Staging Areas for Persons With Mobility Limitations.
Staging Areas for Persons With Mobility Limitations.
(15014 K)
Klote, J. H.; Nelson, H. E.; Deal, S.; Levin, B. M.
NISTIR 4770; NIST SP 983; 186 p. February 1992.
Collected Publications Related to the Use of Elevators
During Fires. NIST SP 983. May 2002, Bukowski, R. W.;
Burgess, S. R.; Reneke, P. A., Editor(s)(s), 2002.
Sponsor:
General Services Administration, Washington, DC
Available from:
TO VIEW NIST SP 983 GO TO
Website:
http://wtc.nist.gov/pubs/elevators
Order number: PB92-171891
Keywords:
handicapped; life safety; evacuation; flashover; office
buildings; refuge; smoke barriers; smoke control; smoke
hazards; sprinkler systems; egress; staging areas;
occupants
Abstract:
The National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST) is engaged in a project funded by the General
Services Administration (GSA) to evaluate the concept of
staging area as a means of fire protection for persons
with disabilites as it applies to Federal office
buildings. There is a rising concern for the safety
from fire of persons who can not travel the building
emergency exit routes in the same manner or as quickly
as expected of able persons. One proposed solution for
providing safety for persons with such disabilities is
the provision of staging areas where they can "safely
wait" until they can be assisted in safely leaving the
building. The GSA has modified six buildings for fire
protection of persons with mobility disabilities. Spaces
that were turned into staging areas include passenger
elevator lobbies, service elevator lobbies, sections of
corridor, and rooms. Because these six GSA buildings
were the first buildings ever to be retrofitted as
discussed above, there were no precedents upon which to
base the design or operation of the systems. Before
this study the extent of the complexity of these systems
and the interaction between the systems and people were
unknown. It is not surprising that significant
operational problems were uncovered with these first
systems. These unavoidable problems coupled with the
diversity of the applications in the six buildings
resulted in a unique opportunity to learn about these
systems. The conclusions were: (1) staging areas can be
either a haven of safety or a death trap; (2) in many
cases, the persons most needing the staging area
protection may be unable to reach that area before their
pathway (corridor or aisle ways) become lethal; and (3)
the operation of a properly designed sprinkler system
eliminates the life threat to all occupants regardless
of their individual abilities.
