2017 Bronze Medal Award

This team is recognized for the development of guidance on the use of existing and newly designed elevators during the fire evacuation process, based directly on the data derived from the perspectives of occupants with mobility impairments. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 51 participants with mobility impairments working in tall buildings in the United States. Participants' perspectives on evacuation experiences and methods, which are often neglected in evacuation planning and procedural development, provided direct input into this guidance document, which will assist designers, facility managers, and emergency personnel with improvements to designs, technologies, and emergency procedures for safer fire evacuation of occupants with mobility impairments.