Transport safety at evacuation for people with disabilities

At the onset of, or during the course of emergency events, when there is danger to life and health, it is necessary to provide protection to the population, and evacuation is one of the basic methods used to provide such protection. In the Slovak Republic, evacuation is legally described as the removal of endangered people, animals or things from a particular area. Any method of transport can be used, and it is clear that the method most often used for evacuation has been road transport. Disabled people present very serious problems and a number of factors impact on their safe and speedy evacuation, the most important of which are the method of evacuation adopted, the type of disabilities, the number of people, the number and type of suitable vehicles, etc. The road vehicles most frequently used are buses, but, although the vehicles are invariably suitable for the general population, only very small numbers are adapted to the needs of disabled people, particularly those with mobility disabilities. This article looks at the issues of risk involved in the selection of suitable vehicles, including ambulances, and the measures which need to be taken to minimize these risks during the process of the evacuation of disabled people.