Med Sled Allows Howard County Students To Be Quickly Evacuated

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — When an emergency strikes at a school, all students must be safely evacuated. However, students with mobility issues who cannot use the stairs face difficulty in escaping the building.

Brian Bassett, spokesperson for the Howard County Public School System, told Patch that "in most cases, the elevator shouldn't be used during emergency situations."

"(Especially) in cases of fire or building damage," he said.

That's why HCPSS recently installed cabinets that house a Med Sled emergency evacuation device at every enclosed evacuation stairwell in all schools with multiple stories across the county-- a total of 32 schools with 140 devices and cabinets. A Med Sled evacuation device helps transport individuals with mobility issues down the stairs of a multi-floor building.

School staff have been trained to use the Med Sleds and they now will be incorporated during emergency drills.