Student with disability forgotten in fire evacuation

Swanston Academic Building, RMIT. Photo: Flickr, vincentq

AN RMIT student in a wheelchair was left stranded during a fire evacuation at the university’s new Swanston Academic Building.

Derya Semirli was on level 10 of the building with her classmates and teacher when the alarm sounded on July 31.

“I began to look around for an emergency evacuation procedure or for someone to give us advice like a fire warden, however I could not locate either,” Ms Semirli said in an email to RMIT deputy director of planning and projects Judy McGannon after the incident.

The fire alarm was activated by mistake and followed a similar incident on July 16 this year when dust from Swanston St construction works set it off.

“On my way home I could not stop thinking about what may have happened if this was a real fire situation,” Ms Semirli said.

“I felt I would not have survived this incident and that there was no plan for people with disabilities.”

Ms Semirli said the incident also caused her fellow students distress as they made plans to carry her down the stairs.

“They felt powerless to help me,” she said.

RMIT’s fire evacuation policy states wardens should search their area of responsibility and assist people with disabilities.

Training in pipeline

In an email response to Ms Semirli, Ms McGannon said there was a “breakdown in communication” regarding Ms Semirli’s mobility needs.

She said RMIT offered its “most sincere apology” to Ms Semirli and assured her she was not at risk during this incident.

In a statement to City Journal, facilities services and property services deputy director Dr Alison Fincher-Johnson said RMIT was working with its disability liaison unit to ensure appropriate emergency information was provided during fire evacuations in the new building.

New laminated sheets were placed in every classroom and evacuation maps were modified to take into account tram stop works, Ms McGannon said in an email to RMIT Student Union staff.

RMIT would run two-week training sessions for wardens, staff and tenants and would conduct a test evacuation when this training was complete, she said.

RMIT conducted a fire drill in the new building on August 16.

Student union ‘concerned’

RMIT Student Union campaigns and collectives officer Sally Christiansen said emergency evacuation procedures in the new building were still an issue during the August 16 evacuation.

“We had reports of staff members being trapped,” she said in an email to City Journal.

Ms Christiansen said she was disappointed the university did not have adequate fire safety procedures in place prior to the building opening or after the first fire evacuation incident on July 16.

“We’re very concerned about fire safety in this building and we feel it has been overlooked,” she said.

In an email to Ms Christiansen, Metropolitan Fire Brigade acting senior station officer Bob Hetherington said the brigade would follow up on corrective actions taken by RMIT management for fire evacuation procedures in the new building.