132 - Dis-abling buildings - fire safety features from wheelchair user perspective with Mary Button

Fire Science Show

This is an important episode. Our guest for today, UK fire engineer Mary Button, who uses a wheelchair herself, shares some of her own stories and feelings describing the reality for many disabled individuals. Drawing from her own experiences, Mary shares invaluable insights into the cognitive complexities individuals with mobility issues face, physical barriers, and psychological burdens related to the fire evacuation process. But most importantly, I think we touch on the essence here of how the building features disable people and how a shift in your mindset can help you design a more human-friendly (in consequence, people with disability-friendly) environment.
As we venture deeper into this enlightening conversation, we uncover the role of accessible building design in fire safety. Learn how technical aspects such as ramps, door widths, and pressurization systems can make a difference in ensuring safe evacuation. We also question the reliance on evacuation lifts and trained personnel, emphasizing the need for more independent and equal access solutions.
By the end of this episode, you’ll have a broader understanding of the importance of inclusive fire safety planning and strategies and the need for greater awareness and empathy towards individuals with disabilities.
Mary was also very kind to send me some materials. Here they are with her short comment:
The post below discusses why giving a number of potentially disabled people in the population is complicated but also provides a figure from the WHO. I've also linked to the UK government report, which links to statistics on disability prevalence by type in the UK population. Hopefully, these are useful starting points. I've also linked to Erik's Egress Enabler Tool and the accompanying paper.

• https://www.disabilitydebrief.org/debrief/how-many-disabled-people/
• https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-resources-survey-financial-year-2021-to-2022
• https://zenodo.org/records/7075501#.Y5x-9OzP0bm
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36372652/

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

Hoofdstukken

1. Accessible Fire Escape for Disabled Individuals (00:00:00)

2. Accessibility in Building Design (00:13:35)

3. Disabled Individuals in Emergency Planning (00:22:05)

4. Inclusive Buildings for People With Disabilities (00:32:39)