Why you should NEVER park your ECV in the hall.

[Euby]

Thank you @mamabunny! I will certainly be asking this. I usually request a ground floor room when I travel and using an ECV. I will definitely be asking about fire safety.

If we see an ECV in the hall way, I'll be reporting it to the front desk. Hopefully, after an incident like this (especially with the lady being very vocal), there will be some meetings with Cast Members to review fire safety procedures as a whole.

Unfortunately, as a society, we forget that just because our action may make it easier for ourselves, it may make it difficult for others.

 

[Evita_W]

All good things - including meds & car keys - that we should have brought out with us!

My weird brain said "grab towels" in case we got cold; in the end I gave my daughter mine so she could sit criss-cross applesauce on the pavement. We saw a couple of families go sit in their cars, so clearly there were folks who remembered their keys!

Don't live in fear, but do be prepared.

If anyone happens to be at a Disney Resort now, or in the near future, I would genuinely appreciate if you could ask the front desk at your Resort Hotel about this issue:
What should a mobility device user who cannot walk/stand do in the event they are staying on an upper level - with elevators as the only solution for them to evacuate and bring their mobility device with them. Stairs are not a possibility in an evacuation emergency - and even if the Guest somehow magically got all the way down, there would be no mobility device at the bottom to quickly/safely get away from the building; the Guest would be still be stranded, just at the bottom of the stairs instead of the top.

If there was an active fire in the building I was in, and I was above ground floor, what was I supposed to do?

I would certainly appreciate knowing what the official Disney policy is for multi-floor buildings where mobility device users might not be able to evacuate using stairs only without fire department/first responder assistance. I hope if you find out, you will return here and let us know what you learn! Thank you in advance.

As I stated earlier, there are areas of refuge near the elevators/stairs that by law have to be clearly marked, you are supposed to go to the nearest one and remain there until given other instructions. This is true everywhere in the U.S., not just at Disney.

 

[bluecruiser]

As I stated earlier, there are areas of refuge near the elevators/stairs that by law have to be clearly marked, you are supposed to go to the nearest one and remain there until given other instructions. This is true everywhere in the U.S., not just at Disney.

In all my hotel stays at WDW and DLR (roughly 30), I have never noticed signs indicating areas of refuge. Now I must admit I never looked for them, so I believe they must be there, but I wonder if Disney makes mention of them in the in-room hotel folder, or just where I would see them.

If anyone has pictures of the signage for the areas of refuge, please post them in this thread. Thanks!

 

[Mle8308]

In all my hotel stays at WDW and DLR (roughly 30), I have never noticed signs indicating areas of refuge. Now I must admit I never looked for them, so I believe they must be there, but I wonder if Disney makes mention of them in the in-room hotel folder, or just where I would see them.

If anyone has pictures of the signage for the areas of refuge, please post them in this thread. Thanks!

I recently (September) saw those signs at Guardians of the Galaxy, had no idea what they were for, I asked a CM friend who explained. I've not seen them in any of the Disney hotels, but I did pick up a friend at a Flamingo Crossing hotel and saw a sign indicating an area of refuge there.

 

[Evita_W]

In all my hotel stays at WDW and DLR (roughly 30), I have never noticed signs indicating areas of refuge. Now I must admit I never looked for them, so I believe they must be there, but I wonder if Disney makes mention of them in the in-room hotel folder, or just where I would see them.

If anyone has pictures of the signage for the areas of refuge, please post them in this thread. Thanks!

I posted a link previously, here are some other examples:
https://www.google.com/search?q=are...e-mobile&ie=UTF-8#vhid=kG1Y-xh5yLIZXM&vssid=l

by the way this applies to all multi story buildings, not just hotels. Not all follow the law, but they are supposed to. Disney does though.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I have seen the "area of refuge" signs, but the ones I saw were at the parks, not at hotels. They were both in buildings in Epcot in the area formerly known as Future World. I promise I'll take a picture or two next time I go. Also, I always ask for an upper floor, but not next time-now that I've got no mobility without an ECV, and the fact that I haven't seen an "area of refuge" sign at a resort, I'll hope for the first floor.

 

[bluecruiser]

Thanks to everyone who posted more information about the areas of refuge. In thinking/searching further, I believe I have seen a few of these signs before at Disney. However, I thought they were places to shelter in case of hurricane.

 

[Lewisc]

I completely agree with OP. Fire code issues. Theft. Vandalism. A guest unpluggs your scooter.
That said.
Bell services at tbe Dolphin told us to park our scooter in the hall. Told us where the outlet is. Told us the halls are wide enough. I chose not to follow his suggestion.

Sippose there wasn't a parked scooter in the hall. Instead the scooter was manned, headed to the are of refuge, all steam ahead. One hand on the throttle the other on the horn

 

[fla4fun]

In all my hotel stays at WDW and DLR (roughly 30), I have never noticed signs indicating areas of refuge. Now I must admit I never looked for them, so I believe they must be there, but I wonder if Disney makes mention of them in the in-room hotel folder, or just where I would see them.

If anyone has pictures of the signage for the areas of refuge, please post them in this thread. Thanks!

We noticed them right away at Riviera when we were there last month. We were on the 5th floor, and there was a sign hanging from the ceiling like an exit sign except it said Area Of Refuge with an arrow pointing to the room where the elevators were. There were also big doors that could be closed to seal off that area that I assumed at the time might be fire doors.

When I travel, I wear shorts and a tee that are meant to be worn in public as pajamas and keep my shoes by the bed. I never wanted to be that person on the local news wrapped in nothing but a sheet. All valuables, including my car keys, are in a crossbody bag on the nightstand so I can toss the strap over my head as I step into my shoes. My sister has been evacuated from hotels for actual fires, and I was evacuated from my office building for a fire, so it made me think about what I would do. It does take a little extra time before bed and after waking up to gather everything and then put it all back in the safe, but I sleep better knowing I am prepared.

 

[HopperFan]

"Area of Refuge is a place for people who may be in wheelchairs or are otherwise unable to evacuate the building themselves to sit tight until help can arrive."

"The state of Florida requires all areas of refuge that are one or more stories above or below the level of exit discharge are equipped with a two-way communication system."



Info on Area of Refuge Requirements

 

[nw6675]

Funny how few of us have posted in the thread...but how many of us have experienced building fires!!

There was a kitchen fire at a beach resort and we had to evacuate at 3 AM. We were passing firefighters in the stairwell...that exited into some bushes!

 

[Selket]

So scary @mamabunny !! I'm glad in the end it was nothing but you really never know. Colleagues of mine died in a hotel fire in Paris (while vacationing there) with their son. They couldn't find the exit. Always know where your exits are and not just the closest one.

I too was asked to leave my ECV in the hallway by staff at the GF. I was somewhat new to using one back then. They were insistent - it was the one who cleaned my room daily so I saw her a few times. I had a room in a sort of L shaped area so I could park it in the corner of the L (which was away from the rest of the hallway and only went towards my room). I had so much space to park an ECV in that room too lol. I didn't want to keep arguing with her (nicely).

I guess it is one nice thing about a value or most moderates - your door opens to the outside usually so it is safer for that.... and with multiple buildings a fire in the kitchen wouldn't affect your room.

 

[maxiesmom]

Swan Reserve has a policy of all ECVs are to be parked at Bell Services because we were told of the hallway fire threat, like exactly what OP described- it's great. Never see one in a hall there. They even charge them overnight for you.

ETA- unless you're keeping it in your room as is later pointed out

That is odd. What if you can't walk at all, will they deliver it to you every day?

Also, my first time using a ecv at the Swan they told me to park it in the hallway to charge it. Maybe it is because at the Swan they have these large nooks near the elevators with charge ports? I always wonder too if you were traveling solo how you would get an ecv in and out of your room?

 

[gottalovepluto]

That is odd. What if you can't walk at all, will they deliver it to you every day?

Also, my first time using a ecv at the Swan they told me to park it in the hallway to charge it. Maybe it is because at the Swan they have these large nooks near the elevators with charge ports?

If you can't walk at all you need to keep it in your room anyway so non-issue. SR has smaller hallways than Swan.

 

[Evita_W]

That is odd. What if you can't walk at all, will they deliver it to you every day?

Also, my first time using a ecv at the Swan they told me to park it in the hallway to charge it. Maybe it is because at the Swan they have these large nooks near the elevators with charge ports? I always wonder too if you were traveling solo how you would get an ecv in and out of your room?

DH does it all the time, basically, he reaches for the door handle and pushes the door open with the scooter (for the side you can push from. For pulling, he turns a bit sideways, grabs the door handle, opens it while backing up the scooter until he can get through, goes through and most of the time the door fully closes behind him, but he double checks to make sure it latched closed. Just make sure you have your room key before the door closes.

 

[Euby]

That is odd. What if you can't walk at all, will they deliver it to you every day?

Also, my first time using a ecv at the Swan they told me to park it in the hallway to charge it. Maybe it is because at the Swan they have these large nooks near the elevators with charge ports? I always wonder too if you were traveling solo how you would get an ecv in and out of your room?

I use a Wedge-It door stop that goes over the hinge of the door. It keeps it open enough so that I drive the ECV through the door.

 

[mamabunny]

I use a Wedge-It door stop that goes over the hinge of the door. It keeps it open enough so that I drive the ECV through the door.

That's what I use; I keep one on each of my mobility devices now. Very handy, and available on Amazon here, or just search for Wedge-it.

 

[snowwite]

This is the single best thing I’ve ever brought with me on a trip. This item makes getting in and out of the room on my own a piece of cake! Thanks @mamabunny!