Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About Evacuation Chairs

Getting incapacitated patients out of tall buildings or via a maze of narrow passages and corridors is one of the most tough emergency procedures. In these situations, the evacuation chairs come into their own. They’re made to maneuver through tight spaces and are ideal used in high-rise buildings, restaurants, airplanes, and ships.

History of using evacuation chairs

The Nimier stretcher, developed by the French Army for use during World War One, was one of the first examples of evacuation chairs. These maintained victims in a semi-seated posture with their knees brought up to under their chins, allowing First Aid Officers to navigate the twisting confines of the trench to safely transfer the wounded.

Modern evacuation chairs look like a cross between a stretcher and a wheelchair, and they may be pushed along the ground or carried with the help of grips. Their short length makes them particularly useful for maneuvering through stairwells, hallways, and narrow corridors.

What exactly is an evacuation chair?

The evacuation chair is about the same weight as a typical stretcher, but its seating configuration allows for a significantly lower wheelbase, and patients may be securely strapped into to the seat if they do not have back problems. Their vinyl seat covers as well as backrests are durable and rot resistant, and their stainless-steel tubes construction is strong.

The handle configurations on evacuation chairs are ideal for transporting a patient up and down stairs, with one set of handles positioned high at the back and the front handles positioned lower down for ease of carrying in stairwells. The handles are hinged and can be securely stored out of the way when not in use, so they don’t get in the way of the chair’s usage.

The integration of a three-wheel layout is another new element added onto certain versions. This arrangement may be utilized on level ground or as a climbing gadget to assist operators while negotiating stairwells. These wheels support the chair and make bringing patients downstairs easier, particularly if only one attendant is available to help.

While handle or tri systems are more prevalent, an evacuation chair with a vertical track mechanism is also available. The track effectively grabs the stair surface and softly lowers or lifts the chair after it is deployed. These sturdy devices can carry up to 227 kg of weight with ease.

What is the purpose of having evacuation chairs?

The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) of 1995 strives to eliminate discrimination and guarantee that handicapped individuals enjoy civil rights in areas such as work, education, access to commodities, facilities, and services, and the purchase or rental of real estate. The Act mandates public authorities to encourage handicapped people’s equality of opportunity, including considering disabled people’s safe exit in emergency circumstances.

According to the Disability Rights Commission, 11 million individuals in the United Kingdom have a disability. This may limit their capacity to quickly exit a building in the case of a fire or render them completely reliant on others to get out. Installing an evacuation chair can assist your firm in meeting its legal obligations under the Health and Safety Discrimination Act, as well as the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

Most lightweight evacuation chairs are a cost-effective choice for light/emergency usage and may be packed up neatly in a little amount of space. Single user tracked evacuation chairs may help in the evacuation of persons who need assistance over stairs with an even, controlled fall that requires no heavy lifting or physical handling. All public institutions, including office buildings, hospitals, hotels, shopping malls, and department shops, include evacuation chairs.

‘There is no document that stipulates that handicapped person should be kept in a building to wait for emergency services during a fire situation – all individuals should be evacuated if there is a fire,’ according to the Disability Rights Commission. Employers and building managers who leave handicapped people in a fire shelter may be guilty of discrimination, in addition to the obvious danger to their lives.

Using evacuation chairs for emergency purpose

In crisis zones, one of the most difficult settings to find evacuation chairs and stretchers is. Specialist carrying equipment may be required to extract a crippled or critically wounded person from a fire or a structure in risk of collapsing.

Rescue teams are often confronted with wounded persons who are in danger due to flaming debris, falling masonry, or lifts that are out of service, and care must be made to guarantee their safety while in transportation. This includes both the damage they have experienced and the present situation they are in.

The Neil Robertson stretcher is one of the most used stretchers for removing individuals from danger. It has a variety of qualities that have made it popular in the construction and mining sectors, as well as the Royal and Merchant Navies and rescue services across the world.

Its design incorporates spliced slats to make it light and portable, as well as a durable cotton exterior to carry the patient. It comes with heavy-duty ropes that will securely hold victims when elevated, and it has a strong supporting head restraint that makes it suitable for vertical lifting.

Final words

DirectAccess told us that an escape chair is a portable chair that may be used to remove a handicapped or incapable person from a potentially harmful situation, such as a perilous building with faulty elevators. The passenger is safely secured in the chair, which can be maneuvered downstairs more simply than a regular wheelchair. Escape chairs are meant to be foldable for convenient storage, lightweight for easy transportation, yet durable enough to support the weight of an adult. The design must also allow a person to maneuver the chair up and down a flight of stairs under tough conditions. From limited space extraction to elevating or lowering people from stuck positions, fire, collapse, and water, disaster zones may provide a wide range of rescue challenges. Rescue equipment developed for use in these places must be light and sturdy, capable of operating in hostile situations, and adaptable enough to maneuver through tight spaces