3.2 Emergency Evacuation
Voyager carries thirty-six lifeboat pods plus four one-way emergency transporters for evacuating the ship, and can also serve as a rescue vessel with a total emergency capacity of about 2,000 people.
Emergency Evacuation From Ship
The ship is equipped with thirty-six lifeboat pods which can be ejected in an extreme emergency. Escape pods are probably a lot safer if ejected at sublight. After ejection, the pods are designed to dock together into clusters to increase chances of survival (dubbed "gaggle mode"). Additionally, the ship is equipped with four emergency evacuation transporters capable of one-way-only transport off the ship.
Emergency Evacuation To Ship
During times of disaster on a planet or on another ship, Voyager is well-equipped to serve as a rescue vessel. Evacuation to the ship can be accomplished by Transporter (in addition to the personnel Transporters, the cargo Transporters can be used in a pinch). The ship's shuttlecraft can also be used for emergency evacuation, but their total capacity is far less than Transporter usage. During such an evacuation, the ship's Shuttlebay can be pressed into service as medical triage facilities and refugee accommodations, as can the Cargo Deck. Total capacity of Voyager in an emergency evacuation is probably about 2,000 people.