The news stories are too common, with too common a thread: A student in a wheelchair is left behind during an active shooter drill because taking that child down stairs is too big a hassle. Or an adult wheelchair rider is left in an office stairwell as coworkers evacuate because that fire alarm is probably no big deal, just somebody burning popcorn in the microwave.
The Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America’s (RESNA) ED-1 Standard for Evacuation Devices — Volume 1: Emergency Stair Travel Devices Used by Individuals with Disabilities is now open for public comment through June 23.
Here’s a summary of what the 51-page standard says.
What this standard covers (and what it doesn’t)
In announcing the public comment period on May 2, RESNA said, “This standard covers the terminology, description, performance, inspection and maintenance of devices whose primary purpose is the travel of individuals with disabilities over stair and horizontal surfaces during building evacuations. This standard does not cover devices whose purpose is the travel of individuals with disabilities during routine travel on stairs. This standard includes requirements and test methods for determining emergency stair travel device performance. It also includes requirements for the disclosure of the test results.”
Section 1 of the standard in its current form is “Terminology, Description and Performance.” Within the section are the topics scope; normative references; terms and definitions; characterizations of emergency stair travel devices (ESTDs); performance; testing and measurement; instructions, information and markings; and product information.
The section focuses on “aspects of performance solely under the control of the device manufacturer.”
“Performance of the devices is addressed with respect to aspects which include weight capacity, stability (lateral and forward directions) and dynamic load,” the standard added.
The weight capacity test “specifies support of a manikin of weight corresponding to the 99th percentile adult male” per the Centers for Disease Control. That equates to 350 lbs. (159 kg).
The stability test “requires that the device maintain contact with the support surface as it is tilted 10 degrees in the lateral direction and 32.5% in the front direction,” which simulates how the device and person travels down code-compliant stairs.
The dynamic load test simulates how the device carrying the person performs while traveling across horizontal surfaces, but also how it performs in a drop-off: going down a 3-inch (7.5 cm) curb, dropping to the surface below, and then continuing horizontal travel.
Maneuverability performance tests “the measurement method to be used for the stairway width and landing size in which the device can operate, as these are cited by the manufacturer.”
As for the manikin acting as the test evacuee: It’s specifically designed for life safety training and provides a shape “that is necessary to give some devices their form and dimensions while in use.” The maneuverability test is conducted with a manikin at the 50th percentile data for adult males. All other tests use a manikin with height and weight “of just greater than the 99th percentile data for adult males.”
If testing agencies want to use heavier evacuee weights, they can use a different manikin or add weight to the lower body and torso. The standard specifies that 40% of the additional weight be added to the lower body and 60% to the upper body.
The standard provides other information on how tests should be performed, such as the stability-front test being run twice with manikins of different heights.
The standard also includes terms and definitions for terms, such as arm support, capacity, horizontal travel, safety strap, and stair angle.
Devices referred to “shall be designed and constructed to facilitate travel over interior floor surfaces, interior and exterior stairs, and exterior accessible pathways during emergency evacuation.” The standard specifies the dimensions — overall device width and length, device weight, occupant weight capacity — that device literature must include.
How testing should be performed
The testing and measurement section of the standard discusses how tests should be observed and how test results should be recorded and submitted.
The standard also includes instructions on how tests should be performed. It specifies, for example, how the device should be supported on horizontal surfaces and while traveling on stairs. Testing procedures include instructions on configurations for traveling on horizontal surfaces and stairs, and for such factors as stability in different directions and maneuverability to fit into stairways and make 180-degree turns, required on middle landings of stairways.
Testing includes examining the strength of, closure, and attachment of occupant safety straps and where on the device they should be located.
The standard lists the product information — such as types of surfaces for approve usage, maximum stair angle of operation, and number of operators required — that needs to be included for each device. The standard provides a test results form for reporting test findings.
Section 2: Inspection, installation and maintenance
Section 2 of the RESNA ED-1 covers the installation, inspection and maintenance of the devices. It specifies who is qualified to do inspections, how often inspections must occur (at least once every 12 months, but also after each evacuation or evacuation drill), and what must be inspected — not just the device, but also the device’s storage location, safety straps, and braking system, if applicable.
This section also includes maintenance requirements, including both preventive maintenance and repairs. An inspection results form is included in the standard.
Why this standard matters
In addition to providing real-world directions and specifications for viable and safe evacuations of people with disabilities, the RESNA standard can also emphasize the need for a tangible evacuation plan in the first place.
As the saying goes, the best time to plan for an emergency is before it happens. Yet, too many facilities routinely exclude people with disabilities from mandated evacuation drills, have no concrete plan to evacuate them safely, and no equipment to do so.
The RESNA standard offers an important, carefully considered, better path forward. Katy Neas, chief executive of The Arc, an organization that supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, said in the Washington Post story that parents can demand an evacuation plan be included in their children’s individual education plans (IEPs).
“Our kids,” Neas added, “are not throwaway kids.”
Email RESNA — [email protected] — to access the draft of the standard or to submit comments.
