Bill Text: HI SCR92 | 2020 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Urging The Purchase Of Emergency Evacuation Chairs For Distribution And Installation In Every State Building Having Two Or More Floors.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-03-05 - Referred to GVO/PSM/CPH. [SCR92 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2020-SCR92-Introduced.html

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THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	92
THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2020
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

urging THE purchase OF emergency evacuation chairs for Distribution and installation in every State building HAVING TWO OR MORE FLOORS.

 

 

     WHEREAS, sixty-one million adults in the United States live with a disability; and

 

     WHEREAS, nearly sixteen percent of adults in Hawaii have some type of disability, including nearly eight percent who have significant mobility issues; and

 

     WHEREAS, mobility disabilities often include conditions requiring the use of one or more devices, such as canes, crutches, wheelchairs, or scooters, to maneuver through an environment; and

 

WHEREAS, mobility disabilities also often include other ambulatory mobility issues such as the use of walkers, braces, artificial limbs, or orthopedic shoes, as well as respiratory issues and partial or total vision loss; and

 

     WHEREAS, pursuant to section 107-25, Hawaii Revised Statutes, all buildings in the State are required to comply with various building and design codes, including the state fire code as adopted by the State Fire Council; and

 

     WHEREAS, in many emergency situations, including fires, elevators are often an unsafe and unreliable evacuation option; and

 

     WHEREAS, vertical evacuation, or evacuation via stairway, is often the preferred method of egress in emergency situations; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii does not currently require that state buildings provide emergency evacuation devices to assist in the vertical evacuation of personnel or visitors with mobility disabilities or impairments; and

 

     WHEREAS, emergency evacuation chairs are folding chairs that allow people with permanent or temporary mobility limitations to be safely moved downstairs or upstairs during an emergency; and

 

     WHEREAS, placing an emergency evacuation chair at or near a stairwell on each floor of every state building will enhance the safety of persons with mobility impairments who work in or otherwise utilize state buildings; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2020, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Accounting and General Services is urged to purchase, distribute, and install emergency evacuation chairs in every state building having two or more floors; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Accounting and General Services is urged to install, at minimum, one emergency evacuation chair at or near a stairwell on each floor, except the floor of exit discharge, of every state building having two or more floors, provided that each emergency evacuation chair is installed and stored in compliance with the state fire code; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that for the purpose of this Concurrent Resolution, "state building" means a building that is under the management and control of any state department; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that every emergency evacuation chair purchased in accordance with this Concurrent Resolution should be capable of ascending and descending stairs; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Accounting and General Services, in procuring any emergency evacuation chair or other product necessary to carry out the purposes of this Concurrent Resolution, is urged to do so in accordance with chapter 103D, Hawaii Revised Statutes; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Accounting and General Services is urged to maintain a current and accurate list of all the emergency evacuation chairs in circulation pursuant to this Concurrent Resolution and to perform yearly inspections to ensure the safe placement and function of each chair; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Disability Communication and Access Board, in cooperation with the Department of Accounting and General Services, is urged to conduct annual training to explain the purpose and appropriate safe use of emergency evacuation chairs for relevant personnel from each state building in which at least one emergency evacuation chair is installed; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Disability Communication and Access Board is urged to produce informational material describing the purpose, placement, and appropriate use of emergency evacuation chairs for distribution to the occupants of each state building in which an emergency evacuation chair is installed; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Comptroller, Executive Director of the Disability and Communication Access Board, and each member of the State Fire Council.

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Urging the Purchase Emergency Evacuation Chairs for Distribution and Installation in Every State Public Building Having Two or More Floors