Evacuation of Persons with Disabilities and Areas of Rescue Assistance Flashcards

An Area of Rescue Assistance (also called an Area of Refuge) in a high-rise building is designed to:

Answer: Provide a fire-protected location where mobility-impaired occupants can wait for assisted evacuation

An Area of Rescue Assistance is a protected space — typically in a stairwell landing or horizontal exit — where occupants who cannot use the stairs independently can wait safely for firefighter or trained staff assistance. Two-way communication to the fire command station is required.

A hearing-impaired tenant cannot hear the building's audible fire alarm. The FLSD's emergency plan should include which accommodation?

Answer: Pre-designating a trained floor warden to personally notify and assist the tenant during any alarm

The Fire Safety/Evacuation Plan must pre-identify occupants with disabilities and assign specific trained personnel to assist them. Relying on informal notification or self-identification during an active emergency is not a reliable life-safety plan.

When a mobility-impaired occupant is waiting in an Area of Rescue Assistance during a fire evacuation, the FLSD must:

Answer: Inform arriving FDNY units of the occupant's exact location and condition

The FLSD's critical duty is to relay the precise location and any relevant medical information about occupants in Areas of Rescue Assistance directly to arriving FDNY units, so firefighters can prioritize and execute assisted evacuation. Elevators are not used for evacuation, and occupants should not be forced into independent stairwell descent.

Which of the following is a required feature of a two-way communication system in an Area of Rescue Assistance?

Answer: A hands-free intercom connecting the area to the fire command station

Code requires a hands-free, two-way communication system between the Area of Rescue Assistance and the fire command station (lobby or fire control room) so the FLSD can confirm who is waiting and communicate status without the occupant needing to hold a handset.

A building's Fire Safety/Evacuation Plan (FS/EP) includes a 'Special Needs Registry.' What is this registry's primary purpose?

Answer: To document occupants who may require assistance during evacuation so wardens and FDNY are prepared in advance

The Special Needs Registry is a pre-emergency planning tool that identifies occupants (permanent or temporary) who may need evacuation assistance — due to mobility, sensory, or cognitive impairments — so that floor wardens can be assigned and FDNY can be immediately informed during an incident.

An evacuation chair (stair chair) used to assist mobility-impaired occupants should be:

Answer: Located on each floor near the stairwell entrance and included in staff training

Evacuation chairs must be strategically pre-positioned near stairwells on floors where they are likely to be needed, and floor wardens must be trained in their use before an emergency. Centralizing them in one location or restricting use to specialists negates their value during a fast-moving evacuation.