The need for the event was determined by two significant moments: the war in Ukraine, which highlighted the different situations of people with disabilities during evacuation, and evacuation solutions in facilities and construction projects, in which environmental accessibility was assessed.
These issues are not given the necessary attention in Latvia. For several months, accessibility experts from Apeirons (previously trained with AccessibleEU support) summarised and evaluated the evacuation plans of various institutions in the event of a fire, concluding that no one really knew what to do and who was responsible for what.
Therefore this workshop will focus on solutions for the safe evacuation of people with disabilities, whether it is one person who needs to be evacuated from a theatre or several people who need to be evacuated from a long-term social care centre.
Details on the event:
- Target audience: Representatives from the state (the Ministry of Welfare, the Ministry of Interior) and municipal institutions, local government representatives, the State Fire and Rescue Service employees, real estate managers, social service providers, officials responsible for fire safety, accessibility experts, persons with disabilities, and society representatives who are interested in the topic.
- Where: Riga Motor Museum, S. Eizenšteina str. 8, Riga, LV 1079, Latvia
- Format: Hybrid
- Type of event: Workshops and mutual learning sessions
- Language: Latvian
- How to participate: Free registration
- Accessibility information: Accessible venue. Captioning and sign language interpretation in Latvian.
- public safety | emergency aid | inclusion
- Wednesday 9 April 2025, 09:30 - 14:00 (EEST)
- Country
- Latvia
Programme
- 9 Apr 2025, 09:30 - 14:00 (EEST)Preliminary agenda
9.30-10.00 Registration / Welcoming coffee / Introduction to services provided by NGOs representing persons with different types of disabilities. NGOs – Latvian Deaf Association, INTEGRA, APEIRONS, also AccessibleEU (about the project and Resource Centre)- 10.00 -10.10 Opening of the conference / Introduction to the importance of the topic in the current geopolitical situation / why it is important for people with disabilities / the need for cooperation, the common concern for who needs support – Mr. I.Balodis, Chairman of the Board of the Association of Disabled People and their Friends ‘APEIRONS’
- 10.10-10.20 Address of the Minister of the Interior/ Address of the Head of the State Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) - R. Kozlovskis, Minister for the Interior/ State Secretary D.Trofimovs / Parliamentary Secretary I.Rajevs/ one of the MoI (TBC)
- 10.20–10.50 The tasks, experience and objectives of the SFRS for the safe evacuation of persons with disabilities - M.Baltmanis, Chief of the State Fire and Rescue Service, Colonel (TBC)
- 10.50-11.20 Evacuation options and solutions in the field of social services – representative of the Ministry of Welfare (TBC)
- 11.20-11.50 Riga Airport solutions for safe evacuation / or shopping mall ORIGO experience and solutions. Representative from the airport or shopping mall
- 12.00-12.30 Coffee/tea break
- 12.30-13.15 Vision of persons with disabilities about safety during evacuation. Experience stories – evacuation plans, use of simple language, evacuation routes and methods - Environmental experts, J.Briedis, V.Lapsa, etc. – to be clarified
- 13.15-13.55 Panel discussion. Contradictions and solutions to eliminate them. How to ensure safe evacuation for one person or several? Who is responsible for what? What, how and who should do? Is cooperation possible? What competencies are needed, how to master them? Indications and their use. – Moderator I.Balodis
- Participants: SFRS, Riga Airport, State Real Estate, Emergency Medical Service, Association of Local and Regional Governments, accessibility expert J.Briedis
- 13.55-14.00 Closing
Practical information
- When
- Wednesday 9 April 2025, 09:30 - 14:00 (EEST)
- Languages
- Latvian