my fears

*hugs Andrew*

 

[SueM in MN]

{{{hugs}}} to you, Wheelsie. You are not alone. There are people who can get off of the plane themselves who are afraid to fly. I can certainly see why someone who would be trapped in the aluminum brick would be more scared. I have wondered how we would get DD off a plane in an emergency.

 

[lisapooh]

I don't care to fly either. Skipped 2 conventions is Nev in the past 2 years because I would not fly.

 

[hilside]

When I was in high school, they used to warn me ahead of time when they were going to have fire drills so I could be sure to aready be on the ground floor. This may seem silly, but I had good reason. I have brittle bones, & I didn't want to take any chances. Every time I am lifted, there is a chance I could be injured: just bump my foot into a wall or another student and crack! instant busted ankle. If I'm going to get hurt, I want it to be for good reason, ya know?

 

[Andrew Bichard]

I don't have any alternative to flying unless I give up Disney altogether. (unless I visit DLP)

I live in London and there is no alternative to my nine hour flight.

Andrew

 

[lisapooh]

But did they have a plan to get you our in case of a real fire? I know with my oldest who was in a brace for her knee in high school they had a meeting spot on each floor where the fire department could lift them down in a cherry picker. There were 8 floors but most of her classes were on the 3rd and 5th floor. When I subbed I was also to go to that spot in case of fire and my students were to go with another teacher.

 

[hilside]

..in case of real fire. Certain students were assigned to pretty much know where I was at all times. They were to meet me at a designated area in case of emergency.

 

[sha_lyn]

True story..When I was in high school they had to asign a group of guys to help a pregnant girl in our science class in case of a tornado. We were to hide under the tables and then if we had to leqave the room in a hurry a group of guys were told to move the table and help her get up. This came about becasue of a tornado that touched down near the school and when the warning was over she could not get out from under the table.

 

[Belle1962]

Where I work we have an "evacuation plan". We have assigned guides for people with medical disabilities or other impidements to going DOWN the stairs. During an emergency these people are to go the ones who need assistance and help them. Also--in the stairwell on each floor we have one of those contraptions (combo stretcher/dolly) to put people on and get them out of the building.

 

[jdremann]

What is the situation with the handicap rooms at the different Disney resorts for those in power chairs and can't do stairs on own? Are there handicap rooms on ground level at all the resorts? I know we had a CBR room that was ground floor. We will be staying at the Dolphin in Nov and have not asked this yet. Does anyone know?

 

[SueM in MN]

There are handicapped rooms on the first floor in all the resorts.