PARKED ON RAMP ABOARD A320; PAX DOOR SLIDE INADVERTENTLY DEPLOYED; THEN DEFLATED.

Narrative

THE FLT FROM SFO TO ORD DIVERTED TO RFD TO REFUEL. THE CAPT AND I WERE COMMUNICATING OVER THE PHONE -- COULD PEOPLE DEPLANE AND IF RENTAL CAR WERE STILL OPEN FOR BUSINESS. CAPT TOLD ME TO DISARM DOORS. AS I MADE THE ANNOUNCEMENT I NOTICED THE MOBILE AIRSTAIRS APCHING QUICKLY; MORE SO THAN NORMALLY. THE 1ST ANNOUNCEMENT DID NOT GO THROUGH FROM THE FLOOR. I MADE ANOTHER ANNOUNCEMENT AND GRABBED THE DOOR HANDLE -- CRACKING BEFORE REALIZING. I QUICKLY PUSHED THE DOOR BACK DOWN AND DISARMED -- BUT THE PWR ASSIST TOOK OVER AND THE SLIDE INFLATED. NO ONE WAS INJURED. THEN THE SLIDE DEFLATED; FLT ATTENDANT #2 MANNED MY DOOR WHILE I RPTED TO THE CAPT. SHE NEVER SAW THE SLIDE COMPLETELY INFLATED. BY THE TIME WE DEPLANED THE SLIDE RAFT WAS JUST A GRAY LIMP MATERIAL DANGLING FROM THE PLANE DOOR AT 1L. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT FLT HAD TO DEVIATE DUE TO FUEL/WX AT ORD. CABIN ATTENDANT WAS AWARE OF AIRSTAIRS APCHING BUT WAS CONFUSED BY THE PIC'S ORDER TO DISARM DOORS; DUE TO PAX ONBOARD AND REFUELING REGS THAT APPLY IN THIS SIT. THEN HER PA ANNOUNCEMENT TO COMMUNICATE TO OTHER CABIN ATTENDANTS TO DISARM DOORS DID NOT XMIT. RPTR SUGGESTS THAT THE ARMED POS ON THE AIRBUS PAX ENTRY DOOR BE COVERED WITH A COLORED STRIP TO DIFFERENTIATE THE ARM/DISARM POS OF THE HANDLE. SLIDE INFLATED PARTIALLY AND LODGED BTWN THE AIRSTAIRS AND ACFT FLOOR THEN QUICKLY DEFLATED WITHOUT INJURY.