By Jack Haslett
An evacuation can be terrifying for anyone. They could happen for any reason, such as fire, earthquake or an active safety threat on campus.
But these circumstances can become even more challenging for people with mobility impairments, limiting their options in times where they might need to evacuate.
This was the case for Ryan Manriquez, a University of California Berkeley graduate student who found himself stranded in the second floor of his university-run apartment during a fire alarm after elevators were shut down.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a bill which guarantees protections and services for people with disabilities in public institutions like universities, only requires there to be one disability serviceable exit per building, whether that be a ramp, elevator or evacuation chair.
The Bob Murphy Access Center (BMAC) is a dedicated facility at Long Beach State for students with disabilities to aid and services to assist with their disabilities. However, the center doesn’t govern emergency services, according to Jessica Wood, associate director of BMAC.
“Depending on your location of the campus and depending on what building you’re in, I think that emergency preparedness for students with mobility impairments is going to be a challenge,” said kinesiology student Charisma Mangahas, who is in a wheelchair.
Even though evacuation chairs themselves are not explicitly required by the ADA, CSULB has them installed in every two-plus story building on campus, according to Emergency Preparedness Manager Allyson Joy.
The chairs, made by EvacChair, are wheeled apparatuses that a person can be loaded into and carried up or down the stairs. The chairs are designed to be intuitive enough to be used by one person to transport someone else, according to Joy.
An EvacChair mounted on the wall on the fifth floor of the library next to the main stairwell. Photo credit: Jack Haslett
Evacuation chairs are also installed in basements. However, these chairs would most likely need two people to operate them rather than one, not including the person being transported, due to the labor of moving up against gravity.
Beyond the EvacChair system in place, people with mobility impairments largely have to take it upon themselves to be safe. The campus emergency plan recommends a buddy system and awareness of exits for students with mobility impairments to stay prepared.
Instructions for operating the chair can be found on the underside of the seat when the chair is unfolded. Photo credit: Jack Haslett
Some people take it a step further. Christopher Karadjov, an associate journalism professor at CSULB who is in a wheelchair, said that he chose a first floor office specifically in case of an emergency, even though the LA4 building where he works has an EvacChair. The first floor offices in LA4 are smaller than those upstairs, Karadjov said.
“The problem is, what if I’m by myself in my office working and there is a fire? Or the person who has to evacuate has to be trained to use the chair,” Karadjov said. “Realistically, I don’t think they have much use or help.”
While instructions to use the chairs are printed on them, the campus emergency plan stresses that people without proper training should not use the EvacChairs unless in a total emergency.
UPD does offer training for the use of the chairs in emergencies, however, students and faculty have to apply for the training themselves. Students with mobility impairments can request training for their whole class and are encouraged by the campus emergency plan to inform professors at the beginning of semesters of the training.
Training for the chairs is mandatory for building managers in the University Student Union, according to Jesse Avella, Employee Training and Safety Coordinator for ASI.
While the evacuation chairs offer an option for other people to help rescue people with mobility impairments, individuals alone in an emergency are still left without a way to evacuate an upper story building.
Elevators are often shut down during emergency situations, particularly fires. Photo credit: Jack Haslett
“I think that the community here is pretty open-minded. A lot of people are very kind, they do open doors, they help, but in an emergency situation how will that carry?” Mangahas said. “I would need assistance to evacuate… can I depend on another person for the sake of my safety?”
“It’s a tough topic… you are in a sense hoping that people nearby are willing to stick around and help you,” Joy said. “So a lot of it does rely on that community sense and community understanding.”
In the event that good samaritans on campus aren’t enough in an emergency, Long Beach Fire Station 22, located near CSULB on Atherton St., provides assistance in an emergency in a timely manner, according to Joy.
