A courageous 16-year-old boy named Lucas from Tameside, Greater Manchester, has made a powerful plea for improved fire safety in schools following a terrifying experience during a fire incident. Lucas, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, found himself alone and petrified in an upstairs room when a small electrical fire broke out at Hyde High School in November. As the fire was extinguished quickly and no one was injured, Lucas's fear stemmed from being told to remain upstairs while smoke began to permeate the room. In his moment of panic, he considered crawling down the stairs to escape the looming danger.
Compelled by his frightening experience, Lucas launched the #NoStudentLeftBehind campaign aimed at advocating for mandatory evacuation chairs in schools to ensure the safety of disabled students during emergencies. He expressed his dismay after discovering that current legislation does not require all schools to have evacuation chairs available. The principal of Hyde High School, Georgina Arnold, acknowledged the importance of Lucas's feedback and emphasized that while the school followed the procedures outlined by law, it is pivotal to address the emotional repercussions of fire emergencies on students.
Despite Lucas’s school following safety protocols deemed appropriate at the time—designating a ‘refuge area’ for his safety—his discomfort during the incident opened a dialogue around the need for better practices in emergency evacuation procedures. Lucas is dedicated to ensuring that all students, irrespective of their abilities, have the right to safe and dignified evacuation methods. He has reportedly gathered over 30,000 signatures on his petition advocating for legislation requiring schools to procure evacuation chairs and provide training for staff members regarding emergency evacuations for disabled students.
In partnership with the Emergency Group, an organization dedicated to improving emergency safety measures, Lucas is working towards a future where no student feels unsafe during emergencies. The Emergency Group has donated four evacuation chairs to Lucas's school and has appointed him as an ambassador to further promote awareness and policy changes. Lucas firmly believes there should never be a reason a student in a wheelchair feels they are left behind in a crisis.
