Bob Armstrong (University of Nottingham - Fire Safety Advisor), shares his knowledge and experiences:
One of the issues we do have and we treat very seriously are people with disabilities, people who under the building regulations, we have to now plan to get people into the building and very kindly - plan to get them out, and that was a change in the law about 2000.
But now er, we are very active on providing personal egress plans for people with disabilities, but the range of disabilities is massive, it can go from dysxlexia, colour blindness to er, which obviously they don't need any assistance in er, getting out. But the person who has only got the use of a hand, or er, nod their head and are in a wheelchair permanently, or blindness, or they are deaf and we do write programs for that, and we have just undergone with the new service centres, we've got people in there who can assist in disability support. We have a disability support unit. We work with quite closely, and er, so we get a list of people who are disabled, who may need a peep, and er, this year I have done 25 so far, which is pretty good and it is about engaging with individuals.
And then I'm moving into the area now that, due to the larger buildings, the Med school could be one, the tower certainly is and Gems at Derby, where you can have a generic emergency egress plan. It is available on the website and that is called GEEP oddly enough, and people when they are coming to the, er, department for whatever reason, and if they are disabled they can access that information online, and there is usually a plan available in the reception or security lodge when they arrive. At Derby it is up and running quite nicely now, we are still in the early stages here. The Tower has got one with one occupier on the top three floors and that works, so it is a generic thing, as opposed to specifically tailored for the individual. The other thing about the individual one which is nice - nice, it is essential. We actually walk the course with them, you know. You leave the room, you turn right, through a set of doors on the corridor, turn immediately right and find yourself down to the stairs, we actually walk that route with them. And if you come out of that room turn left and you go into the other corridor and turn right then you are into a staircase, we take them that way so they are under no illusion.
This is an awful lot of information for these, er, youngsters arriving for the first week in University. They have got to register, they have got to make friends, they have got to find their room and get into their routine, which is an enormous amount, oh and by the way - they have got to start studying soon and then you have got me coming along to talk about PEEPS! Some don't take it up. Which is fine, it is their choice, er that is my first question. Would you like me to provide a PEEP for you? If they say no, then that is fine just sign my paper.
