When purchasing evacuation equipment for a care home, hospital, office, school or other setting, there is little point in buying cheap, poor-quality equipment. If the equipment fails during the evacuation and somebody is injured, or worse, you could be held liable. So it’s important to invest in high-quality, well-made evacuation equipment that won’t let you down.
How to choose the right equipment
The type of equipment you will need really depends on the setting you are in. For example, care homes dealing mostly with the elderly will need a wider range of equipment than some other settings, such as offices, which may only need a couple of pieces of evacuation equipment in case of emergencies. From evacuation aids such as ski sheets and pads, to evacuation chairs and even stair climbers, there are plenty of different types of equipment available; it’s all about the type that you need.
Essential items
Stair climbers are a very useful piece of evacuation equipment to have if you work in a care setting with stairs, such as a residential home for disabled people or the elderly. This type of equipment can help evacuate anyone with reduced mobility and assist them in getting downstairs. Ski sheets and pads are also essential pieces of equipment, should you need to evacuate anyone from their bed in an emergency – for example if the fire alarm goes off or there is some other type of threat. Ski sheets allow patients to be moved quickly and easily.
Other pieces of equipment
Depending on your needs, there are other pieces of evacuation equipment which may come in handy too. For example, the Sked Stretcher is designed to move bariatric patients (anyone with a BMI of over 40 who is also at least 100lbs overweight) across almost any terrain, indoors or outdoors. This would be ideal for use by extreme sports centres or ski schools, who may need to evacuate injured patients to safety across long distances. Bariatric solutions are ideal for evacuating bariatric patients and you’ll find a range of options, such as evacuation chairs, or bariatric drag mats, which can help to get very heavy people downstairs.
When purchasing equipment for your business, it’s vital to buy from a reputable retailer who will usually offer some sort of guarantee on the equipment. Don’t be afraid to ask to see customer testimonials from previous satisfied customers and ask them about other businesses they have sold to, to make sure you get the best quality equipment for your needs.