Challenging the Status Quo: Building Classifications and Fire Safety in SDA It is imperative to challenge the status quo regarding what is perceived as permitted building classifications versus what is genuinely safe for Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA). In this video, please note the time the smoke alarm is activated and the time until flashover. Now ask yourself. How many people could you evacuate? This applies to all four categories of SDA to varying extents, from High Physical Support, where participants rely heavily on carers due to mobility impairments, to Improved Liveability and Robust, where participants may have a sensory orRead More Is the Fire Safety of NDIS Participants Being Compromised
Challenging the Status Quo: Building Classifications and Fire Safety in SDA It is imperative to challenge the status quo regarding what is perceived as permitted building classifications versus what is genuinely safe for Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA). In this video, please note the time the smoke alarm is activated and the time until flashover. Now ask yourself. How many people could you evacuate? This applies to all four categories of SDA to varying extents, from High Physical Support, where participants rely heavily on carers due to mobility impairments, to Improved Liveability and Robust, where participants may have a sensory orRead More 
Fire safety in SDA Class 1, 2 and 3 buildings Perspectives from a Disability Access Consultant In late 2024, Fire Rescue Victoria and the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission invited me to present at the Disability Fire Safety Forum, which was dedicated to enhancing fire safety measures for individuals with disabilities. The event featured a diverse lineup of keynote speakers, including the Minister for the NDIS and the Honorable Bill Shorten MP. Following the speeches, attendees participated in a series of practical workshops designed to address the unique challenges and risks associated with fire safety for People with disability. The
How would you feel being trapped in your hotel room over Christmas? Amber Furlong checked into her accessible hotel room in Noosa on 24 December 2023 as part of a family holiday. Her room was on the 3rd floor of her hotel wing, serviced by a single lift. On 26 December, Amber discovered whilst heading for a swim for therapy that the single lift servicing her floor had broken down following severe storms. Reminiscent of a couple of lines from the Eagle’s song, Hotel California, her experience worsened. After requesting a ground-floor accessible apartment at check-in that ironically was vacant,
A Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan—also known as PEEP—is vital for keeping people safe in an emergency situation. And it’s even more important to have plans in place for disabled people, particularly those who require additional support in an evacuation situation. Around 1 in 5 Australians live with disability—and many of these disabilities can be invisible and dynamic, so it’s important to not assume someone’s access needs based on their appearance. What is a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP)? A Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) is an escape plan for people with additional support needs in the event of an emergency.
Gas Explosion Takes Out Lifts. On 30 March 2009 a gas explosion occurred on level 29 in the plant room area of a residential high-rise building in Spring Street, Bondi Junction, where two plumbers were working on a gas-fired water heater. There was no ongoing fire, but the blast wave travelled down a riser and blew in most of the doors on levels 23 and above, including the fire stair and lift doors, making the lifts inoperable. Walls were blown out on the top two levels and there were cracks in the stairwell at level 26, which progressively worsened on
Complying with national emergency evacuation management standards can be complicated: special planning is required for evacuating people with disability, infants and sick or elderly people. For the buildings, workplaces and facilities in which people with limited mobility live, work or receive treatment, purpose-built equipment – such as emergency evacuation chairs – is essential in order to meet the Australian Standard regulations for planning for emergencies. Keeping everyone safe in a multi-storey building while also ensuring compliance with these standards doesn’t need to be so complicated. Industry-leading equipment, which is designed to meet specific regulations around emergency evacuation planning for hospitals
When it comes to home fire safety, some groups and individuals have a higher risk of injury or death. Most vulnerable are children under five and adults aged 65 plus, as both are twice as likely to die in a residential fire than the general population. Other high-risk groups are people with disability including reduced mobility, cognitive impairment, hearing loss or blindness. If anyone in your home is in a high-risk group, it’s essential that your home fire escape plan includes the extra steps required to assist them in an emergency. Read on to learn some important tips to help
Fire Engineering Buildings are becoming more and more fire engineered. This means that a Fire Engineer has been involved in developing an approved and compliant building design that meets the ‘Performance Requirements’ of the Building Code of Australia (BCA). When a Fire Engineer writes a Fire Engineering Report and proposes the adoption of an ‘Alternative Solution’ as a form of compliance with the BCA, there must be a consideration for the needs of people with disability in the evacuation plans and procedures for the building. Applicable ‘Deemed-to-Satisfy’ Provisions The current BCA has very few ‘Deemed-to-Satisfy’ access provisions pertaining to the
General Requirements All buildings must develop, implement and adopt emergency plans to ensure a safe environment for employees, residents and visitors. When developing these plans the needs of people with disabilities must be considered. Ideally, all visitors should be able to independently evacuate from a level of a building, other than the entry level by way of an evacuation lift. However, it is acknowledged that buildings may not have been constructed to provide this level of accessibility in evacuation routes. Where a person might have difficulty negotiating an exit route (i.e. using a fire stairs), each building must implement some
In May 2011, new Federal and State legislation was introduced to improve access to buildings for people with a disability. The new access provisions do not specifically address egress or evacuation provisions for people with a disability, but there are still legal obligations that need to be met under the Federal Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) and Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) legislation. It is important for key stakeholders to understand their obligations and explore all appropriate options to ensure that people with a disability will be able to evacuate a building in an emergency. Defining ‘disability’ The term ‘disability’