Fire escapes and disabled access

All employers have an obligation to ensure that their emergency plans take account of disabled people. Under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 employers must make "reasonable adjustments" to their premises to make sure that no employee is at a disadvantage, which includes making sure that disabled people can leave the premises safely in the event of a fire.

Means of escape for disabled people is provided for under law by the Fire Regulations and the Fire Precautions Act etc, or, in the case of new or altered buildings, by the Building Regulations. All employers are required to carry out fire safety risk assessments under the Fire Reform Order, and should make provisions for all staff and visitors with any disabilities including poor sight and poor hearing. Emergency plans should always be drawn up in conjunction with disabled members of staff.

Clearly, wheelchair users are unable to use stairways or fire escapes without assistance and so it may be necessary to provide temporary refuges - areas separated by fire-resistant construction and which have access via a safe route to an escape - on all storeys. Examples include protected corridors or open air spaces such as balconies or flat roofs, and the space needs to be big enough to allow the wheelchair user to both manoeuvre into the space without undue difficulty and to allow for wheelchair use within the space. Staff with impaired vision should be familiarised with escape routes, especially those not in regular use. Always check with your local fire authority before beginning construction.

It may be appropriate to provide a specialist stair descending wheelchair, such as the Enable Access CD7, or EV136, as illustrated to the right.