Evacuation chairs and your fire safety plan: Consider these important points

Evacuation chairs and your fire safety plan: Consider these important points

4 Reasons Why Your Business Needs Evac Chairs 

Evac chairs are a vital tool for helping to evacuate everyone from your building in an emergency. Whether there is a fire or a medical emergency, you may need an evac chair to safely transport an individual from one place to another. In this guide, we delve into the reasons why your business should have evac chairs and how you can comply with laws and regulations by installing this simple piece of emergency equipment. 

What is an Evac Chair?

An evac chair is a means of transporting someone who isn’t very mobile out of a building quickly in an emergency. An emergency doesn’t necessarily have to be an evacuation. It can also be a medical emergency or if there is a power failure. 

First conceptualised in the 1980s, the evac chair has been around for quite some time, meaning there have been many iterations since the first evac chair. The evac chair as we know it today is generally made from a lightweight but sturdy frame with wheels and a safety harness to safely transport individuals to where they need to be. 

Now you know what an evac chair is, it’s time to delve into why your business needs one.

 

1. Comply with Evacuation Chair Regulations

There are a lot of regulations you must follow as a building owner, landlord or employer. The most important one to consider in the case of evac chairs is the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. This legislation doesn’t explicitly state you must have a fire evacuation chair on your premises but it does say that the responsible person (i.e. the building owner, landlord or employer) must provide a safe means of evacuation for everyone in the building. 

2. Provide a Safe Means of Evacuation for Those with Mobility Issues

Not only do evacuation chair regulations state you should provide a safe means of evacuation for those with mobility issues, but as an employer, you have a duty of care to all of your employees. The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and the Equality Act 2010 fit nicely here. 

As a company, you are expected to make reasonable adjustments to ensure all of your employees are able to use your facility as intended. Failure to have evacuation chairs on site could be seen as a failure to make reasonable adjustments for those with disabilities, so we recommended you implement evac chairs around your building to provide a safe evacuation method for all those who may need it. 

3. Ensure a Faster Evacuation Time with an Evac Chair

Time is of the essence during any emergency situation. Whether it's a fire evacuation or a medical emergency, the faster an individual is evacuated from a building, the better. This is where an evac chair comes in handy. 

You should think to yourself, if a person with a mobility issue needed to evacuate a building from the top floor, what options would they have? An evac chair provides a means of evacuation with the ability to move from floor to floor safely. Equipped with a safety harness, the occupant can be securely strapped in, allowing for transport on stairs in a more comfortable position. 

4. Handle Emergency Situations with Ease

With the appropriate evacuation chair training, employees can confidently operate an evac chair and easily evacuate anyone with mobility issues. Article 21 of the Fire Safety Order also states that employers should provide adequate safety training. This would include evac chair training. 

At Fire & Safety Centre, we provide comprehensive evac chair training to ensure your employees can operate an evac chair with ease. Choose from either our Basic Evac Chair Training or our Master Class Evac Chair Training to equip your staff with the skills and knowledge they need to effectively handle any emergency situation. 

Benefits of Evac Chairs

  • Improved Safety: Evac chairs provide a safe and secure method for evacuating people with mobility issues during an emergency. 
  • Preservation of Dignity: Without an evac chair, people with mobility issues may need to be physically carried. An evac chair offers a more dignified evacuation method. 
  • Ease of Use: Most evac chairs are simple to use to aid in a faster evacuation response.
  • Portability: Built with a lightweight frame, evac chairs can be easily transported and stored wherever they are needed.
  • Compliance with Evacuation Chair Regulations: Implementing evac chairs in your building will ensure that you comply with the necessary legal requirements. 

Install Evac Chairs Around Your Property Today

Remember, evac chairs are designed to provide a safe means of evacuation for anyone with a mobility issue. This doesn’t necessarily mean someone with a disability. It can also be someone who has had a recent injury or is pregnant. Even if the building isn’t on fire, an evac chair is a crucial tool used to evacuate an individual in the event of a medical emergency or for any other reason. 

If your business is in need of an evac chair, take a look at our range of evac chairs from Fire & Safety Centre. It could make all the difference in saving a life. 

FAQs

Is it a legal requirement to have an evac chair?

There is no legislation that states you must have an evac chair on your premises. However, according to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, you must provide a safe means of evacuation for all occupants of a building. For those with mobility issues, an evac chair may be the only means of safe evacuation, so it is vital businesses install them on their property. 

Do you need training to use an evacuation chair?

It is the employer's responsibility to provide adequate safety training to their employees. This includes the appropriate evac chair training to ensure staff can confidently operate an evac chair during an emergency and prevent any unnecessary injuries. At Fire & Safety Centre, we provide comprehensive Evac Chair Training to equip your staff with the skills to operate an evac chair efficiently! Take a look at our training course today. 

Are evacuation chairs used to get all individuals out of the building?

Evac chairs are designed to safely transport individuals with mobility issues out of a building during an emergency. This includes people with a disability, a recent injury, a medical condition or someone who is pregnant.

Related Articles 

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