Policies, Regulations Forms and Bylaws
4110-10 | Emergency Preparedness - Fire Response
Date Approved: March 13 2012
Date Reviewed/Amended: November 15 2015
1. Raise the Alarm
- If Indoors:
- Pull the nearest fire alarm.
- If you cannot reach an alarm, notify the principal or designate, and any other nearby occupants, by any means available to you.
- The secretary will, when safely outside the building, use a cell phone to call
9-1-1, advising the operator of:
- name and address of the school;
- nature of fire, if known; and
- whereabouts of school/building occupants.
- If Outdoors:
- notify the principal or designate, and any other nearby occupants, of the fire by any means available to you.
- Move students to the designated assembly area.
2. Evacuate the Building
- Upon hearing a fire alarm, teachers will:
- ensure all classroom activities stop; (gas and equipment, if applicable, are shut off unless doing so jeopardizes the employee’s safety);
- ascertain if it is safe to exit the classroom via the designated evacuation route;
- if able to exit classroom as planned, direct students to walk in a quiet and orderly manner along the evacuation route to the designated assembly area;
- activate evacuation plans for any students with special needs;
- when exiting, attempt to close all classroom windows and doors, if possible;
- bring a class list, which includes that day’s attendance;
- if unable to exit the classroom, have students sit on the floor against the outside wall;
- if unable to exit the classroom, open exterior window and evacuate if on the ground floor, or call for help through the open window if unable to evacuate.
- All employees will ensure that all occupants are able to immediately evacuate the building using the designated evacuation routes to a safe assembly area.
- The earthquake kit must be taken to the command post. Emergency medical forms and supplies will be kept close to or within the earthquake kit.
- The visitor log must be taken to the command post.
3. Fight the Fire Only If:
- The fire department has been notified.
- Students have been evacuated.
- The fire is small and not spreading to other areas.
- Escaping the area is possible by backing towards the nearest exit.
- The fire extinguisher is in working order and personnel are trained to use it
4. Account for all Occupants
- Teachers will:
- immediately take attendance at the assembly area;
- immediately report any missing students, staff and/or visitors to the command post; and
- apply I.D. information to all primary and injured students; if I.D. tags are missing, write I.D information on children’s foreheads.
- The Principal will:
- set up a command post;
- determine if all students, staff, and visitors have safely exited the school building(s); and
- inform fire department officials immediately upon their attendance of names and ages of unaccounted for students, staff, visitors and their possible location in the building, including any students with special needs waiting in secure areas of the school for assistance to be removed from the building.
- All building occupants will remain outside the building until the Principal or designate announces that it is safe to reenter.
- If it is impossible or unsafe to return to the school building, follow emergency student release procedures.
- Students must wait to be reunited with parents or guardians through the Student Release Station; keep accurate records of students released. If there are any students remaining after school hours, they must be accommodated at the school or at an identified Evacuation Reception Centre.
5. Situation Management
- The Principal will attempt to confirm the location of the fire in the facility, to advise the responding fire department.
- Teachers will:
- remind students that parents may be delayed in calling for them; and
- encourage students to talk about their anxieties and fears.
- The Principal will:
- oversee first aid, if necessary;
- ensure all entrances to school property are open and not blocked;
- disconnect utilities and equipment unless doing so jeopardizes employee safety; and
- stand by and be of assistance to fire department officials, as needed.
- All media queries regarding a fire at a district school or facility will be handled through the office of the Superintendent, in consultation with the local fire department.
Related Policies and Regulations
4110 Emergency Preparedness Policy
4110-12 Emergency Preparedness - fire Prevention
4110-90 Emergency Preparedness - Emergency Drills
4310-40 Emergency Preparedness - Incident Reporting and Investigation
REFERENCES
4110 - - Emergency Preparedness Policy
4110-12 - - Emergency Preparedness - Fire Prevention
4110-90 - - Emergency Preparedness - Emergency Drills
4310-40 - - Incident Reporting and Investigation Decision Tree
