FireOx International
2010 ACRECONF in Delhi (Dilli), India – 8th & 9th January
It was a great pleasure to be invited to speak on the subject of Sustainable Fire Engineering at the 2010 ACRECONF in Delhi (Dilli), India. This ground breaking conference in Asia took place at the India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, Delhi … on the 8th & 9th January last. Back during August (2009) in Bengaluru … the ACRECONF Chairman, Mr. Ashish Rakheja, told me that he expected an attendance of somewhere between 500-600 people at the Delhi Conference. Over the two days of the actual conference, approximately 1800 delegates participated … an enormous response by architects, civil and service engineers, developers, client and construction organizations, etc., etc., from right across the country … and from the deep south.
Colour photograph showing some of the many participants at the 2010 ACRECONF in Delhi, as they enjoy talking and networking during the morning coffee break of the second day at the conference. The venue was the India Habitat Centre on Lodhi Road. The weather was chilly for the time of year, and there had been a heavy fog earlier in the morning. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2010-01-09.
For me … refreshing, extremely impressive, and certainly the highlight of the conference … was a multi-media presentation … on the second morning, just after the coffee break … by Mr. Karan Grover, the renowned Indian Architect. He is quite an individual !
Before the break, delegates had been treated to an elaboration of the Environmental Design Innovations incorporated into the 71 storey Pearl River Tower (Guangzhou, China), by Mr. Varun Kohli of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) in New York. Construction of the Tower is now well under way. Afterwards, however, an important discussion took place concerning the issue of fire safety, and fire engineering generally, in Sustainable Buildings. It became clear to all of the participants that this issue is a major oversight … an intentional gap … in the design of these buildings. I made the point, forcibly, that Sustainable Fire Engineering is open to innovation and design creativity. There will be an important follow-up to this discussion.
Colour photograph showing a silly tourist on a bicycle rickshaw, as he is brought sightseeing around the Bazaar District in Old Delhi. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by Mr. Daljeet Singh, Ministry of Tourism, with CJ Walsh's camera. 2010-01-09.
Unfortunately, the conference was peppered with references to ‘Green’ Buildings … an outdated marketing concept (!) … which, within its limited world-view, gives people the false comfort of not having to deal with thorny issues such as ‘social justice, solidarity & inclusion for all’. I have discussed this issue many times in previous posts.
Even more unfortunately, where the Brundtland Definition of ‘Sustainable Development’ was actually presented in one session … as usual, it was only the first half of the definition which made any appearance. The second, and more important, half of the definition had mysteriously vanished without trace … which made the whole effort a meaningless exercise ! What a waste !! No wonder there is such confusion over the concept … at all levels … in most countries !!!
It was not surprising, therefore, that what was not stressed enough, during the entire conference, was that Sustainable Design Solutions must be appropriate to local geography, climate, economy, culture, social need and language(s)/dialect(s), etc. The LEED Building Rating System (USA), for example, is not being properly adapted to local conditions in India !
A final issue … another major oversight … another intentional gap … in the design of buildings … Accessibility-for-All ! Even though India ratified the 2006 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 1st October 2007 … this essential aspect of design … certainly in Sustainable Buildings … received no mention whatever during the conference … except by yours truly, in my presentation.
Overall … a magnificent achievement for the organizers !
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END
Happy Christmas & Let’s All Stay Safe In Our Homes !
T’is the Season to be jolly ! It is also the time when we remember family and friends … far and near … and those souls, no longer with us, who remain in our hearts. Happy Christmas everyone ! And it will be better in 2010 !!
As a special treat … let’s keep Uncle Gaybo happy … and give each other the gift of ‘Safety’ !
In a previous post concerning the MACLAREN Baby Strollers, I referred to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). A few days ago, on 14th December 2009, the Commission issued the following Seasonal Press Release #10-065 …
Ten Tips to Keep Your Holiday Home Fire and Injury Free: Fires Lead the List of Hazards Related to Holiday Decorations
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the holiday season approaches, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging consumers to make safety a factor in holiday decorating. Whether it is careful candle placement or checking the warning label on the holiday lights, simple safety steps can go a long way in preventing fires and injuries this year.
Annually, during the two months surrounding the holiday season, more than 14,000 people are treated in hospital emergency rooms due to injuries related to holiday decorating. In addition, Christmas trees are involved in hundreds of fires resulting in an average of 15 deaths and $13 million dollars in property damage annually. Candle-related fires lead the list of hazards averaging more than 12,000 a year, resulting in 150 deaths and $393 million in property damage.
“Holiday decorating related fires and injuries most often involve defective holiday lights, unattended candles and dried-out Christmas trees”, said CPSC Chairperson Inez Tenenbaum. ”We are providing this list of 10 Simple Safety Steps to help keep your holiday home safe.”
Use the Following 10 Safety Tips when Decorating This Year:
Christmas Trees & Decorations
1. When purchasing an Artificial Tree, DO look for the label “Fire Resistant”. Although this label does not mean the tree won’t catch fire, it does indicate the tree is more resistant to catching fire. [In Ireland, ask anyway !]
2. When purchasing a Live Tree, DO check for freshness. A fresh tree is green, needles are hard to pull from branches and do not break when bent between your fingers. The bottom of a fresh tree is sticky with resin, and when tapped on the ground, the tree should not lose many needles.
3. When Setting Up A Tree at home, DO place it away from heat sources such as fireplaces, vents, and radiators. Because heated rooms dry out live trees rapidly, be sure to monitor water levels and keep the stand filled with water. Place the tree out of the way of traffic, and do not block doorways.
4. In homes with Young Children, DO take special care to avoid sharp, weighted or breakable decorations, keep trimmings with small removable parts out of the reach of children who could swallow or inhale small pieces, and avoid trimmings that resemble sweets or food that may tempt a child to eat them.
Christmas Lights
5. Indoors or Outside, DO use only lights that have been tested for safety by an independent, accredited testing laboratory … such as UL (USA) or TÜV (Germany).
6. Check each Set of Lights, new or old, for broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires, or loose connections. Throw out, and carefully dispose of, damaged sets. DON’T use electric lights on a metallic tree.
7. If using an Electric Extension Cable, DO make sure it is rated for the intended use.
8. When using Lights Outdoors, DO check labels to be sure the lights have been approved for outdoor use and only plug them into an external, weather and circuit-breaker protected socket outlet.
Candles
9. Always keep Burning Candles within sight. DO extinguish all candles before you go to bed, leave the room or leave the house.
10. DO keep Lighted Candles away from items that can catch fire and burn easily, such as trees, other evergreens, decorations, curtains and furniture.
Get more Christmas Decorating Safety Tips at CPSC’s WebSite … www.cpsc.gov/
My Questions: In Ireland … is our Consumer Protection Legislation adequate ? More importantly … is compliance adequately monitored ? Relating to the critical area of fire safety in the home … do we have any, or sufficient, independent and accredited testing laboratories ?
END
Emergency Planning For ALL & Special Needs Populations ?
On 15th August 2008, the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in association with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office for Civil Rights & Civil Liberties, published Comprehensive Preparedness Guide #301: ‘Interim Emergency Management Planning Guide for Special Needs Populations’.
What follows are important extracts from CPG #301. As you slowly read along … consider the chaotic, clapped-out and ramshackle response, at national level, to the Flood Emergency in Ireland …
Throughout the history of Emergency Management Planning, considerations for Special Needs Populations have often been inadequate. From the 1930′s, when disaster response was ad hoc and largely focused on the repair of damaged infrastructure, through to the present day, emergency management culture of ‘readiness’, special needs populations were often given insufficient consideration. This fact was evident in 2003 during the California wildfires and when Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005. During these events, some individuals with special needs did not receive appropriate warning, were unable to access shelters, or went without medical intervention. During the 2006 Nationwide Plan Review, a sample of emergency management plans was reviewed by subject-matter experts on disability and ageing. The review confirmed that emergency plans from various regions in the United States continue to overlook these populations. The Nationwide Plan Review Phase 2 Report concluded that “substantial improvement is necessary to integrate people with disabilities into emergency planning and readiness”.
Numerous ‘lessons learned’ reports that followed Hurricane Katrina also pointed out that there is a large segment of the U.S. population who may not be able to successfully plan for, and respond to, an emergency with resources typically accessible to the general population. The current general population is one that is diverse, ageing, and focused on maintaining independence as long as possible. The popularity of living situations that provide an ‘as needed’ level of care in the least restrictive manner is fast becoming the norm. Consideration should therefore be given to people who may be able to function independently under normal situations, but who may need assistance in an emergency situation.
For example, it is estimated that about 13 million individuals aged 50 years or older in the United States will need evacuation assistance, and about half of these individuals will require such assistance from someone outside of their household. There are well over 1 million people in the United States receiving home healthcare according to 2000 data cited by the National Center for Health Care Statistics. Populations such as these should be considered when emergency plans are developed to accurately assess the resources needed to adequately respond when a disaster strikes. The 2000 Census reported that 18% of those surveyed speak a language other than English at home. This highlights the need to ensure the effectiveness of emergency communications. Populations described as ‘transportation disadvantaged’ – those who do not have access to a personal vehicle or are precluded from driving – may also require assistance during emergencies. The 2000 Census reports that in the top ten car-less cities, between 29% and 56% of the households are without a vehicle. These examples serve to demonstrate community emergency planning should go beyond traditional considerations.
During the Nationwide Plan Review, Emergency Managers consistently requested technical assistance in identifying and incorporating special needs populations into emergency planning. As described later, defining the term ‘special needs’ is a critical initial step in the planning process. The Federal Government introduced, within the National Response Framework (NRF), a definition of special needs populations that State, Territorial, Tribal, and Local governments may adopt for use in their Emergency Operation Plan (EOP) development. It is important to note that though this terminology may appear ambiguous, it is well established in the Emergency Management Vocabulary and when clearly defined, strengthens the planning process.
Although it is recognized that significant emergency planning should be done for incarcerated populations, these groups cannot be integrated into general population planning. Individuals in correctional settings are institutionalized to protect other members of society; people who are institutionalized in health related settings are there for their own protection and wellbeing. Emergency management planning for incarcerated populations requires additional consideration such as law enforcement and co-ordination between emergency managers, the Department of Corrections, and prison superintendents to ensure safety of the prisoners and the public. For these reasons, incarcerated populations are not included in the NRF definition of ‘special needs’, which is the same definition used in this Planning Guide.
U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) CPG #301
Date: 15 August 2008. PDF File, 301kb.
Interim Emergency Management Planning Guide for Special Needs Populations
Click the link above to read and/or download CPG #301
Emergency Management takes into consideration planning for the safety of every person in the community during and following a disaster. Taking into consideration populations historically considered ‘vulnerable’, ‘at risk’, or ‘special needs’, ultimately improves the overall community’s post-disaster sustainability.
Before drafting Emergency Plans, it is recommended that a state-wide definition for the term ‘special needs’ be developed and used to guide State, Territorial, Tribal, and Local jurisdictions in the planning process. A consistent use of terminology will result in improved communication and co-ordination of resources across State, Territorial, Tribal, and Local entities.
The NRF Definition for ‘special needs’ provides a function-based approach for planning and seeks to establish a flexible framework that addresses a broad set of common function-based needs, irrespective of specific diagnosis, statuses, or labels (e.g. children, older people, transportation disadvantaged, etc.). In other words, this function-based definition reflects the capabilities of the individual, not the condition or label. Governments that choose to align their language to the NRF definition will improve inter-government communication during an incident.
The Definition of Special Needs Populations, as it appears in the U.S. National Response Framework (NRF) is as follows:
Populations whose members may have additional needs before, during, and after an incident in functional areas, including but not limited to:
- Maintaining Independence ;
- Communication ;
- Transportation ;
- Supervision ;
- Medical Care.
Individuals in need of additional response assistance may include those who have disabilities; who live in institutionalized settings; who are elderly; who are children; who are from diverse cultures; who have limited English proficiency; or who are non-English speaking; or who are transportation disadvantaged.
[The concept of a function-based approach to defining special needs populations has been developed by June Isaacson Kailes. See Kailes, J. and Enders, A. in "Moving Beyond ‘Special Needs’: A Function-Based Framework for Emergency Management Planning". Journal of Disability Policy Studies, Vol./No. 44/2007. Pages 230-237.]
At first glance, it may appear that each of the above groups (and a disproportionately large percentage of the population) is automatically classified as having special needs, but this is not the case. The definition indicates these groups may often include individuals who have special needs and, in the event of an emergency, may need additional assistance or specialized resources. For example, in a city like New York where less than half of all households own a car, transportation-dependence is not necessarily a ‘special need’. A special need in this instance is an inability to access the transportation alternatives defined by the Emergency Operation Plan (EOP). It is important to remember that special needs populations have needs that extend beyond those of the general population.
The definition focuses on the following function-based aspects:
- Maintaining Independence – Individuals requiring support to be independent in daily activities may lose this support during an emergency or a disaster. Such support may include consumable medical supplies (baby diapers, formula, bandages, continence supplies, etc.), durable medical equipment (wheelchairs, walkers, scooters, etc.), service animals, and/or attendants or caregivers. Supplying needed support to these individuals will enable them to maintain their pre-disaster level of independence.
- Communication – Individuals who have limitations which interfere with the receipt of and response to information will need that information provided in format they can understand and use. They may not be able to hear verbal announcements, see directional signs, or understand how to get assistance due to hearing, vision, speech, cognitive, or intellectual limitations, and/or limited English proficiency.
- Transportation – Individuals who cannot drive or who do not have a vehicle may require transportation support for successful evacuation. This support may include accessible vehicles (e.g., lift-equipped or vehicles suitable for transporting individuals who use oxygen) or information about how and where to access mass transportation during an evacuation.
- Supervision – Before, during, and after an emergency individuals may lose the support of caregivers, family, or friends or may be unable to cope in a new environment (particularly if they have dementia, Alzheimer’s or psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia or intense anxiety). If separated from their caregivers, young children may be unable to identify themselves; and when in danger, they may lack the cognitive ability to assess the situation and react appropriately.
- Medical Care – Individuals who are not self-sufficient or who do not have adequate support from caregivers, family, or friends may need assistance with: managing unstable, terminal or contagious conditions which require observation and ongoing treatment; managing intravenous therapy, tube feeding, and vital signs; receiving dialysis, oxygen, and suction administration; managing wounds; and operating power-dependent equipment to sustain life. These individuals require support of trained medical professionals.
The above examples illustrate function-based needs that may exist within the community.
Important Conclusions for Ireland & Europe Generally:
1. The innovative approach taken to Special Needs Populations in U.S. FEMA Comprehensive Preparedness Guide #301 is entirely consistent with European concepts of ‘mainstreaming’, ‘accessibility for all’, ‘fire safety, protection and evacuation for all’, etc … and the widespread, standardized and consistent use of the language and terminology in the 2001 World Health Organization (WHO) International Classification of Functioning, Disability & Health (ICF) … an approach which I have long advocated across Europe.
2. Fragmentation of the Irish Special Needs Population, dissention between different groups within that population or a lack of willingness to work with other groups … the use of far too many ad-hoc labels … and the anarchic abuse of disability-related language and terminology … pose a grave risk to the Safety, Health and Wellbeing of all these groups in Emergencies, whether large or small scale … and create unnecessary, and sometimes insurmountable, barriers to effective communication and the proper co-ordination of emergency response resources. This problem is deep-rooted and endemic throughout Europe.
3. French use of the words, e.g. ‘les handicapés’, ‘les invalides’, is both outdated and barbaric. Similarly, German use of the word ‘die behinderten’ is unacceptable. A concerted effort, at European level, must be made to modernize and harmonize the use of disability-related terminology in our many different languages. Large Scale Emergencies in Europe, involving 2, 3 or more E.U. Member States, require … as a priority … effective communication and the proper co-ordination of emergency response resources.
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Older People in Emergencies – Action & Policy Development (II)
In 2008, the World Health Organization (WHO) Report: ‘Older People in Emergencies – Considerations for Action & Policy Development’ was published.
The following are short extracts from that Report …
Older People
Until recently, older peoples’ needs in disasters and conflicts were addressed only by broader adult health and humanitarian programmes. This has changed, as several recent emergencies highlighted this population’s vulnerabilities. Of the 14,800 deaths in France during the 2003 heat wave, 70% were people over 75 years of age. Of the estimated 1,330 people who died in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, most were older people. In Louisiana, 71% of those who died were older than 60 years; 47% of this group were over 77 years old. Worldwide, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has estimated that older people make up 8.5% of the overall refugee population, and in some cases comprise more than 30% of caseloads. In 2005, approximately 2.7 million people over the age of 60 were living as refugees or internally displaced persons.
Globally, the proportion of older people is growing faster than any other age group. In 2000 one in ten, or about 600 million, people were 60 years of age or older. By 2025, this figure is expected to reach 1.2 billion people, and in 2050 around 1.9 billion. In developing countries, where 80% of older people live, the proportion of those over 60 years old in 2025 will increase from 7% to 12%. Moreover, life expectancy at birth has increased globally from 48 years in 1955 to 65 in 1995, and is projected to reach 73 in 2025. By 2050, people over 80 years old are expected to account for 4% of the world’s population, up from 1% today.
Disability & Older People
Worldwide, it is estimated that more than 80% of the disabled population lives in developing countries, where the prevalence of disability is approximately 20%. That rate is expected to increase dramatically as populations age. By 2050 in India, the incidence of disability is expected to jump by 120%, in China by 70% and in sub-Saharan Africa by 257%.
Emergency Planners must consider these trends, because poor health and reduced mobility increase the risk of serious injury and illness in disasters. Older people have sustained more injuries in disasters than other groups because of functional limitations such as poor balance, muscle weakness and exhaustion. Older people have higher rates of coronary heart disease, diabetes, stroke, cancer, respiratory diseases and rheumatism. A study in China found that 74% of those over 80 years old had chronic diseases, 1.5% were physically disabled, and 3.46% had Alzheimer’s disease. In Iraq, more than half of 340 older people surveyed by HelpAge International had chronic joint and bone problems, hypertension, heart problems, diabetes and reduced eyesight and hearing. In West Darfur, Sudan, 34% of surveyed refugees 50 years of age and over were disabled, 27% could not move without help and 19% had severely impaired vision; while 61% reported chronic diseases that required specialized treatment and/or medicines that were not available.
Objective 1: Increase Visibility and Raise Awareness among Health Agencies and Humanitarian Organizations about Older Peoples’ Needs and Priorities in Emergencies.
- Mainstream and integrate issues related to older people and emergencies into existing policies and guidelines (i.e. emergency medicine, nutrition, protection, gender-based violence, participatory assessments and programming). Include plans for older people in national policy and guideline documents.
- Highlight the need to assist and protect older people as well as their capacities and contributions in rebuilding affected communities.
- Develop inter-agency efforts to identify gaps, develop practice guidelines and provide training and education.
- Promote better practice policies and documents among all stakeholders.
- Collaborate with funders to increase humanitarian assistance to older people based on needs assessments and reflect these in funding proposal criteria.
- Involve older people in developing emergency management activities to increase their visibility and ensure their needs are taken into account, for example, in shelter plans and locations.
Objective 2: Develop Essential Medical and Health Resources for Older People in Emergency Practices.
- Identify and include essential medicines for older people in emergency kits. Include medicines for chronic diseases and other illnesses common among this social group.
- Develop disability aid packages with equipment such as eyeglasses and walking sticks.
- Develop education modules for health professionals on diseases common among older people, including HIV/AIDS.
- Develop and disseminate guidelines for geriatric medicine in emergencies and humanitarian crises.
- Within the health care system, ensure that conditions and needs common to older people are integrated into patient triage, clinical evaluation, treatment, the emergency medical response system and access to specialty care.
- Ensure that nutritional guidelines for food distribution suitable for older people are integrated into health planning and response plans.
- Ensure local development of guidelines for feeding older people, using locally available foods to the extent this is possible where populations depend on external food aid.
- Implement gender-based analyses in planning and programme design to account for differences between older men and women in terms of both health needs and access issues.
Objective 3: Develop Emergency Management Policies and Tools to Address Older Peoples’ Health-Related Vulnerabilities.
- Integrate older peoples’ health needs and related issues into assessment tools and practices.
- Develop community-based tools using disaggregated data to identify vulnerable older people. Include formats to identify chronic health conditions, disabilities and nutritional needs.
- Develop procedures to identify hidden and stay-behind older people.
- Develop standardized tools to assess support needs of older people, including inter-generational and community care options.
- Develop age-friendly standards and guidelines so that service and care environments are accessible to older people with disabilities.
- In collaboration with older people, their families and communities, develop personal and household preparedness kits in areas of predictable disasters.
- Collaborate with communities in identifying and implementing community-based home care and support strategies which may reduce older peoples’ isolation and vulnerability during crises.
- Develop guidelines and evacuation plans that include mechanisms to identify and transport frail, disabled and older people with special medical conditions. Identify procedures to ensure adequate care and treatment as necessary.
- Develop guidelines to ensure safe and adequate treatment of older people in evacuation centres and refugee camps.
- Ensure that health facilities have feasible plans to care for older people during disasters and humanitarian crises.
- Develop monitoring and evaluation tools to measure the performance of health care services and humanitarian interventions targeting older people. These measures should be integrated into existing monitoring and evaluation procedures where possible.
Objective 4: Ensure that Older People are Aware of and Have Access to Essential Emergency Health Care Services.
- Use established assessment tools to identify and locate frail and disabled older people and those with chronic diseases and special medical conditions, as well as older caretakers of orphaned children.
- Ensure that assessments are participatory and target all older populations. Assessments should include information on health conditions, social support needs, caretaking responsibilities and available means to meet basic living needs, including access to food and health services, treatment and medicines.
- Ensure that assessments are coordinated across primary health care, rehabilitation, long term care and social services to meet the needs of older people.
- Implement outreach services and referral mechanisms to identify and ensure care for hidden or stay-behind older people.
- Coordinate primary health care, rehabilitation, long-term care and social services to establish system referral mechanisms that older clients may require.
- Assess and organize training for health staff to ensure knowledge of geriatric nutritional, health and medical care needs.
- Establish information programmes to educate older people, families and caregivers about nutritional needs, medical conditions and health care options.
- Use disaggregated data to assess services by age and gender.
Objective 5: Provide Age-Sensitive and Appropriate Health and Humanitarian Services to Maintain Older Peoples’ Health.
- Ensure that equitable access to shelter, clothing, food and sanitation prevent deterioration of health through integrated individual assessments and referrals to health and humanitarian agencies.
- Ensure that age-friendly practices are used to promote services to older people with disabilities.
- Provide access to appropriate health care, including medicines for chronic diseases and disability/restorative aids.
- Collaborate with communities in identifying community-based home care and support options for frail and disabled older people.
- When appropriate and feasible, develop mobile clinics to extend health services to older people living in remote locations.
- Implement mechanisms to assess nutritional balance and ensure access to supplementary food programmes when appropriate, taking into account that many older people also care for children. Provide education on food preparation using supplementary or locally available foods.
- Ensure that protection needs of older people are integrated into programming (e.g. social welfare or community services) to identify persons at risk and prevent abuse and exploitation.
- Undertake monitoring to assess continuing effectiveness of services to older people.
- Use disaggregated data to assess efficiency of implemented activities by age and gender.
Objective 6: Promote Cross-Sectoral Planning and Co-Ordination to Raise Awareness of Older Peoples’ Needs in Crises and Reduce Their Risk of Marginalization and Deteriorating Health in Emergencies.
- Raise awareness among agencies and organizations concerning physical and health issues specific to older people and of ways to adapt basic need support to their requirements (e.g. supplementary food rations, livelihood needs and impacts of protection issues on older peoples’ physical and psychological health).
- Where possible, include older people in planning and programming committees to increase their visibility and ensure their needs and priorities are integrated.
- In coordination with appropriate partners, establish community self-help groups to facilitate community care for more vulnerable older people.
- Recognize self-sufficiency as key to maintaining health and encourage the inclusion of older people in training programmes, income-generation schemes, and community development projects.
- Establish older peoples’ committees to facilitate self-advocacy and communication with authorities and ministries of health to increase access to existing services and entitlements.
Objective 7: Build Institutional Capacity and Commitment towards Ensuring the Health and Safety of Older People in Emergencies.
- Integrate cross-cutting health emergency management issues into global/regional/country strategic plans.
- Promote inter-agency and cross-sectoral consultation on cross-cutting policy and programming issues to build consensus, commitment and capacity to respond to older peoples’ needs in disasters and humanitarian crises.
- Collaborate with ministries of health to establish mandates and legislation ensuring the provision of care to older people; apply a human rights framework to these issues.
- Collaborate with ministries of health to develop options to increase older peoples’ access to affordable health care services, including the implementation of subsidized medical and medicine programmes.
- Advocate for enhanced funding and humanitarian assistance to older people in emergencies and conflicts. Encourage funding agencies to recognize older people as a priority.
- Develop frameworks to promote participatory, transparent and accountable processes to advance the needs of older people.
- Develop sustainable mechanisms to maintain advocacy and consultation of older people within the health care-system. Establish and involve advocacy committees in the planning, implementation and evaluation of emergency management practices when appropriate, for example regarding the design of community shelters that may be accessed by older disabled people.
Objective 8: Strengthen the Capacity of Ministries of Health and Health Care Systems to Meet the Needs of Older People in Emergencies.
- As required, integrate the medical and nutritional needs of older people into local public health and emergency preparedness and response strategies.
- Develop strategies to ensure that existing health care systems develop capacity (infrastructure and knowledge) to meet the increasing proportion of older people who will be impacted by disasters in the future, taking into account medical, disability and mental health needs, including dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
- Collaborate with communities in identifying community-based home care and support strategies for older people as an option to reduce older peoples’ isolation and vulnerability to disasters.
- Collaborate with communities to develop and maintain disaster reduction committees. Assist in the implementation of strategies to strengthen community support to older people and reduce their levels of risk during disasters (e.g. development of community emergency response teams or mutual assistance groups among more vulnerable older people).
- Integrate older peoples’ needs into exercise designs and facilitate the dissemination of lessons learned.
- Develop performance frameworks and monitoring mechanisms to assess medical response systems and older peoples’ access to specialty care in emergencies.
Objective 9: Develop Mechanisms to Ensure Continuing Development and Exchange of Expertise as these Relate to Older People in Emergencies.
- Develop and provide ongoing training and education to staff on the needs and priorities of older people, including responsibility to include this population in planning and policy development.
- Integrate issues related to older people in emergencies into relevant university curricula.
- Undertake comparative research to assess the health status (including access to assistance) of older people in emergencies vis-à-vis other age groups.
- Undertake research to address demographic shifts and the increasing proportion of older people in disasters as this relates to health care and infrastructure/facility development.
- Ensure emergency preparedness and response considerations are integrated into relevant services and institutions (e.g. facilities caring for frail and disabled older people are required to develop and practice evacuation and emergency care plans).
Objective 10: Promote Active Ageing as a Strategy to Reduce Vulnerability and Develop Resiliency to Disasters.
- Promote a wider understanding among ministries of health and humanitarian organizations of the economic and social factors contributing to the vulnerability of older people, including issues related to livelihoods, inter-generational dependence and social pension.
- Develop policies that recognize active ageing and resiliency as facilitating older peoples’ capacity to prepare for, cope with and respond to the affects of disasters and conflicts.
- Include a life course perspective that recognizes health promotion and prevention of disease and disability.
- Support cross-sectoral forums and activities which link the risks of older people in emergencies to frameworks for livelihoods, protection and gender-based equality, health promotion and social pension.
- Collaborate with relevant organizations to mainstream the health needs of older people into existing humanitarian programmes addressing shelter, nutrition, livelihoods, protection and gender-based violence.
- Develop information campaigns and encourage media to highlight both the needs and capacities of older people and to increase their visibility.
- Collaborate with funding bodies to integrate active ageing as a criterion in funding proposals targeting older people.
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BATIMAT Building Exhibition in Paris (2-7 November 2009)
Here we are, once again, approaching November 2009. Two years have rolled by … far too quickly … since the last Paris BATIMAT Exhibition in 2007.
Compared to what we are used to in Ireland, the BATIMAT Exhibition is huge … taking at least 3-4 days in order to see everything half-decently !
Annotated, colour image showing the 2009 Paris BATIMAT Exhibition Site Layout and general information about dates (2-7 November), opening times (every morning, from 09.00 hrs), etc. Click to enlarge. Extract from Official Exhibition Catalogue.
I have been going there for many years … to spot new trends, discover innovative building products and systems … and meet up with friends from CSTB or CTICM. In a good year, I would expect to find at least 7-8 good new ideas …
Colour photograph showing an exterior view looking up the main avenue towards Pavillon (Hall) 7. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2001-11-09.
When I first enter the Exhibition, I usually become emotional … almost close to tears … not at the enormous scale of the event … but because so much on view never appears in the Irish Construction Product Marketplace … and if they do appear, it is not until many years later. I kid you not ! There are reasons … but, that is a discussion for another day …
Colour photograph showing an interior view looking over Pavillon (Hall) 1. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2001-11-09.
I wonder if the Current Recession in the European Construction Sector will have an adverse impact on this year’s exhibition.
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‘Sustainable Fire Engineering’ – Important Keynote Presentation at Indian National Fire Seminar
It is really enjoyable to be back behind my desk, here in Dublin. Apologies for the prolonged absence.
Since the middle of June last, my travels have taken me to Turkey, France, Italy, the south-west of Ireland to attend my cousin’s wedding in Cork … and back again to Bengaluru (Bangalore) in Southern India to make an important Keynote Presentation at the 2009 Fire & Safety Association of India (FSAI) National Fire Seminar: ‘Engineering a Safe & Secure India’, which was held on Friday, 28th August, at the Leela Palace Hotel.
My Presentation Title & Abstract …
Sustainable Fire Engineering: Fire Safety, Protection & Evacuation for All
India, like other economically advanced developing countries, is at an important crossroads. Difficult, resource-dependent decisions must be made in the next few short years concerning the rapid implementation of a Sustainable Built Environment across a vast country, i.e. one which must serve local needs and meet regional performance requirements during a long life cycle … one which will be adaptable to climate change, variability and extremes … will be in harmony and dynamic balance with the Natural Environment … and, not least, will be super energy-efficient.
Citizens of Developed Nations also have legitimate expectations. They will express anger when they witness recently constructed buildings in seismic zones collapse, in an earthquake, like a deck of cards (China 2008, Italy 2009) … or they discover that federal/state authorities having jurisdiction, which are funded by their taxes, are ill-prepared to respond effectively to intentional traumatic disruptions to the Social Environment (New York 2001, Mumbai 2008). Retaining the public’s confidence in national institutions is a fundamental political priority.
In the case of all new High-Rise Buildings, Iconic Buildings, and Buildings of Innovative Design or having a Critical Function … Trans-Disciplinary Building Design Teams must, at a minimum, properly respond to the Recommendations of the 2005 & 2008 NIST(USA) Final Reports on the 9-11 WTC 1, 2, and 7 Collapses. In practice, the majority of these Recommendations should be applied to the design of all new buildings !
Fire Engineers, competent concerning the processes of ‘real’ building design and construction, must begin to understand the ‘real’ people who occupy or use buildings, every day of every week, in all parts of India … and that they each have widely differing ranges of human abilities and activity limitations. Just as they are different from each other, they will react differently than expected in a ‘real’ building fire emergency.
Based on a Keynote Presentation before International Council for Building Research (CIB) Working Commission 14 : Fire and Sub-Committee 3 & 4 Members of ISO Technical Committee 92 : Fire Safety, at Lund University in Sweden … and his fire safety texts which have been fully incorporated into International Standard ISO DIS 21542 on Accessibility-for-All, currently under development and due for publication before the end of 2010 … CJ Walsh’s Presentation, at the FSAI National Fire Seminar in Bengaluru, will focus on ‘Fire Safety, Protection & Evacuation for All’.
END
Institutions of National Governance – Criminally Dysfunctional ?
A week can be a long time in Ireland … during this last seven days, in particular, a time of harrowing emotions … horror, shame, disbelief, anger, pain, embarrassment … and relief that the truth has finally been revealed …
On Wednesday, 20th May 2009, at 14.30 hrs … the Report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse was published at a launch, before a select audience, in Dublin’s Conrad Hotel. Victims of that child abuse and representative groups were barred, with the support of Gardaí, from attending.
Has anything really changed ?
The Commission was established on 23rd May 2000 … under the 2000 Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse Act (No.7 of 2000) … and given three primary functions:
- to hear evidence of abuse from persons who allege they suffered abuse in childhood, in institutions, during the period from 1940 or earlier, to the present day ;
- to conduct an inquiry into abuse of children in institutions during that period and, where satisfied that abuse occurred, to determine the causes, nature, circumstances and extent of such abuse ; and
- to prepare and publish reports on the results of the inquiry and on its recommendations in relation to dealing with the effects of such abuse.
The Chairperson of the Commission, Mr. Justice Seán Ryan, is a judge of the High Court.
The full Ryan Commission Report can be downloaded here … www.childabusecommission.com/rpt/pdfs/
Although Commission Recommendation No.5 (Volume IV, Chapter 7, Paragraph 7.06) states …
Childcare policy should be child-centred. The needs of the child should be paramount.
The overall policy of childcare should respect the rights and dignity of the child and have as its primary focus their safe care and welfare. Services should be tailored to the developmental, educational and health needs of the particular child. Adults entrusted with the care of children must prioritise the wellbeing and protection of those children above personal, professional or institutional loyalty.
[ Why is this critical Recommendation only in position '5' ? Concerning the rights and dignity of children, why is the word 'should' used instead of 'must' ? ]
… none of the 20 Commission Recommendations refer directly to the 1989 United Nations (OHCHR) Convention on the Rights of the Child, which became an International Legal Instrument on 2nd September 1990 … and which Ireland signed on 30th September 1990, and later ratified on 28th September 1992.
The Convention has not yet been fully incorporated into Irish National Law. Why not ?
In relation to Ireland, the UN (OHCHR) Committee on the Rights of the Child observed the following in late 2006 …
” … the Committee regrets that some of the concerns expressed and recommendations made have not yet been fully addressed, in particular those related to the status of the child as a rights-holder and the adoption of a child rights-based approach in policies and practices.”
Some Comments & Questions …
1. The Hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church in Ireland (with the notable exception of Dublin Archbishop, Dr. Diarmuid Martin), the Catholic Religious Orders and the Catholic Church generally … have lost their moral authority … and all credibility. If child abuse was deeply in-grained and systemic in Ireland’s institutions … what was happening in institutions run by the 18(?) Irish Religious Congregations in other countries ? What assets have been transferred out of Ireland by the 18(?) Irish Religious Orders since the year 2000 ?
2. The Irish Government Ministry having jurisdiction … the Department of Education … has been clearly shown to be criminally dysfunctional. What radical changes in its organization, policies, practices and procedures will be put in place following the Ryan Commission Report ? We also ask the same question of the Department of Health & Children !
Perhaps Unnoticed … Another Institution …
Reported in an article on Page 4 of The Irish Times (2009-05-21) … on the same day that the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse published its findings … 20th May 2009 … the family of a six-year-old girl, Sarah Jinks, who died in a fire on 10th January 1999 at a local authority house in Sligo, secured €115,000 in settlement of their High Court Action alleging that Sligo County Council had negligently failed to maintain a safe electrical system in the house. During the Action, Sarah’s mother, Ms. Philomena Jinks, had claimed that the Council failed to respond with sufficient thoroughness to complaints about dangers in the house.
The ‘Real’ Institution Involved …
Let me place in the public domain some revealing background to a series of fatal fires at a local authority housing estate on the far side of the country from Sligo … and a Letter, dated 22nd September 2005, which we were forced to write to Bray Town Council, in County Wicklow …
Colour photograph showing the scene after a fire in a terraced house at Oldcourt Housing Estate, Bray, Co. Wicklow. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2005-08-18.
Mr. Seán O’Neill,
Town Engineer,
Comhairle Baile Bhré,
Civic Offices,
Main Street,
Bray,
Co. Wicklow.
Re: Fire Safety Survey of Oldcourt Estate, Bray.
Mr. O’Neill,
In good faith, we submitted a Tender Proposal (copy enclosed with the original letter) for a Fire Safety Survey of the Oldcourt Housing Estate to you. As of today, we have had no communication, written or oral, from Bray Town Council.
We fully understood the critical need for this to be an authoritative, competent, comprehensive and entirely independent Fire Safety Survey. Our principal concern was that this must be shown to be so, especially to local residents. We remain uniquely qualified, in Ireland and Europe, to complete the special and unique task involved.
It was with complete shock, dismay and alarm, however, that we saw our Organization actually named in Media Reports of discussions which took place at the September Council Meeting in Bray.
As a matter of public record, we now wish to clarify a few issues …
1. We commenced our work on the basis that the Tender Documentation issued by Bray Town Council was unreliable. This we were only able to do because of our extensive experience with Local Authority Housing, and the ‘ways’ and ‘means’ of Local Authorities in Ireland.
2. The Department of the Environment, Heritage & Local Government (DEHLG) has been intimately involved – at every level – with the planning, costing, design and construction of Local Authority Housing in every part of Ireland – from our direct experience, since the mid-1980′s. The Department is, therefore, very far from being a Disinterested Party in the serious matters under examination at the Oldcourt Housing Estate. It was extraordinary to see a representative of the DEHLG on the Interview Panel.
3. The Members of the Tender Interview Panel may have been ‘experts’, but we are not sure in which field. They showed little interest in our extensive practical experience of the complex area of fire engineering and its dynamic interaction with other aspects of performance in buildings and the built environment. It was necessary to explain some fundamental facts about the limited safety objectives of the Building Regulations to one Member. Some of the working methods necessary to effectively complete the Fire Safety Survey, of which we have direct and extensive experience, were unknown to all Members. It was clear that the Panels Members did not fully read our Tender Proposal.
4. At one stage in the Tender Interview, it was strongly ‘suggested’ to us that the Survey was to be a purely technical exercise, with no involvement whatever by the residents. At approximately the ‘two-thirds’ stage in the short interview, we realized that there was some ‘agenda’ in the background. We did not, therefore, make any final comments to the Panel.
We must now conclude that the Tender Process, organized by Bray Town Council, for a Fire Safety Survey of the Oldcourt Housing Estate appears to be corrupt. With deep regret, we hereby withdraw our Tender Proposal.
We require a full explanation as to why we have received no communication from you, or anybody else associated with Bray Town Council. We demand a full apology from the Council, and this must be published widely in the local and national media.
We are consulting with our legal advisors.
Signed: C. J. Walsh, Chief Technical Officer, FireOx International.
Copy: Ms. Deirdre deBurca, Chairperson, Bray Town Council.
[ No response has ever been received to this letter ... from any party. ]
And … we have not forgotten the deep corruption which went to the core of the Tribunal of Inquiry into the Stardust Fire Disaster.
A Long Delayed Evolution in International Fire Engineering ?
At my request … Agenda Item #6 for the CIB W14 Meeting, recently held on the campus of Lund University in Sweden (see post: 2009-04-30), covered the following subject …
‘ 2005 & 2008 NIST Recommendations on WTC 9-11 Incident – Fundamental Implications for Fire Engineering Design & Practice ‘
I began the presentation by explaining that architects are frustrated people at the best of times …
[It is a never ending, soul-destroying struggle to faithfully realize an architectural 'vision' on a building site ... especially in the absence of craftsmen/women and access to a wide range of well-designed, 'approved' construction products.]
… but, I have been intensely frustrated for some time … as a fire engineer … in particular, for the following reasons:
1. Negative, Irresponsible Attitude of European Lift Manufacturers
In order to effectively solve the issues of safe fire evacuation for people with activity limitations … and the timely evacuation of everyone in tall buildings … we must have lifts/elevators capable of being used for evacuation … all lifts/elevators … in all building types. This should be the norm … the standard specification.
Ever since 2003, however, when I was a Member of the European Union (EU) Expert Group on Accessibility, I have been pressing Mr. Luc Rivet, Secretary General of the European Lift Association (ELA) to ensure that the Association acts responsibly and makes this happen in Europe … now … not at any far distant point in the future. The time for ‘pretty’, meaningless talk at conferences, seminars and workshops has ended.
The ELA still refuses to act responsibly !
2. Crass Inadequacy of British Standard BS 9999 : 2008
Of interest to me … but not a cause for undue concern … except that far too many people in Ireland are already giving this Standard the status of Default Irish National Standard … and too many people in other countries are doing likewise …
On 31st October 2008, the British Standards Institute (BSI) published British Standard BS 9999 – Code of Practice for Fire Safety in the Design, Management and Use of Buildings. It took many years to draft this new national standard.
During all of that time, however, it is not clear to me that the simple idea of considering the Recommendations contained in the 2005 & 2008 NIST Reports on the WTC 9-11 Incident ever saw the light of day within the BSI Technical Committee which drafted BS 9999. The whole basis for the British Standard might have to be entirely re-examined … how awfully dreadful !?!
This amazing technical oversight has ensured that BS 9999 became inadequate on the very day that it was published.
Furthermore, although I had received assurances from certain people that British Standard 5588 : Part 8 would be properly incorporated into DD 9999 during the earlier stages of its development … in fact, this never happened.
Far too late in the drafting process, BS 5588 : Part 8 appears to have been shoe-horned into DD 9999. The resulting disability-related texts in the new Standard are vague … and represent a step backwards from BS 5588 : Part 8. And, there were many problems even with that earlier British Standard.
Finally, it has become blatantly obvious to me that nobody from BSI should ever again be allowed near the fire engineering terminology for any International or European Standards. BSI has polluted the international terminology of fire engineering.
Let me give you an irritating example which has had a seriously adverse impact on fire safety in buildings, in many countries, down through the years …
The term Fire Door has no meaning, and should not be used … Not Ever … Never !
It still leads to endless confusion on building sites … and very poor construction. It has been a disaster, in my own direct experience … and for everybody else associated with fire safety in buildings … including fire prevention officers in Local Authorities.
On the other hand, the term Fire Resisting Doorset / Shutter Assembly means:
‘ A doorset / shutter assembly, suitably installed or mounted on site, the function of which is to resist the passage of heat, smoke and flame for a specified time during a fire.’
A single concept … explained in simple language that anyone can understand.
I could go on about BSI and British Standards … but, I would rapidly bore myself to sleep !
Presentation at the CIB W14 Lund Meeting …
International Fire Engineering must – now – evolve as a direct result of the WTC 9-11 Incident in New York. This necessary evolution has been delayed for far too long by selfish vested interests.
And it is essential that an Empirical and Rational Basis is clearly identified for the practice of Fire Engineering Design in the 21st Century, i.e. after 9-11. Architects and Engineers, specifically, are desperately seeking reliable design guidance.
Colour image showing the Title Page (only) of CJ Walsh's Presentation: 'A Delayed Evolution in Fire Engineering ?', at the recent CIB W14 Meeting in Lund, Sweden. Originally scheduled for 2 Days, all commission business was efficiently completed on 23rd April 2009. Click to enlarge.
CJ Walsh’s CIB W14 Lund Presentation – PDF File (1.74Mb)
Click to download the Full Presentation
The Recommendations of the 2005 & 2008 NIST Reports must, at the very least, be applied to the design of ‘High-Rise’, ‘Iconic’, ‘Critical Function’ & ‘Innovative Design’ Buildings. In a previous post, dated 2009-01-13, I had proposed that the Recommendations should generally be applied to High-Rise Buildings of more than 7 or 8 storeys and Iconic Buildings of more than 2 storeys. This is merely good fire engineering practice.
There are valuable lessons, from the NIST Reports, to be applied to the Fire Engineering Design of ALL buildings. This is demonstrated in the Lund Presentation … and, for any ‘Doubting Thomas’ out there, the collapse of WTC Building 7 makes this absolutely obvious.
For a more detailed discussion about the WTC 9-11 Incident and to download the 2005 & 2008 NIST Reports, please visit this Page on our Support WebSite …
http://www.sustainable-design.ie/fire/structdesfire.htm
Extensive content relating to other key words and phrases in the Lund Presentation can be found elsewhere on the Site.
Importance of the CIB W14 Lund Meeting …
The discussion which followed my Lund Presentation was lively and very interesting. This gave me an opportunity, throughout the rest of the meeting, to tweak the Proposed Future Work Programme of CIB W14 towards a more substantive consideration of the Recommendations from the 2 NIST Reports and the Continuing WTC Health Monitoring Studies.
Reluctantly … I will be the Project Leader for an International Team which will examine Fire-Induced Progressive Collapse over the next three years.
I will also be a Member of another Team which will examine Human Behaviour in Fire for a similar period. At the meeting, I indicated that I will be concentrating on Fire Evacuation for People with Activity Limitations (2001 WHO ICF). ‘People with Activity Limitations’ is translated into French as ‘Personnes à Performances Réduites’.
Another Page on CIB W14 : Fire Engineering will soon be added to this Technical Blog.
Short Interruption in Service – Apologies to All
On Tuesday morning last, 28th April 2009 … this Site crashed … ‘went down’ … a blank screen with just a short, cryptic message in computer jargon at the top … it was no more … it had expired … but briefly, and temporarily !
The reason was traffic overload … too many visitors. For this, we humbly apologise. And apologies to Monty Python for mangling their ‘dead parrot’ sketch ! I couldn’t help it ?!?
That was the bad, bad news.
The good news behind the interruption, however, is that I was away in Lund … one of the big university towns in Sweden … attending an important meeting of CIB Working Commission 14 : Fire. CIB stands for ‘Conseil International du Bâtiment’ (International Council of Building Research).
CIB W14 is an international, multi-stakeholder, trans-disciplinary, pre-normalization forum for discussion on research and innovation in Built Environment Fire Engineering.
Colour photograph showing the Dinner for participants at the CIB W14 & ISO TC92 Meetings which were held in Lund University during Week 17. Our very friendly Host was Mr. Robert Jönsson, Head (and Associate Professor) of the Department of Fire Safety Engineering & Systems Safety at Lund University. 30 of his students also attended the Dinner. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2009-04-23.
Successful meetings in Lund … and, on the return journey home, successful business in Stockholm … the weather was marvellous throughout …
Colour photograph showing Kungsträdgården, a principal piazza in Central Stockholm lined with Cherry Blossoms, on a beautiful, sunny April evening. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2009-04-25.
Barcelona Accessibility Conference – European Issues ?
Permit me, first of all, to vigorously reclaim the word ‘accessibility’ back from the Transport Sector. This important conference in Barcelona was not about transport networks or distances from the nearest transportation node … but about Accessibility of the Human Environment for People with Activity Limitations (2001 WHO ICF), i.e. Accessibility-for-All.
A 2-Day Conference organized by EuCAN – the European Concept for Accessibility Network co-ordinated from Luxembourg – it was held in the TRYP APOLO Hotel (Av. Paral-lel, 57-59), on the 19-20th March 2009 … an impressive start-up event for the next EuCAN Project … a publication elaborating the business opportunities being created by Design-for-All for manufacturers and service providers across Europe.
I was very pleased to make a presentation on the exciting business potential of Accessible Fire Engineering … a subset of Sustainable Fire Engineering …
Colour image showing the Title Page (only) of CJ Walsh's Presentation: 'Accessible Fire Engineering', at the recent 2-Day EuCAN Conference in Barcelona, Spain. Held on 19-20th March, 2009. Click to enlarge.
There were, however, some developments at the conference which should be brought to wider public attention for consideration and discussion … here in Ireland, but also in other European countries …
Colour photograph showing the West/'Passion' Elevation of the Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain. An architectural wonder designed by Catalan Architect, Antoni Gaudí i Cornet (1852-1926), and still under construction. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2009-03-20.
1. News was announced at the conference that the Proposed International Accessibility-for-All Standard (at present ISO CD 21542.3) has been overwhelmingly supported (mid-March 2009) for progress to the Draft International Standard (DIS) stage in its development. If everything goes well, we should see this International Standard being published sometime during the first half of 2010.
The ISO Accessibility-for-All Standard, which will be an essential implementation tool for Articles 9 & 11 of the 2006 United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in relation to Buildings, is particularly important for 2 Reasons:
- ‘Fire Safety’ Texts are now included in the Main Body of the Standard ;
- ‘Fire Evacuation’ is fully integrated into the definition and meaning of ‘Accessibility’.
Colour photograph showing the Interior of the Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain. Current state of progress with the Nave. An architectural wonder designed by Catalan Architect, Antoni Gaudí i Cornet (1852-1926), and still under construction. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2009-03-20.
2. A conversation during the conference morning coffee break, on Friday 20th March, with Bojana Rudić and Miodrag Počuč of the Centar Živeti Uspravno in Serbia, has finally convinced me that all of the various Accessibility Design Philosophies …
- design-for-all (some attempts have been made to develop 6 Principles for this rather vague philosophy) … used by EU Institutions, and more widely throughout Europe in reaction to universal design ;
- universal design (with its 7 Principles/Commandments) … preached from the USA … but in Japan, for example, a more practical application can be seen. Strangest of all is the relatively recent establishment in Ireland of the Centre for Universal Design, within the lumbering qwango that is the National Disability Authority (NDA) ;
- inclusive design (with its 5 Principles) … originating from Great Britain ;
- barrier-free design (a philosophy long out of date) … still widely referred to in Germany and other parts of Central Europe ;
- facilitation design (a newer philosophy based on 2 WHO ICF Terms: ‘Facilitator’ and ‘Environmental Factors’ and intended to update barrier-free design) … not yet well known ;
… are not only causing enormous confusion about accessibility among the ‘un-initiated’ and architectural students, to take just two examples … but are diverting scarce resources away from the process of ‘real’ accessibility implementation.
In some cases, devotion to these philosophies is so consuming that I have experienced, first-hand, a general tendency to discourage any talk about rights … with some prominent members of the International Accessibility Community (who shall remain nameless !) not even bothering to read the actual text of the 2006 UN Disability Rights Convention !
Colour photograph showing a General View, from within, of the 1929 Barcelona Pavilion - a Master Statement of Modern Architecture - designed by German Architect, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969). De-constructed in early 1930 after the Barcelona International Exposition, it was constructed again in 1986. Click to enlarge. Photograph taken by CJ Walsh. 2009-03-20.
3. Concerning the development of a European Accessibility Business Strategy …
- 2006 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Yes … Accessibility-for-All is about much more than making life and living easier for people with disabilities. Children, frail older people (not all older people !), women in the later stages of pregnancy, people who have a health condition, etc., all now need to be included in a more Person-Centred Approach to the design and sustainable transformation of our Human Environment. This is absolutely essential.
But … the 2006 UN Convention must be used as a Product & Service Checklist which covers the basic, i.e. minimum, responsible needs of people with disabilities … a sizeable social group in all of our societies. Failure to complete this simple task is a fundamental strategic error !
The 2006 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is also their sole route of access to the human and social rights set down in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
- Integration of Accessibility-for-All Performance
Building Accessibility, to take a specific example, is now more complex … and includes …
- Approach to the building from the site boundary ;
- Entry through principal entrance(s) ;
- Health, Safety, Convenience & Comfort In Use, including thermal and acoustic comfort, good indoor air quality, protection from fire, etc ;
- Egress under normal conditions ;
- Evacuation in the Event of a Fire, or other emergency ;
- Removal from the vicinity of the building back to the site boundary ;
and …
- Each stage of a Work Process, at every level, in places of work ;
- Use of Electronic, Information & Communication Technologies (EICT’s) – at minimum, those permanently fixed in/to the building ;
and …
- Management, Services & Attitudes of People in the organization using the building ;
- Recruitment, Employment, Promotion & Training Practices within the same organization.
Performance in all of these different, and up until now separate, components must be brought together and properly integrated.
- Accessibility-related Products
In Ireland, we suffer from an over-supply of British manufactured accessibility-related products which are badly-designed and inadequately tested … or not tested at all. Inability to show compliance with Part D of the Irish Building Regulations is a big issue … that is, if those manufacturers even realize that we have our own separate building legislation over here.
By the way, failure to be able to show compliance with Regulation 7 of the Building Regulations for England & Wales is an issue across the water as well !
The situation isn’t much better in the rest of Europe. Yes … the quality of design is much, much better, but there is still enormous confusion about CE Marking.
Accessibility-related Products are still, and always have been, industrial products which are being placed on the Single European Market. Normal rules apply !
- Accessibility-related Services
Hopefully, we will soon see the demise of the Access Consultant … a plentiful species, particularly in Great Britain … an individual who only deals with ‘approach to’, ‘entry’ and ‘use’ of a building or facility … and nothing about ‘fire evacuation’. Their days are slowly numbered !
The rest of us, however, need to familiarize ourselves with necessary new services …
- Accessibility Impact Assessment ;
- Accessibility Performance Indicators ;
- Accessibility Benchmarking, Target Setting and Progress Evaluation ;
- Independent Accessibility Verification ;
- Etc.
Accessibility-related Services must be dragged out of prehistoric caves … screaming, if necessary. Services must become much more professional !
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