Today the NPS released video from inside the Washington Monument during the August 23 earthquake. It shook for quite awhile.

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/...0584728.html?dr


That's a long trek down the stairs, too. Normally they'd take the elevator (which was broken during the quake). It was announced today that the Washington Monument will remain closed, indefinitely.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/wash...ry.html?hpid=z2

Interesting video. I wonder what the last guy ran back up the stairs for?

On a more somber note, this video illustrates a major concern for those of us with disabled family members. In such a situation, how is someone in a wheel chair supposed to get out without the elevator? Tales from the twin towers are not comforting. It is down right scary to think about.

Dream job - rappelling the Washington Monument to look for cracks and problems.

Just heard an amazing anecdote ... during that 10'th anniversary for 9/11. It was from a blind guy who had to descend the stairs in the WTC from a long way up. He had a guide dog with him, and just had to go slow. He spent most of the time trying to be reassuring to his pooch, while throngs of panicky people bypassed him on the stairs. But he still made it out OK.

But you are right - this is a major problem for people in wheelchairs. Maybe unsolvable.

Pete2

Seems like some emergency equipment manufacturer could come up with a pretty simple board that someone could be strapped onto (bottom edge for feet to rest against) and with runners that slide over steps. And a couple wheels on the bottom. With grab handles that one person - preferable more - could use to guide the board down.

Yes, you'd probably be screwed if by yourself.

I wonder if the Americans with Disabilities Act addresses this already. Emergency egress seems like something that would have been considered when that legislation was enacted (1990, or so).

And sure enough, it is addressed in the ADA.

http://www.access-board.gov/evac.htm

There already is such a thing. Just Google "stair chair" and "evacuation" and you will see a bunch of different models. In my building, they have one cached on the landing of each floor. On floors where there are known people who would need it, there are also volunteers who are trained to use it. I got the training, when a co-worker on my floor was on crutches while recovering from knee surgery.

Dagny; sorry if my post hijacked your thread.

A couple of observations (non-political) after a number of years experience:

It is true that the ADA covers emergency egress and there are guidelines. But guidelines are not code and depend on the local implementation and the builders/managers implementation. Our actual on the ground experiences in and around the DC area with a family member in a wheelchair is that yes, you can get in, but if you use an elevator to get in, don't depend on it to get out, and there are no visible alternatives to the stair. Emergency egress seems to be, ummmh, forgotten and/or invisible. You are on your own.

There are solutions. This evac chair seems a simple one:
http://www.evacutrac.com/?gclid=CIz_mJfsu6sCFcjc4Aodh0szuA (no affiliation). There is also technology available to make elevators safe to use in an emergency. Again, a local code issue. I am surprised and pleased that AKSAR's workplace is so prepared--- they deserve a big thanks.

Our experience is that public places and buildings (e.g. restaurants etc.) are the worst for egress, and office buildings are better and museums (for some unknown reason), have been the best.

It is second nature now for me to look at this egress issue. I am not optimistic of major changes.

I can't even get one of the local supermarket chains to follow the guidelines for the number of handicapped parking spaces in its parking lot.

Again, sorry for the thread hijack.

I have used one of the stairclimber trolley
to get a 200-pound washing machine down the stairs. They work surprisingly well.

I wouldn't be surprised if someone had manufactured a proper seat onto those triangular arrangement of wheels. A bit more dignified and comfortable than simply being strapped to a trolley, I would think.

Quite a few years ago in Las Vegas, the fire alarm went off in the Riviera Hotel on the Strip. The construction job in the front of the hotel (attached) was on fire.

All the elevators reacted to the alarm by stopping, then immediately descending to the ground floor, leaving people to walk down the stairs.

A middle-aged woman and her wheelchair-bound mother were on the fourth or fifth floor. Her mother said to leave her there and go down the stairs.

A voice behind them said, "No one is staying here up here".

A man crouched in front of the wheelchair and told the elderly woman to put her arms around his neck/shoulders, and he piggy-backed her down the stairs and out to the parking lot.

Sue

Sue - sweet story. I expect any healthy and strong man to do the same. For them, carrying a fragile thin old lady that way is no match at all.

But if the disabled person is heavier or the carrier less strong then the Fireman's carry is the way to go. It isn't exactly a dignified transport method, but it is effective, ergonomic (for the carrier - not the carried!) and it gives you one free arm.

Everyone should know how to do a Fireman's carry.

That still doesn't solve the problem of evacuating disabled persons, does it? You can't really count on there being an ample supply of strong gentlemen to carry anyone in a wheel chair, can you?