School Emergency Policy: Leave Wheelchair-Bound Kids Behind

[Lomotil]

http://www.theksbwchannel.com/education/4049149/detail.html

School Emergency Policy: Leave Wheelchair-Bound Kids Behind

WESTMINSTER, Md. -- When a Carroll County, Md., high school had an emergency evacuation, everyone got out except for two students who were confined to wheelchairs.

They were abandoned in the stairwell on the second floor.

WBAL-TV in Baltimore said there is a policy at Westminster High School for what to do with the two students in wheelchairs in case of a fire. The policy said because their classrooms are on the second floor, teachers are to lead them to the second-floor stairwell and leave them there and wait for the fire crews to come to their rescue while everyone else evacuates.

Jeremy Freeze, 16, has cerebral palsy. His parents, Cassie and Tom, said what happened to their son at Westminster High recently could have killed him.

"There was a fire at Westminster High School just prior to the Christmas break, and I was alerted to the fact that Jeremy was left in the stairwell as the other children were evacuated," Cassie said.

"If children are to be evacuated from that school, I want our children evacuated with them," Tom said.

Jeremy wasn't alone waiting in the school stairwell as it filled with smoke. Robin Miller's son Brian, the only other child in the school with a wheelchair, was with him.

"I got a call from a teacher the day there was a fire and they said (Brian) was hysterical because all the other children were evacuated, he was left in a stairwell with Jeremy," Robin said.

Robin, Cassie and Tom all said they think the common sense solution is move their kids' classes to the first floor. They said they were told the second floor is best because it's closer to the lunchroom and therefore more convenient.

"He won't be late for lunch, but he'll burn if there's a fire," Robin said.

"I met with Dr. Ecker, the superintendent," Tom said. "The principal brought him down at 4 p.m. to meet with me and he assured me we would hear something tomorrow."

"You can't just pick these kids and say lets leave them behind and come back and get them just because they're hard to get out," Robin said. "There has to be a better plan."

WBAL-TV contacted the superintendent of the Carroll County school system several times on Tuesday, but never got a clear answer as to how the policy could be like this or what's being done to change it.

Damn, that's gotta suck... Being a cripple and being left to die in a stairwell with your crippled friends...

[ucicare]

http://www.theksbwchannel.com/education/4049149/detail.html

School Emergency Policy: Leave Wheelchair-Bound Kids Behind

WESTMINSTER, Md. -- When a Carroll County, Md., high school had an emergency evacuation, everyone got out except for two students who were confined to wheelchairs.

They were abandoned in the stairwell on the second floor.

WBAL-TV in Baltimore said there is a policy at Westminster High School for what to do with the two students in wheelchairs in case of a fire. The policy said because their classrooms are on the second floor, teachers are to lead them to the second-floor stairwell and leave them there and wait for the fire crews to come to their rescue while everyone else evacuates.

Jeremy Freeze, 16, has cerebral palsy. His parents, Cassie and Tom, said what happened to their son at Westminster High recently could have killed him.

"There was a fire at Westminster High School just prior to the Christmas break, and I was alerted to the fact that Jeremy was left in the stairwell as the other children were evacuated," Cassie said.

"If children are to be evacuated from that school, I want our children evacuated with them," Tom said.

Jeremy wasn't alone waiting in the school stairwell as it filled with smoke. Robin Miller's son Brian, the only other child in the school with a wheelchair, was with him.

"I got a call from a teacher the day there was a fire and they said (Brian) was hysterical because all the other children were evacuated, he was left in a stairwell with Jeremy," Robin said.

Robin, Cassie and Tom all said they think the common sense solution is move their kids' classes to the first floor. They said they were told the second floor is best because it's closer to the lunchroom and therefore more convenient.

"He won't be late for lunch, but he'll burn if there's a fire," Robin said.

"I met with Dr. Ecker, the superintendent," Tom said. "The principal brought him down at 4 p.m. to meet with me and he assured me we would hear something tomorrow."

"You can't just pick these kids and say lets leave them behind and come back and get them just because they're hard to get out," Robin said. "There has to be a better plan."

WBAL-TV contacted the superintendent of the Carroll County school system several times on Tuesday, but never got a clear answer as to how the policy could be like this or what's being done to change it.

Damn, that's gotta suck... Being a cripple and being left to die in a stairwell with your crippled friends...


I know that I am going to sound like an idiot for defending this, but here goes....

1. A child in a wheel chair stands a much better chance of injury from being evacuated in a panic situation down a flight of stairs than he does from the effects of smoke/fire. It is highly likely that he would be dropped if carried. It takes a fairly strong person to lower someone in a wheel chair down stairs.

2. In the US, schools are required to have fire stations within a certain distance of schools. Response time for a firetruck to a school is usually only a matter of minutes.

3. A stairwell is one of the safer places in a building to be. With the doors (fire resistant as required) closed, it would take more than several minutes for a fire/smoke to completely fill the area.

4. In the event of smoke, a stairwell is the easiest place to find someone. It is narrow, and searching is easy.

5. The elevator that takes the wheelchairs to the second floor is not a safe place to be in the fire. Newer schools have wheelchair ramps between floors. This school obviously does not.

6. The lunchroom of the school may be on the second floor, but I will bet you the kitchen is not. Most cities have ordinances that restricta stoves and ovens (fire sources) to lower floors.

7. I am willing to bet that a teacher stayed with the child, or was supposed to stay with the child until help arrived. No teacher in their right mind is going to run out of a building and leave a child all alone. It just doesn't happen.

8. Please note that the school had a plan for the wheelchair bound kids. They had thought it out ahead of time, and carried out the plan as intended. I bet once the offical reply is given (today, 1/6/05) it will make much more sense.

In my opinion this is another example of a News Channel creating and hyping a story. It may have a root of truth, and there may really be a problem, but I am willing to bet that it turns out to be overblown.


Barry

[Lomotil]

I think the reasoning behind it is sound, to be sure; I'm just commenting on how much it must suck to be one of those unfortanute few Christopher Reeves types in a situation like this.

That, and the obvious Darwinism nod.

[ucicare]

I think the reasoning behind it is sound, to be sure; I'm just commenting on how much it must suck to be one of those unfortanute few Christopher Reeves types in a situation like this.

That, and the obvious Darwinism nod.

Agreed. And to make it worse, the poor kid had downs syndrome. I am sure he was scared to death.

Barry

[Dr.Roboto]

what the school didnt have ramps?

[pimpchichi]

the school was probably built in the good old days before equal opportunities... to retroactively install ramps in a building like that would (i guess) swallow up shitloads of floorspace... obviously there are already elevators installed for the cripcrips.. but using them during a fire is a no-no.... i suggest either tacking a helter-skelter onto the outside of the building for use in these situations (with a huge pile of cushions at the bottom obviously)... or to issue the cripcrips with parachutes...

[Dwaine Scum]

the school was probably built in the good old days before equal opportunities... to retroactively install ramps in a building like that would (i guess) swallow up shitloads of floorspace... obviously there are already elevators installed for the cripcrips.. but using them during a fire is a no-no.... i suggest either tacking a helter-skelter onto the outside of the building for use in these situations (with a huge pile of cushions at the bottom obviously)... or to issue the cripcrips with parachutes...



what if they started the fire?

[Dr.Roboto]

then they have a getaway plan

[ucicare]

the school was probably built in the good old days before equal opportunities... to retroactively install ramps in a building like that would (i guess) swallow up shitloads of floorspace... obviously there are already elevators installed for the cripcrips.. but using them during a fire is a no-no.... i suggest either tacking a helter-skelter onto the outside of the building for use in these situations (with a huge pile of cushions at the bottom obviously)... or to issue the cripcrips with parachutes...



what if they started the fire?

oh hello, here we go again......

well, they did build that brand new fire station next door, and the funding was being reduced because they really never do anything.. and ,,,and,,,,

well. here it is ....http://www.westminstervfd.org/images/Equipment/stationwithequipment.jpg

It was an inside job.

Barry [/url]

[Reizvolles]

Mmmm crispy cripples

[ucicare]

Mmmm crispy cripples

Oh Reiv. I am ashamed at myself for laughing....

Barry

[Reizvolles]

Mmmm crispy cripples

Oh Reiv. I am ashamed at myself for laughing....

Barry

What? They go great with HP sauce!!

“I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti ...” - Dr. Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter.

[Im A Dirty Communist]

Poor kids, that shit wouldnt have happened if they had Pogo Stick legs. Imagen the wonderful things they could achieve. Getting cats out of tree's in record time.
Jumping fences to save.. Babies?
What the fuck else could they do..

[Dr.Roboto]

http://premium1.uploadit.org/DrRoboto/roastednuts2323.jpg

gotta love the creativity of the media