University procedure for fires includes wheelchair policy

Portland State University student and wheelchair user Heather Brooks was left stranded at the top of a flight of stairs last month when a fire alarm sounded. Elevators shut down, leaving stairs as the only exit. Students and professors didn't know how to get Brooks out of the building, and they eventually carried her, according to an article in Portland State's Daily Vanguard. The event raises questions on proper wheelchair user procedures during a fire. University of Oregon officials said that campus and city emergency agencies know how to respond to similar situations and said proper policies are in place. Most campus elevators will open to the lowest floor possible without smoke. Wheelchair users are advised to retreat to a stairwell because such areas are typically protected from fires.