Emergency preparedness: are we ready?

Emergency evacuation of a school: we plan for it, we practice it at least six times per year; and yet with all our planning and practice, we hope that an actual emergency evacuation will never actually occur. For the most part, our drills and practice evacuations take place under very controlled circumstances, classes are in session and the weather outside is favourable. But unlike our practice drills, real emergencies occur at the least opportune times – perhaps at noon or recess when the school may have limited staff on site, or the weather conditions may pose an even greater threat than the emergency situation that exists within the building. For example, in the many parts of the province temperatures can drop to minus twenty degrees centigrade or lower during the school day; placing elementary students outside, without adequate clothing in these temperatures, can create immediate and severe safety concerns. Moving students and staff to a secure site perhaps only six or seven blocks away at these temperatures can also pose a real danger of frostbite. Do these situation occur? Unfortunately, yes! In our northern school district we have experienced a noon-hour gas-plant fi re and explosion that required the evacuation of not only the elementary school, but also the entire village. A recent evacuation of an elementary school, in minus twenty degree temperatures (which again occurred at noon hour), has motivated us to reassess our emergency plans at a district level, asking many of the following questions. Are there alternative methods of dealing with these situations? A close re-examination of our emergency plans revealed the need to revise them. You may want to ask yourself some of the same questions we posed to ourselves: • How far away is your emergency shelter located, and how long will it take to reach that location on foot? (If the building is locked, are keys available – you might consider asking for permission to install a lock box containing an entry key, with the lock box keyed to the school key.) • School buildings are built to very stringent building codes to help prevent the spread of fi re. If the students’ coats and boots are located in the classroom, is it possible to take an extra minute or two to collect these items before leaving the classroom? This may well be worth the effort in preserving life once outside the school. (Have the students practiced this routine? Time how long it takes.)

By Robert Lawrence, CEFOP

• Can you secure an agreement with your municipal transit system to supply transit buses to your location in the event of an emergency situation? We found that our municipality was very willing to assist in this way. • How long will it take for school district buses to arrive at your location in cold-weather conditions? (Remember, it takes time to warm up a unit in below zero temperature weather.) • Discuss the possibility of securing a supply of blankets from your municipal emergency response coordinator, and locate them in a cupboard by the entrances of your school. • Arrange to have a practice emergency evacuation drill where the students line up by the exit door, and have your staff check the students for adequate footwear and clothing to meet the weather conditions outside. (Insist that all students wear footwear at all times while in the building.) • If the emergency occurs outside of normal classroom times, do all of your students know what to do and where to meet as a class? Are student registers available to check attendance? (Have you done a practice drill outside of regular classroom times; for example, at noon-hour or recess?) • Have fi re wardens been assigned to check the building, covering the entire school day? • Have administrative offi cers and their respective designates been familiarized with how to read the fi re alarm enunciator panels? • If the emergency occurs at noon-hour, do you know what percentage of your staff will be available? How many normally leave the school at this time period? • In case of gas leak, has a secondary outside staging area been arranged to provide opportunity to remain up-wind of the gas leak? • How will students be released to their parents and guardians in a controlled manner? • Do you have a means of communication, and do all parties – including district staff – know their responsibilities in the event of an emergency? Have specifi c individuals been assigned to communicate with the media, and do they know what information to release?

• As a last alternative, have additions been added to your school building? There is most often a two-hour fi re-rated wall between these additions. You may wish to consult with your local fi re department and district maintenance supervisor regarding using one of these areas in your building as a temporary safe zone until emergency transportation can be arranged to move to a different location. Before considering this alternative you would need to ensure that: • There is an understanding that all students and staff will evacuate the entire building immediately; • There is full fi re separation between the building areas; • That the ventilation system will shut down to prevent the spread of toxic smoke or fumes; • A qualifi ed person is available in the school to determine the nature of the emergency and extent of danger; • Staff and students will only re-enter the “safe zone” in the building after it has been determined that it is safe to do so; • The plan is acceptable the local fi re department; • A means of outside communication is available in that area (i.e., cellular phone); • Weather conditions are severe, and that remaining outside would result is serious heath and safety problems; • All staff members are familiar with this second plan and how to implement it;

• That it is only a temporary arrangement until suitable transport is available to move the students and staff to a safe location. There are certainly many other questions that can be raised, but the important thing is to take the time to plan now: in the event of a real emergency, it will pay off in the preservation of life and safety of students and staff, as well as in the positive atmosphere it creates with the public in general when they are assured we are taking the best possible care or our most precious asset – our students.

About the Author: Robert Lawrence, CEFOP, has been employed by School District 60 (Peace River North) for 36 years and is proud to be a long-standing member of SPOA (now the EFMA) since 1986; he was Zone Rep for Zone 6 for a number of years. A locksmith by trade, Lawrence was custodial supervisor for ten years before becoming supervisor of safety services in 1996 until present. Lawrence is a member of the B.C. School Safety Association and served two terms as president of the BCSSA; he currently serves as BCSSA past president.

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