Fire drill has left me in a lot of pain.

dori2o

Due to my disability I have an evacuation plan at work.

Essentially in the event of a real fire I have to wait in the stair well when the fire alarm goes of, with a 'buddy', and wait for the fire brigade to come get me. They will either carry me down the stairs, or most likely take me down in the fire lift. (I'm on the top (7th) floor).

When it comes to a fire drill I am normally given a clear warning that the alarm is due to be sounded and I have to make my way to the ground floor and wait with the other people who have evacuation plans until the drill is completed. This is because the fire brigade is not called out to fire drills.

However. We have recently been informed that we have to treat 1 drill a year as a real fire, and so I will not be informed of this drill and will have to evacuate the building. However, the fire brigade will not attend so I will have to make my way down 19 flights of stairs to exit the building.

I have trouble walking more than a few meters, and never without being in very severe pain.

I've had the drill today, and I'm sat here now in bed and I can't move. My right knee which is affected by CRPS has swollen up like a football, my other knee which has been showing the same symptoms as the right one for the past 2 months is also very badly swollen. I'm unable to rest at all due to the pain. I've more than maxed out my pain pills for the day and I know this is only going to get worse before tomorrow.

What advice can anyone offer with regards to what i should be telling my employer tomorrow, assuming I can get there?

Notmyrealname

Why did you go down the stairs? You have it written into the H&S assessment that you wait in the stairwell with a fire buddy and that is what you should have done.

You shouldn't be telling the employer anything. You are in this position because you ignored the adaptations that were put in place to cater for your disability. They can't complain about you not leaving the building because you have the H&S report and adaptation.

marybelle01

Whether you can get into work or not I think I would be telling them the same thing - expect the grievance as soon as I am fit enough to write it. This is ridiculous. If it was to be treated as the real thing, then surely you should have been waiting on the stair well of the 7th floor for the non-existant fire brigade, not trying to walk down 19 sets of stairs with a disability that limits your mobility? And if you aren't informed that it isn't real the you don't know to go down the stairs do you? Since in a real situation you would be waiting? Your employers have been very careless and shouldn't be allowed to get away with this. They have not only hurt you, but they could have caused something far worse had you not been able to get down the steps and fallen.

marybelle01

Notmyrealname wrote: »

Why did you go down the stairs? .

The OP said she was told that she must evacuate the building and go down the stairs for this drill. She disn't ignore anything - she did as she was instructed to do.

Torry_Quine

Were you specifically told that you had to walk down all the stairs or that this drill was to be treated as the real thing? If the later then you would wait in the stair well until help arrives. Did you know that this was a drill beforehand.

Without this information it's hard to know if the employer is at fault.

LisaB85

Do they not have evacuation chairs for those with disabilities?

Googlewhacker

Were you specifically told OP to exit the building or was it a generic notice or email and did you question it if it was?

dori2o

Notmyrealname wrote: »

Why did you go down the stairs? You have it written into the H&S assessment that you wait in the stairwell with a fire buddy and that is what you should have done.

I was told I had to evacuate the building. The email specifically said I had to do it in order to comply with the 'regulations' that mean I have to evacuate at least once a year for fire drills.

You shouldn't be telling the employer anything. You are in this position because you ignored the adaptations that were put in place to cater for your disability. They can't complain about you not leaving the building because you have the H&S report and adaptation.

marybelle01 wrote: »

Whether you can get into work or not I think I would be telling them the same thing - expect the grievance as soon as I am fit enough to write it. This is ridiculous. If it was to be treated as the real thing, then surely you should have been waiting on the stair well of the 7th floor for the non-existant fire brigade, not trying to walk down 19 sets of stairs with a disability that limits your mobility? And if you aren't informed that it isn't real the you don't know to go down the stairs do you? Since in a real situation you would be waiting?

As I am unaware at the time the alarm sounds that it was a test I had to follow normal procedure and go to the stairwell and wait. I was informed it was a test by the 7th floor fire warden who was the last person into the stairwell after doing his checks. This is what I was told would happen in the e-mail if the alarm was a test.

Your employers have been very careless and shouldn't be allowed to get away with this. They have not only hurt you, but they could have caused something far worse had you not been able to get down the steps and fallen.

Thanks for the advice.

dori2o

Googlewhacker wrote: »

Were you specifically told OP to exit the building or was it a generic notice or email and did you question it if it was?

Please see my above post. I think our posts crossed.

Googlewhacker

dori2o wrote: »

Please see my above post. I think our posts crossed.

Then they are idiots.....

Torry_Quine

As I am unaware at the time the alarm sounds that it was a test I had to follow normal procedure and go to the stairwell and wait. I was informed it was a test by the 7th floor fire warden who was the last person into the stairwell after doing his checks. This is what I was told would happen in the e-mail if the alarm was a test.

This is obviously where the problem arose. To be honest when you got the e-mail you should have told them that you would be unable to walk down unaided and if there was no help available then you would stay in the fire-well. By walking down I think you may have diminished the liability of the company as you didn't question whether this was acheievable.