Though fire drills and other safety drills can be annoying at times, especially when you’re already in the middle of doing something, situations like last Tuesday’s gas leak remind us why they’re a necessity.
During the second period on Tuesday, November 11 shortly before 10 am, it was announced that there was an unannounced fire drill. Minutes before the fire drill was announced was when a gas leak was detected by a teacher. Although it was only 32 degrees outside with the wind blowing at 13.2 mph, students and staff had to stand outside until it was said it was safe to come back in. Students were warned ahead of time to dress warmly, as they unfortunately had to wait outside for around thirty minutes while they waited for the fire department.
The main concern was the children and since it was cold outside there was an urgency to find a way to get the students back into the building. “The fire department lieutenant said because it was isolated in this one specific spot, and because of his level of concern, he felt that the auditorium, the gym, and the cafeteria were safe spaces,” said Principal Smith.
Although the evacuation for the gas leak started around 10 am it took time to alert the district transportation and get buses in place to take students home. Students weren’t released from the school until around 11:45 am. “Once we had half the buses, then I made the decision that it was a comfortable time to release so everybody had a place to go,” Principal Smith explained.
Although the situation was organized but chaotic at times as is most emergencies, many students complained that they should have been told it was a gas leak, instead of a drill, but Principal Smith explained, “At that point, we didn’t have confirmation that we were dealing with an emergency. I’m not going to wait for somebody to confirm what I feel is happening before evacuating students to safety.”
Practicing school safety drills for evacuation, weather, and intruder or lockdown situations is a common practice of education today. Some would argue why do we have to do these every month or that it’s common sense to know what to do or that the reality of these things happening are slim?
“As silly or annoying as they may seem, as someone that’s been practicing school safety drills for twenty years for everything from fire and evacuation to lockdown situations to weather related drills, as I’ve experienced real situations all that practice is like muscle memory and you can face the real situation in a much calmer, less panicked state in a moment of real crisis. So as much I too may be like ‘ugh another drill’ I do understand the need and point of practicing them frequently,” shares veteran teacher Ms. Glenn.
Knowing what to do can help generate a level of calm and order in moments that can be quite chaotic. “Drills need to be practiced to educate students on safety features of the building (like the sound of the fire alarm) and to help occupants of the building learn the agreed on the paths available to evacuate the building,” states the Office of the Fire Marshall.
Regularly practicing safety drills enhances everyone’s readiness and response in the event of a real situation, which contributes to a safer environment for everyone involved.
Fire drills go beyond compliance with regulations; they are the heartbeat of safety culture within organizations. And not only are they testing students and staff but it tests the whole procedures themselves to see if there are adjustments needed to ensure better safety measures in place.
No matter how one may feel about the practice of constantly practicing school safety drills they are important and help ensure we all stay safe and in the case of real situations like Tuesday’s following directions and remaining calm is vital in an unplanned situation.
