PROGRAM HANDBOOKS - Biola University

Cook School of Intercultural Studies
Graduate Program Handbook
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS SECTION 2.16
emergency procedures. Schools should be prepared to care for children until parents can pick them up.
Maintain a reserve of cash in case bank services are disrupted. Keep a mini-survival kit in your car and
adequate fuel in your car in case gas stations are damaged.
Persons With Disabilities
Students, faculty and staff with disabilities have special needs and problems in the event of an
emergency. Preparation is the key. Assign someone now to provide assistance for such individuals in
the event of an earthquake, fire or bomb threat. Urge individuals with disabilities to maintain an extra
supply of medications and spare equipment or supplies needed to cope with their disability.
Experience in past emergencies has shown that chances of survival for disabled individuals are
usually quite good due to the fact that they have often learned to cope with obstacles on a daily basis.
The campus community can help by assuring that disabled individuals receive emergency warnings
and are not forgotten during the response effort. During evacuations, those with disabilities must not
use elevators but must be assisted to evacuate using stairways.
Wheelchair Users
Frequently, wheelchair users have respiratory complications. Remove them from smoke or fumes
immediately. Wheelchairs should not be used in stairwells, if at all possible.
Consult wheelchair users in advance as to their preference with regard to ways of being removed
from the wheelchair, the number of people necessary for assistance, whether to extend or move
extremities when lifting, whether a cushion or pad should be brought along, how they are carried on a
flight of stairs and after-care if removed from the wheelchair.
Individuals using crutches, canes or walkers should be treated as if they were injured for
evacuation purposes. They can be carried using a two-person lock-arm position or sitting in a sturdy
chair, preferably with arms.
Visually Impaired Persons
In the event of an emergency, tell a visually impaired person the nature of the emergency and offer
to guide him/her. As you walk, tell him/her where you are and advise of any obstacles. When you have
reached safety, orient him/her to where s/he is and ask if any further assistance is needed. Remain with
him/her as long as you are needed.
Hearing Impaired Persons
Persons with impaired hearing may not be aware of emergency alarms and an alternative warning
technique may be required. It may be necessary to get the individual's attention by writing a note or
turning the light switch on and off, then indicating through gestures or in writing what is happening
and what to do.
Date: August 2012 Page 9 of 9