More than 43 million Americans have a disability; of those, 18.6 million have visual disabilities, according to the National Fire Protection Association (Emergency Evacuation Planning Guide For People with Disabilities). Fire related incidents contribute to 1,050 civilian deaths and 7,170 civilian injuries each year, which heightens the focus on making codes and standards for the disabled more workable. In an emergency, visually or mobility impaired individuals often times take longer to evacuate or require assistance to do so. Evacus Technologies' solution to this problem will be to turn ordinary doors into smart doors with the addition of EVAC Passage. The EVAC Passage plate will reside on the lower half of a door, have the words FIRE EXIT in five (5) different languages (including Braille), and the language rotation can alter based on the country request. In an emergency, visually-impaired individuals will be able to hear and follow the auditory sound from the speakers, and sighted (or partially sighted) individuals will be able to see the illumination lettering through the smoke or darkness. During Phase I, Evacus Technologies will perform EVAC Passage assimilation, Access Point Tracking System selection, connectivity design models of installation, and perform feasibility testing. Product research and development will further expand the methods used to measure other devices (i.e. EVAC Passage) that meet everyday living needs of blind or visually-impaired persons.
Public Health Relevance: For the 18.6 million Americans with visual disabilities, systems need to be developed to help them with evacuation from a burning building. Evacus Technologies will develop the EVAC Passage plate than can enhance emergency management plan and tools for the visually impaired and mobility limited, while using innovative green technology to fulfill its mission of creating visual aid tools and processes that will preserve life, provide guidance, and promote community safety to all.
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