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: Onsite registration closed. However, you can join the event online.
- Accessibility information: Accessible venue. Captioning and sign language interpretation in Latvian.
- More information
- 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)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, SOCINTEGRA, APEIRONS, AccessibleEU
- 10.00 - 10.10 Opening of the conference – Mr. I.Balodis, Chairman of the Board of the Association of Disabled People and their Friends ‘APEIRONS’
- 10.10 - 10.20 Address from the Ministry of the Interior
- 10.20 -10.40 The tasks, experience and objectives of the State Fire Rescue Service for the safe evacuation of persons with disabilities – Mr.T.Lausmā, Senior Inspector of the Fire Safety Regulations Division of the Fire Safety Supervision Department, State Fire and Rescue Service
- 10.40 - 11.00 Evacuation in Riga municipality. Opportunities and challenges – Mr.G.Reinsons, Riga Municipality Civil Protection and Operational Information Department
- 11.00 -11.20 Evacuation solutions in a typical building for providing family-friendly care services - Ms Z.Balode, project manager and Ms.A.Kaķeševa, technical expert, State ltd ‘Šampētera nams’
- 11.20 - 11.40 Riga Airport solutions for safe evacuation – Mr.G.Leimanis, Head of PRM Service, Riga Airport
- 11.40 - 12.00 Coffee/tea break
- 12.00 - 12.10 Vision of persons with disabilities about safety during evacuation. Video stories
- 12.10 - 12.20 Challenges in evacuation of persons with hearing impairments – Mrs.I.Immure, Chairwoman of the Council of the Latvian Deaf Association
- 12.20 - 12.30 Challenges in evacuation of persons with visual impairments – Mr.K.Biezais, Chairman of the Central Board of the Latvian Blind Society
- 12.30 – 12.40 AccessibleEU Resource Centre, opportunities offered - Mrs.D.Podzina, AccessibleEU national expert
- 12.40 - 12.50 Challenges for evacuation, side view – Mr.J.Briedis, accessibility expert from the Association of Disabled People and their Friends ‘APEIRONS’
- 13.00-14.00 Panel discussion. Moderator Mr.I.Balodis, Chairman of the Board of the Association of Disabled People and their Friends ‘APEIRONS’
- Participants: Ms.I.Uka, Head of the Fire Safety Regulations Division of the Fire Safety Supervision Department, State Fire and Rescue Service; Mr.G.Leimanis, Head of PRM Service, Riga Airport; Mr.J.Ivanovskis-Pigits, Direktor of Development Projects Administration, State Real Estate; Mr.J.Briedis, accessibility expert, Association of Disabled People and their Friends ‘APEIRONS’
- 14.00 Closing
Practical information
- When
- Wednesday 9 April 2025, 09:30 - 14:00 (EEST)
- Languages
- Latvian