Inclusive Emergency Preparedness

Ensuring that emergency and evacuation plans are inclusive of people with disabilities is crucial for creating safe and accessible public environments. Start thinking about how to meet the needs of all patrons and staff through the following steps:

• Evaluate site safety and resources: Begin by assessing the physical layout of the venue, including seating, storage areas, work areas, and food preparation zones. Ensure that emergency resources such as fire extinguishers, accessible exits, and accessible equipment are readily available. Review whether these resources are clearly marked and easy to access. Determine where physical barriers exist or have been created (e.g., furniture or equipment blocking exits).
• Collaboration with local fire and emergency responders: Conduct a walk-through with local fire chiefs or emergency responders to receive recommendations on evacuation procedures and necessary equipment for evacuating individuals with disabilities. Ensure that emergency responders are trained to work with various individuals with disabilities and know how to use specific tools or methods to provide assistance during an evacuation.
• Consider a range of needs and types of emergencies: Be sure to consider and evaluate your space and resources through the lens of a variety of needs (including mobility, sensory, hearing, vision, cognitive, and medical) as well as considering a variety of emergencies (including active shooter, fire, and medical).
• Create evacuation protocols: Develop standardized evacuation procedures tailored to accommodate individuals with disabilities, including mobility, hearing, vision, and cognitive disabilities. (Also consider individuals with disabilities that have service animals.) These procedures should involve:
  • Establishing regular training and drill plans
  • Establishing clear communication channels
  • Determining emergency roles and responsibilities
  • Designating specific accessible shelter areas
  • Ensuring the availability of evacuation aids such as evacuation chairs, stretchers, fire-retardant materials, flashlights, communication devices, and evacuation sheets
  • Considering and preparing to assist people with non-apparent disabilities
• Develop personalized evacuation plans: Develop personalized evacuation plans for individuals (including staff and volunteers) who may need extra help and/or modifications to the existing emergency plans. This includes details such as how assistance will be provided and who will assist various individuals.

You can train your staff to be more prepared for assisting individuals with disabilities during an emergency, taking the following steps:

• Conduct an inventory of staff skills: It is helpful to identify and utilize specific skills that staff members can apply during an emergency, including: specific medical or emergency training, additional languages spoken, and/or disability specific expertise (e.g., sighted guide training).
• Provide ongoing staff training: Provide comprehensive staff training to prepare all personnel to assist individuals with disabilities during evacuations. This includes offering support for individuals with specific types of disabilities (physical, vision, hearing, etc.), how to use specific equipment, and how to provide calm and clear communication.
• Conduct emergency drills: Regularly conduct emergency drills that include people with various disabilities to test the effectiveness of your evacuation procedures. Be sure to develop individualized evacuation plans for staff, volunteers, and patrons who request accommodations in your organization. Practicing these scenarios will help ensure that staff are prepared for any situation.

In the case of an emergency, your organization can be prepared to provide appropriate assistance in the following ways

• Buddy system: Encourage the use of a buddy system, where individuals with disabilities are paired with someone who can help them during an emergency.
• Guiding techniques: Train staff to offer assistance to individuals with visual impairments using the “sighted guide” technique. This involves offering an arm to a person with vision loss to guide them safely to an exit. If the individual has a guide dog, staff should ask if the dog should follow or if the individual prefers to be guided.
• Mobility assistance: Ensure that evacuation tools, such as evacuation chairs, are readily available to assist individuals who may need help evacuating quickly. In cases where patrons collapse, be prepared with evacuation sheets to safely move individuals to exits. Ensure staff training and awareness on the limitations of evacuation chairs.
• Support for cognitive and sensory disabilities: Some neurodivergent individuals may react differently than neurotypical individuals to stressful situations, such as evacuations. Train staff to identify patrons who may need additional assistance, and be prepared to use visual or physical cues while guiding.
• Support for people who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing: For patrons who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing, use visual alerts and be sure to model hand signals or gestures for clarity during evacuations. Even for typically hearing individuals, emergency alarms can be very loud, making it difficult to hear directions. Use expressive hand and body movements to help people nearby understand staff members’ directions.
• Medical emergencies: Ensure that evacuation tools, such as evacuation sheets, are available for medical emergencies. Staff should be trained in safely moving individuals who have collapsed or are unable to move on their own.

To improve your organization’s established communication plans in the event of an emergency, consider these tips:

• Clear, accessible communication: Establish clear communication practices, including the use of walkie-talkies or other devices for staff to coordinate information during emergencies. At the beginning of an event, make an announcement outlining your evacuation plan. When speaking about emergency exits, use simple language and point in the direction of the exits.
• Visual and auditory alerts: Install both visual (e.g., flashing lights) and auditory alarms in your venue to alert individuals during emergencies. Ensure that all staff are trained to provide guidance to patrons using a combination of visual and verbal instructions to address all needs. In cases where law enforcement demands that individuals raise their hands, model this action for d/Deaf and hard of hearing patrons and assist individuals with mobility aids to comply.
• Emergency instructions in multiple formats: Provide evacuation instructions in accessible formats, including large print, braille, and digital text (e.g., websites or mobile apps with screen reader compatibility).
• Communication tools for cognitive disabilities: Use simple, easy-to-understand language, pictograms, or symbols to ensure that people with cognitive disabilities can follow instructions.

Finally, continuous improvement is essential to emergency management. Review and improve your organization’s emergency plans in these ways:

• Gather feedback and review: After each evacuation drill or real event, gather feedback from individuals with disabilities to assess and refine the effectiveness of your plan. Regularly review and update the emergency and evacuation plan to ensure that it remains current with best practices, legal requirements, and disability community feedback. Be open to suggestions for improving procedures and accommodations.
• Collaborate with other organizations: Reach out to other venues or local businesses for advice on improving safety and accessibility. Sharing insights and resources can help improve your organization’s ability to respond to emergencies while meeting the needs of all patrons.