Who Uses an Evacuation Chair for Stairs?

If you’ve spent even a fraction of time here on the Evacuscape website, you’ll notice we use certain industry buzzwords and phrases all the time. One of those phrases is “Person with Reduced Mobility” or PRM for short.

If you haven’t heard this before, you may not know what it means, which is why we’re shining a spotlight on people with reduced mobility.

Below, you’ll find out people with reduce mobility are, and why evacuation chairs from Evacuscape are an essential safety tool.

What Does “Person with Reduced Mobility” Mean?

A Person with Reduced Mobility (PRM) is someone who struggles to move quickly or confidently due to physical or mental limitations. These limitations may be permanent, temporary, minor, or serious conditions that restrict someone’s ability to get around.

There’s a big chance you know someone who has reduced mobility. Mobility issues may be obvious, as with those rely on mobility devices every day. But there are a variety of invisible disabilities that may also interfere with a person’s mobility.

It’s important you don’t make assumptions about people in this way. Anyone may face mobility challenges, regardless of age, sex, or background.

People with Reduced Mobility Can’t Use the Stairs

A PRM faces unique barriers in their day-to-day lives. Simple things and activities non-disabled people take for granted may come as a struggle if mobility is an issue.

A safe evacuation of a building in an emergency is one of those things.

Why? Because mobility issues may interfere with their ability to descend stairs safely and quickly.

Under normal circumstances, this may not be an issue. Building code requires multi-story buildings to have elevators, so staff and visitors may easily move between floors, regardless of their physical condition. A PRM may also choose to climb or descend stairs as slowly as they need to be safe.

Unfortunately, these elevators may not be in use in an emergency.

In an emergency, a swift exit is a vital step to a safe evacuation. Even if a PRM can tackle the stairs on a normal day, they may not have the time they need to descend the stairs in a way that makes them feel safe.

An Evacuation Chair is the Essential Emergency Evacuation Tool

An evacuation chair makes it possible for anyone with reduced mobility to descend the stairs quickly without compromising their safety. It’s designed specifically so that one person may transport a PRM downstairs during an evacuation.

The Evacuscape models of evacuation chairs are equipped with padded seats and safety belts for comfort. Our lightweight construction makes it simple to operate for just one person, and it easily carries up to 400 pounds (or 180 kilograms) for a smooth stairway descent to ground level.

When Should You Use an Evacuation Chair for Stairs?

There are many reasons why you might have to evacuate your office in an emergency. These may include but are not limited to the following situations:

• Compromised structural integrity
• Explosions
• False alarms
• Fires and fire drills
• Gas and other hazardous material leaks
• Natural disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, or tornados
• Personal health crises
• Power outages
• Public safety threats

Whatever disaster you face, an evacuation chair helps people with reduced mobility navigate the stairs swiftly anytime your elevators aren’t a safe option.

How Can You Use an Evacuation Chair for Stairs?

Here at Evacuscape, we understand that an emergency is a high-pressure situation. An effective evacuation plan can’t have any room for confusion, as this will waste valuable time you need to escape an emergency. That’s why we’ve made it so that you can deploy our evacuation stair chair in just four simple steps.

Step #1 — Remove the evacuation chair from its wall-mounted bracket.

Step #2 — Undo the seat belt to move the seat into position.

Step #3 — Pull the rear wheels out until they lock.

Step #4 — Pull out the pins to move the adjustable handle until it locks.

Once you follow these steps, the evacuation chair is ready for its passenger. Preparing for descent requires a quick change of your grip to push in the rear wheels. This exposes our state-of-the-art tracking system that balances on the steps, using friction to limit the speed of your descent.

We have two models with a slight variation between the braking systems and harnesses. No matter which model you choose, the Evacuscape evacuation chair for stairs is a step above the competition. Go see our evacuation chair competitive comparison here to understand what we mean.

Who May Use an Evacuation Chair and Why?

An evacuation chair may be used by a person with reduced mobility to descend the stairs in an emergency. This may include, but is not limited to, the following.

• An escape chair is a part of senior health and safety, as flexibility, strength, and mobility decrease as people age.
• Pregnant people. Pregnant people are at a higher risk of injury at a time when their mobility is reduced by the weight they carry.
• Individuals with medical conditions. Asthma, arthritis, epilepsy, angina, vertigo, and other conditions may interfere with a safe evacuation.
• People who use assistive devices. Mobility aids such as wheelchairs, motorized scooters, and walkers are not designed to go downstairs. An evacuation chair, on the other hand, is designed exactly for this use. With some help, a person may switch from their assistive device to a stair chair effortlessly.
• People with temporary injuries or illnesses. Whether it’s a tweaked back or a broken bone, an injury may make it impossible for someone to descend the stairs. Injured individuals may use an escape chair, whether or not they’re in a cast.
• Disabled people. Blind people, people with prosthetics, or those with impairments like cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, and more may need to use an evacuation chair.

While this list is helpful in that it shows just how many people may require assistance in an emergency, it is by no means complete. There may be people not listed above who still have use for an evacuation chair.

Put simply, anyone who doesn’t feel safe descending the stairs in an emergency may need an evacuation chair.

Business owners, health organizations, and any multi-story building manager should consider this when you establish an evacuation plan. Even if you don’t think you have employees or visitors who identify as people with mobility issues, they may have invisible disabilities. More still, unforeseen emergencies and extenuating circumstances may mean your normally able-bodied staff requires help.

Here at Evacuscape, we’re here to help you out, no matter what. Get in touch to learn more about the price of an evacuation chair for your organization. One of our representatives will be happy to help you create an evacuation plan that’s accessible to everyone.