The New Emergency Plan of St Peter in Vatican

On April 11th, 2025, the new emergency plan of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican was presented. The drafting of the plan and its verification with emergency egress simulation applications, of which no details were provided, appears to have given a decisive impetus to overcoming architectural barriers in the building. In particular, the simulations would have shown that the presence of steps on the access doors to the atrium constituted a possible criticality in the event of an evacuation.

The pressure exerted by a significant number of people and obstacles such as steps, in fact, can cause people to fall with the risk of the crowd walking on them.
For this reason, ramps have been superimposed on the access steps, which date back to 1600 and are part of the original structure of that part of the building. The new ramps not only allow much easier access for all those with special motor needs, but also streamline the evacuation, by allowing people who use wheelchairs to easily reach the outside.

In general, in the press conference has been highlighted the need to balance heritage conservation with safety and accessibility needs. Such effort requires specific solutions and careful planning that takes into account the different functional needs and the results of targeted investigations.

The general problem of safety of people with special needs in historic buildings

The safety of people with disabilities in historic buildings is a significant challenge due to the lack of compliance with current accessibility standards and the difficulty of making adequate modifications. This issue requires a specific approach for each case, implementing organizational and plant measures to limit risks.
In this post this website highlighted how safe accessibility (in a broader view, the lack of disaster preparedness plans that take into account the needs of people with disabilities) is a crucial aspect in the preservation of historic buildings, but difficult to implement. Several other issues are listed in the post:

• Lack of adequate emergency evacuation plans.
• Insufficient fire safety measures, such as smoke detectors, fire extinguishers or emergency lighting.
• Limited access to escape routes due to narrow doors, steep stairs and other barriers.
• Inadequate signage and communication for people with visual or hearing impairments.
• Limited availability of accessible escape routes for people with reduced mobility or in wheelchairs.
• Lack of staff training on assisting people with disabilities.
• Limited availability of accessible first aid supplies.
• Insufficient lighting and contrast making navigation difficult for people with visual impairments.
• Limited availability of accessible storage areas.
• Lack of disaster preparedness plans that take into account the needs of people with disabilities

On the vulnerability of people with special needs during emergencies in historic buildings, the main gaps that exist are:

• Limited mobility and lack of accessible transportation and evacuation routes.
• Need for specialized care that requires coordination during evacuation.
• Communication barriers that hinder receiving timely information.
• Lack of accessibility of shelters with adequate facilities and support.
• Insufficient evacuation planning that takes into account specific needs.

According a 2023 UNDRR global survey that reveals that people with disabilities are particularly vulnerable during emergencies. The survey found that only 26% of respondents said they had no difficulty evacuating immediately and without assistance. Even with sufficient advance warning, this percentage only rose to 39%. Additionally, 84% of people with disabilities reported not having a personal disaster preparedness plan, and 56% were unaware of or did not have access to disaster risk information in accessible formats.

The survey data highlights the importance of developing emergency plans that take into account the diverse functional needs of the population.