Archive for the ‘Evac Chairs’ Category
|Uses of Safety Chairs
Monday, October 24th, 2011
When carrying out your annual inspection and reviewing your safety procedures at work, you may stumble across information surrounding safety chairs and their importance within commercial properties. Unfortunately, many business owners still opt not to have at least one within their property, despite the many benefits they offer. Here at K5, we believe that a safety chair, also known as an evacuation chair, is a must; which is why we’ve compiled this guide on their uses.
The principal use of a safety chair, whether it’s being used within a warehouse, office environment or sports stadium is to safely, efficiently and securely transport those less abled out of the premises in an emergency situation.
Whilst this is the main function of a safety chair, there are various models which offer different benefits, and choosing the best for your needs and requirements will depend solely on the property your business is situated in.
Properties with Various Floors:
In an emergency situation properties with various flights of stairs can prove extremely difficult to vacate. Fortunately, here at K5 we have a range of stairmate safety chairs which can easily tackle stairs, whilst ensuring the occupant of the chair remains safe and comfortable.
Smaller Premises / Offices:
For those who work within a small ground floor property or a single floor office block, the evacuation won’t need to take stairs into consideration. However this doesn’t mean that the evacuation won’t pose an issue for some occupants. Fortunately, we have a range of safety chairs such as the EC1 which will be able to assist.
Here at K5 our team have the skills and experience required to be able to advise you on the various safety chairs available and their uses, so if you want to ensure that you purchase one which is perfect for your property, contact us today on 01234 354 539.
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Different Styles of Evac Chairs
Friday, February 4th, 2011
Evac chairs are vital pieces of equipment that ensure the safety of any individual who is unable to evacuate a building without assistance. Here at K5 Evacuation Chairs we pride ourselves on the quality of our products, training and after care services. We have a wide range of evac chairs and understand that requirements may vary depending on your needs.
Storage space a problem?
The Saver Safe evac chair is ideal if you do not have a lot of storage space at your disposal.
• Is easy to store due to its compact frame and additional wall brackets and cover
• The added grip on the handle ensure ease of control for the trained operator
• Removable head rest
Only One Operator?
The D1 evacuation chair is ideal if you can only find one operator. The training that we provide ensures that the operator can safely remove the individual from the building by themselves.
• Only requires one operator rather than two
• Has breaks for additional safety
• Lightweight frame ensures ease of manoeuvrability and handling
All Shapes and Sizes
The Bariatric Evacuation Chair (Ezglide) is suitable for all sizes, having one of the largest capacity weights it accommodates larger patients with ease.
• Has an impressive 35 stone weight limit
• Gglides down steps, removing the need to lift or carry
• It is made to be very comfortable; it has an extended foot rest and a larger seating surface.
Emergency Transfer
The Expert Evacuation chair has open sides which promote fast transfer in case of an emergency situation.
• The design promotes ease of patient transfer due to having open sides
• Adjustable safety straps ensures comfort of the occupant
• Has a 45 degree angle for improved support
• Has a comprehensive braking system
The variety of evac chairs provided by our team here at K5 Evacuation Chairs is essential in order to meet the personal requirements of your building and situation. We believe that there is a specific evacuation chair that will meet all of your requirements. If you have any questions about which one is the right one for you, then get in touch today.
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Evac Chairs for Moving People with Disabilities
Thursday, January 20th, 2011
As an employer when you have a new employee start, on their first day it’s likely that you’ll take them around the building. This not only gives them the chance to meet their fellow colleagues, but it’ll also familiarise them with the layout of the building and show them where the nearest fire exits are, should an emergency happen. It’s also likely that you’ll run through the evacuation process, and with regular fire drills an evacuation shouldn’t be a problem for the able bodied. However for those staff members with a disability, the process can be difficult. This is where an evac chair can help.
Here at K5 we appreciate the importance of a safe evacuation in an emergency for everyone inside the building, which is why we provide companies with an evac chair from an unbeatable range, to help those with a disability leave the property safely and quickly.
Whether it’s a powered evac chair or an evacuation chair which requires someone to push it, here at K5 we stock them and over the years we’ve supplied a range of evacuation chairs to a number of premises from hospitals and schools, to offices and football stadiums. During this time, we’ve grown accustomed to selecting the chairs which help make an evacuation for people with disabilities run smoother in that particular situation.
One of the chairs we stock that’s ideal for helping those with disabilities evacuate a building is the Exitmaster Versa. This chair is not only simple to set up when it’s needed, but it is extremely sturdy, being able to hold up to 21 stone and comes with ease of access as it doesn’t have any sides.
Under the improved Disability Discrimination Act, which was amended on October 1st 2010, it is now a legal requirement for all buildings to have disability access. Along with making reasonable adjustments an evac chair will also help improve the ease in which disabled people can evacuate the premises in case of an emergency.
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How an Evac Chair Can Save Lives in an Emergency
Friday, January 7th, 2011
Ever since their inception, evac chairs have been saving and safeguarding lives across the country. There remains no more effective alternative, and as it’s the building’s operators’ responsibility to ensure everyone is evacuated safely from the onset of an emergency (not the fire service’s), they’re becoming increasingly popular. If you’re responsible for the wellbeing of employees with impaired mobility, it may well be time to look at the chairs available from a specialist like us here at K5. We have provided and continue to supply evacuation chairs and access products (including servicing and training) to businesses from a wide range of industries.
The true value of evacuation chairs becomes strikingly apparent when compared with alternative methods of evacuation. Many businesses claim to have designated refuge areas, selected on the basis of structural specifications within the building. They propose to use these areas as locations in which a disabled employee and a colleague can wait until the emergency services arrive to escort them out safely.
Not only is this method dangerous for both people involved, it’s also not recommended by us here at K5 or the emergency services respectively. Smoke inhalation in the event of some fires can kill within three minutes; showing that waiting an emergency out is simply not a viable option.
Other methods might include using a specially designed fire fighting lift or similar specialist equipment. Unfortunately, in order to use this safely the operator must be properly trained and is required to liaise with the fire service fully regarding its use. Finally, some companies consider manually lifting employees with a disability in the event of a fire or similar emergency.
Besides the obvious issues surrounding the dignity and well being of those being evacuated, this method is in contravention of health and safety regulations and puts the person doing the lifting at risk. Overall, it’s clear that evac chairs represent the safest, easiest and most dignified solution to the safety of those less able to evacuate a building. To make sure you’re taking your responsibility seriously, please get in touch with our friendly team today.
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Tips for Looking After Your Evac Chair
Thursday, December 16th, 2010
In any business it’s important for the safety of your staff, customers and any potential visitors that you adhere to all current health and safety guidelines. It’s equally important that you and your staff, both new and those who have been there for a number of months/years, are kept up to date with all legislation. However, knowing the relevant legislation and what to do in an emergency can be rendered pointless by a poorly cared for piece of safety equipment, which is why here at K5 we’ve provided some useful tips for looking after your evac chair.
Here at K5 we provide a range of evac chairs, including manual and powered chairs, from some of the leading names in the industry. But it doesn’t matter which chair you have, if you haven’t maintained it correctly.
To ensure that your manual evac chair is looked after correctly, here at K5, we’d suggest:
1) Keeping the chair somewhere safe (but within easy reach in case of emergency) to make sure that it doesn’t become damaged during the everyday running of your business
2) Regularly checking to make sure all straps are in working order and safely secured to the chair itself – when doing this, it’s also wise to check the fabric on the main seat
3) Testing the wheels to make sure that they rotate smoothly to prevent any sudden jolts when in use
4) Ensure there are no sharp edges or parts of the frame loose which could cause harm
If your company has a powered evacuation chair, along with the four steps above, it is also important to make sure that the batteries which power it are fully charged.
Should you find any fault with your evac chair whilst carrying out any of the above steps, then it is equally important that instead of hoping you’ll never have to use the chair, you instead contact us here at K5 so that we can provide you with our repair of replacement services.
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Why You Need Your Evac Chair Serviced
Friday, October 8th, 2010
An evacuation chair is a crucial piece of equipment within any commercial environment. Whilst previously it was thought to be the responsibility of the fire service to remove wheelchair users from buildings in the case of an emergency, in actual fact the responsibility lies with the property manager. An evac chair can be used to remove individuals that use wheelchairs from a building quickly and easily, even if the only escape route is a flight of stairs. Like any equipment it is important that evac chairs are regularly serviced, to maintain their safety and reliability.
At K5 we specialise in the supply of evacuation chairs and disability access products to both commercial and domestic clients. In addition to the products that can be viewed on the website, we also offer maintenance and servicing to both those that have bought evacuation chairs through us and through other retailers.
It is a legal requirement for all evac chairs to undergo annual checks to ensure that they are safe for use in an emergency. We can arrange annual maintenance schemes and equipment checks for our services, making it even easier for businesses to comply with the necessary standards.
A member of our qualified team will visit the premises at a specified time and complete an on-site service. This means that businesses do not need to worry about making arrangements for a replacement chair, whilst theirs is being serviced. The check consists of a 25-point service and once complete the equipment will be stamped safe for use.
Information about our evac chair services and some of the products that we have available to purchase can be viewed on our website. Arranging a service really couldn’t be simpler, just fill out our online contact form to arrange for a member of our team to call you back.
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Evac chairs for emergency stairway descent
Tuesday, May 4th, 2010
Current UK legislations require that all people should be evacuated from a building safely and promptly in the event of an emergency such as a fire. Naturally steps and staircases are the route of exit for non-disabled users, but what about the needs of people with disabilities? This is where the efficiency and usability of evacuation chairs is needed the most. An evac chair supplied by K5 has been specifically designed to facilitate the secure and timely evacuation of disabled people or those with walking difficulties.
Traditional methods of escape assume that users are capable of escaping via an emergency exit or staircase. This presumption is inadequate and actually dangerous to those for whom immediate escape is not necessarily an option. In response to legislation many Building Managers have introduced refuge areas, which really fail to ensure the safety of their building’s disabled users. These areas are a short-sighted and short-term solution, and leave people with disabilities vulnerable to harm if there is not a rapid response from the fire services.
Many businesses still believe that the evacuation of people with disabilities is the responsibility of the emergency services, and that further to the provision of refuge areas there is nothing else they can do. This naive mindset puts their disabled employees in danger, and the importance of a comprehensive evacuation strategy in any building cannot be stressed enough.
The installation of an evac chair at a property is essential if the business has workers with disabilities using the building. These safety chairs can be operated by one individual, meaning they are ideal for evacuating disabled people out of building safely and efficiently.
An evac chair should incorporate safety breaks on the rear wheels, a sturdy and resilient framework, supportive seat and advanced belt system for ease of travel and, most pertinently in times of emergency, instant deployment. These features are all consistent with the models supplied by K5, who are committed to ensuring the independence and safety of people with disabilities.
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Competency Training For Evac Chairs
Wednesday, April 28th, 2010
Evacuation chairs, often referred to as evac chairs, are an important staple in any public property. In case of a fire or any other emergency, lifts are one of the first parts of the building that are shut down, often making it very difficult for wheelchair users to leave the building. It is a common misconception that individuals with disabilities should be left in a building’s refuge area until they can be rescued by the fire brigade. In actual fact they should be removed from the building at the same time as everyone else, using an evac chair for quick and efficient movement through the building.
K5 Evacuation Chair Equipment supplies a wide selection of disabled aids to domestic, commercial and industrial customers. Their range of equipment includes evac chairs, wheelchair lifts, wheelchair ramps, handipark barriers, stretchers, wheelchairs and many other products.
All of their evac chairs are able to carry a range of loads and come with a variety of features such as, strapping, head, foot and arm rests, padded seats, to promote the utmost comfort and security for the user.
Of course, K5 Evacuation Chair Equipment appreciates that it will be the responsibility of others in the building to help wheelchair users to exit the building, primarily the employees. Therefore, they offer full competency training for evacuation chairs and all of the products in their range.
Training is designed to ensure that employees are confident enough to use the equipment so that they appreciate how the user will feel and what they will experience when it is used.
To arrange for their training team to visit your business, contact the company by filling out their online enquiry form or call the local telephone number, which can be found on their website. There is also a fully comprehensive brochure detailing all of the evac chairs and other products that they have to offer on their site.
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