Over the past several days, Disney Skyliner gondolas have been spotted hanging in mid air with the doors wide open. Although this is certainly not normal, it is a necessary step during the testing phase.
The Reedy Creek Fire Department has been periodically testing the emergency evacuation protocols in various locations around Walt Disney World. Rescue crews use a crane apparatus to raise to the level of each gondola, allowing guests to safely walk out and be lowered to the ground. Here we can see the crane working on the Hollywood Studios line just a few days prior. It was far away, so a little blurry, but we get the idea.
Evacuation testing has been going on for several months, as we captured the very first evacuations back in April at Hollywood Studios.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w0AwechU1Q[/embedyt]
Just recently, The Reedy Creek Fire Department posted these pictures of test evacuations over the water at Epcot’s International Gateway. The crews are repelling down from a rope apparatus that would enable passengers to be safely lowered to the land.
Disney has a specialized barge that was custom built to evacuate guests over Hourglass Lake at the Pop Century and Art of Animation Resorts.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3dOtFqPFI0[/embedyt]
Safety is always the number one priority at Disney, so it’s no wonder they are taking so many steps to ensure that all evacuation protocols are in place prior to the grand opening date on September 29.
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[…] testing has been ongoing for just over six months. Recently, the Reedy Creek Fire Department tested evacuation drills, including those over the […]