The Importance of Developing, Implementing and Updating Emergency Plans Prior to Providing Community Instruction

By Yvonne M. Phillips, CTTI Chester County Intermediate Unit

Travel Instructors find themselves in the community with their students, clients and consumers daily navigating public transportation, utilizing paratransit, navigating pedestrian routes and transporting in company vehicles but prior to going out into the community, is the travel instructor asking, am I prepared to keep my trainee safe to the best of my ability? Oftentimes, we gather the emergency contact information, read over and carry medical information and care plans with us when out with a trainee, but have we developed and practiced a safety and evacuation plan with our trainee?

The unexpected will occur when we least expect it, this is why individualized emergency planning should be considered. The trainee, their caretakers, support staff and any decision makers should be included. Some steps to creating an effective plan include becoming familiar with the community, identifying locations which can serve as evacuation points in the event of an emergency, familiarize yourself and trainee with emergency exits in the vehicles and buildings being utilizing and knowing the strengths and abilities of everyone traveling with you in addition to your trainee.

You may find yourself in a position where your trainee who travels in a motorized wheelchair needs to evacuate the bus which has lost access to the lift, being that an individualized emergency response plan was developed, the instructor knows that the trainee can ambulate several stairs and walking 50 feet unaided. Knowing this allows the instructor to inform the bus driver that the individual can exit without additional assistance. Also, having a plan in place can assist the trainee and instructor in remaining calm when events such as storms, accidents and evacuations occur. The key to increasing the likelihood of a safe outcome during an evacuation is to implement an effective safety plan quickly.

As a travel trainer we have a multifaceted role and that is to instruct and assist our client in reaching their maximum potential, this is why having an emergency plan in place will serve as an added layer to ensure the safety of your client and give them the tools necessary to execute their own safety plan when in the community post training. Our roles extend beyond the obvious task of providing travel instruction.  Helping our client learn how to safely and effectively navigate novel situations when least expected is a great way to ensure safety well beyond their days of travel instruction.

Copyright 2001-2024 by Vector Solutions, author Ted Finlayson-Schueler founder of

Safety Rules! which is dedicated to safe travel for individuals. Ted founded the Pupil Transportation Safety Institute (PTS) in Syracuse, New York in 1990 and served as its Executive Director until 2004.