Recommended Emergency Preparedness Guidelines for Elderly and Disabled Rail Transit Passengers

摘要

Rail transit has become an important source of transportation for many elderly and disabled persons. The principal reasons for the increased use are improved accessibility, low cost, and expanded areas of service. For the purposes of the report, 'elderly' is defined as any member of the population who is 60 years of age or older, and 'disabled' is defined as any person who has some type of disability. The Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA) has recognized the need to consider the unique characteristics of elderly and disabled passengers in rail transit emergency response planning. The needs of these passengers can be addressed through carefully planned emergency response procedures, proper training of transit and emergency response personnel, and effective use of equipment. The recommendations contained herein are therefore intended to assist rail transit and emergency response organization personnel in evaluating their emergency response plans in terms of the needs of elderly and disabled passengers and, if necessary, to modify or supplement those plans accordingly. The report is intended to supplement the UMTA publication Recommended Emergency Preparedness Guidelines for Rail Transit Systems. That report contains general guidelines designed to assist rail transit systems in assessing, developing, documenting, and improving their capabilities for responding to emergencies and in coordinating those efforts with emergency response organizations.