RESNA Standards Committee on Emergency Stair Travel Devices for Individuals with Disabilities (ESTD)
Click here for the membership form to join this committee.
Click here for information about the ED-1 Standard developed and maintained by this committee.
Click here to order standards from this committee.
Click here to access the RESNA Position Paper on the Use of Evacuation Chairs.
Click here to login to the committee workspace within RESNA Connect (ESTD COMMITTEE MEMBERS ONLY)
COMMITEE & MEETING INFORMATION
ESTD Committee meeting dates are posted below. Meetings are open to anyone; voting on documents requires membership. Participants from diverse interest categories are encouraged to participate. Each RESNA Standards Committee is required to maintain a balance in membership. Currently, ESTD Committee is looking for members in these interest categories:
- Government,
- Consumers,
- Building Owners and Managers,
- Code Development and Code Enforcement,
- Testing Organizations and facilities.
All are welcome to observe or join the committee.
Meeting dates for the end of 2025 will be posted soon.
ANSI Public Comment Period for RESNA ED-1 Standard for Evacuation Devices - Volume 1: Emergency Stair Travel Devices used by Individuals with Disabilities
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has initiated the public comment period for RESNA ED-1 Standard for Evacuation Devices - Volume 1: Emergency Stair Travel Devices used by Individuals with Disabilities. The public comment period will end on November 16th, 2025.
Emergency evacuation by individuals with disabilities remains a topic of high importance with respect to emergency management. Where the evacuation route includes stairs, use of emergency stair travel devices may be warranted. These devices vary in design, each offering a combination of benefits to and requirements of the occupants and operators. Further development of the RESNA ED-1 Standard is proposed regarding test methods for weight capacity, stability, dynamic loading, and maneuverability.
The stakeholders are individuals with mobility impairments, caregivers, organizations representing the technical needs of individuals with mobility impairments, life safety equipment operators, building owners and managers, life safety technology designators, code development and enforcement professionals, manufacturers, researchers, designers, and test laboratories of emergency stair travel devices.
The Interest Categories are:
- Government
- Building Owners and Managers
- Code Development / Code Enforcement Professionals
- Consultants and Professionals
- Consumers
- Manufacturers & Supplier Professionals
- Researcher Professionals
- Testing Organizations and Facilities Representatives
- General
The Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North American (RESNA) Standards Committee on Emergency Stair Travel Devices (ESTD) is working on a final draft standard, RESNA ED-1 Standard for Evacuation Devices - Volume 1: Emergency Stair Travel Devices used by Individuals with Disabilities. This standard covers the terminology, description, performance, inspection, and maintenance of devices whose primary purpose is the travel of individuals with disabilities over stair and horizontal surfaces during building evacuations. This standard does not cover devices whose purpose is the travel of individuals with disabilities during routine travel on stairs. This standard includes requirements and test methods for determining emergency stair travel device performance. It also includes requirements for the disclosure of the test results.
We are interested in hearing from all parties who may be directly and materially interested in this standard. If you would like to assist with developing this draft standard, please email us at technicalstandards@resna.org.
OFFICERS
Glenn Hedman
University of Illinois Chicago - Assistive Technology Unit
ghedman@uic.edu
These standards affect individuals with mobility impairments, caregivers and organizations representing the technical needs of persons with mobility impairments, life safety operators, building owners and managers, life safety technology designators, code development and enforcement professionals, and manufacturers, researchers, designers, and test laboratories of emergency stair travel devices.
Work Program
RESNA ED-1 Evacuation Devices Volume 1: Emergency Stair Travel Devices for Individuals with Disabilities
The standard covers devices used for travel along stairs during emergency evacuations. This standard does not cover stair-climbing devices, incline platform lifts, or stairway chairlifts. It specifies vocabulary, methods of measurement, test methods and requirements for: dimensions and weight; seating and positioning; performance measures; strength and durability testing; operating limitations; disclosure requirements and inspection requirements.
The standard includes the following sections:
Section 1: Terminology, Description, and Performance
Section 2: Inspection, Installation, and Maintenance