Laird Street Health & Business

General information

DirectMii & Evacu8Me (Cell) phone app:

For many years I have been advocating accessible environments and equality of disabled people in accessing building and services. In my experience this is only half the story as just as important and maybe even more is the ability to exit a building during an emergency.
In this current climate evacuating disabled people now has to consider terrorist acts and it has to address leaving disabled people in refuge areas. It is not acceptable to expect Fire and Rescue services to evacuate people. If a disabled person is with a partner or family, it is agreed that they would not be left alone in the building whilst they are evacuated, they would all stick together. So now it’s time to get organised and when planning for evacuation… Please consider disabled people, vulnerable and older people and families with children as this accounts for over half the population in plans for public and crowd evacuations.

During my research and in-depth consultations with disabled people, support organisations and businesses I came across a wide range of opinions and possible solutions. It became clear that this was a problem and this had been long buried under the carpet as it is too difficult to sort out.

Having evacuation plans for employees was fairly straight forward, the main issue is having evacuation plans for visitors and the public in general. How are we supposed to know what disability a person has, and if it’s hidden can we ask everyone do they have a disability and do they need a bespoke plan.

Two questions came up constantly;

what disabilities do I have an evacuation plan for? and from disabled people ‘does anyone know am here? These two little questions need big answers, so the long road to understanding the questions lead to the formation of the app.

There are only three things to consider for the evacuation of disabled people, it does not matter what disability a person has or is called:

1. The ability to physically move.
2. The ability to receive or give communications, and
3. Understanding of being in a life threatening situation, information of evacuation procedure or following some floor plan instructions.

Once you address these issues then you can move forward with a certainty that disabled people have been considered for emergency evacuations.

Five Disabled Access Officers formed a company (Access and Evacu8 ltd) and took this idea to the next level and created The DirectMii/ Evacu8Me Internet based (cloud) system. A new and novel way to manage internal navigation and as an information release platform. It allows for the creation of Way-finding and directional guides that can give Bespoke routes, all cumulating in a phone App delivery endpoint. Data ownership is a key feature of live information management and our systems offer huge potential opportunities that complement and enhance standard internal navigation.

For business and organisation we asked;

How would you like the ability to send an alert to the people in your building or at a public event.

Or, without creating a new and costly app provide information, maybe offers or marketing material direct to peoples phones who are either in your location or intend to visit you.

What about knowing when people are in, or left and where they are live on a system that is portable and compact.

Well the Directmii system can do all of this and more;
• A to B pictorial route guides & emergency evacuation plans (alternative routes for disabled people)
• Check-in facility (same as sign in for buildings)
• Easy and smart cloud (internet) based system. No need to integrate into current IT systems
• An easy way to create and manage employee peep's
• Disability service (toilet and changing facilities) magnetic door locks opened with our app on disabled people phones
• The ability to give any information via our app, direct to peoples phones No need to create or develop your own expensive app
• Create digital coupons/offers to boost sales and manage them live
• Digital Reviews and feedback data, ability to create your own forms and delivery address
• Free access to On line e-learning staff training

Testing and trials underway for event and crowd warnings & notifications direct to peoples phones for terrorist incidents and major critical public incidents

And finally does anyone know am here? Well the use a phone app to sign people in and out of a building would be a great start. Notifications sent out to people who have checked-in to evacuate would also be good, now you can see how we got to this point. Our website explains in-more depth the concept around our system, where it can be used and the benefits for everyone to use.

Anthony Rice.
director
www.directme.com
0151 345 3360
Mobile 077 088 488 38

Laird Street Health and Business cnt
320 Laird Street, Birkenhead.
Merseyside
CH41 8ER