Technolandy

Day 132 (of 2024/25) Reflecting on Emergency Drills in a campus that does not have attendance… 

We probably don’t do drills enough… though I can also argue that we likely do them too often… familiarity can bring confidence/competence, but also a desensitivity to what’s real, and what’s practice (which is why many times I have had to say to adults working away while a fire alarm is ringing “yes, you actually have to leave and go outside…”

Drills are not about getting things right and fast. For me, they are about identifying things that may be noticed by someone as not quite ‘right enough’ (or as today did, identifying that a speaker is ‘out’…)

I will always give the reminder that while many of us (yep, guilty) sometimes focus on the speed to get outside… weather matters, and we do need to be aware of what we are going into – as a friend experienced when the school community rushed into a snowy field really quickly, but without coats… and the fire was real and it was very chilly… downright cold. And nobody was prepared for the weather – well, they were… but the coats were inside the rooms… and the fire chief said, that while they don’t want kids going into the hallway or back to another room to get coats/boots… if they’re in the room, grab them so that they are prepared for the weather outside! Speed is important, but survival even more so!

So, I do have a script… but mindful that it is different than many, because our campus is ‘open’ – more like a college as we are an online/home support based school… with some in-person offerings. So we don’t do attendance the way most do… and we don’t have staff always in this building… so there are a lot of moving parts… and as we keep learning more things, some ideas are becoming reinforced – such as it is not always a good idea to evacuate after an earthquake because in the building might be safer than outside… especially as we are on a hill and I can see the forest area where a mud slide could easily come and surround the building…! No one emergency plan is good for all sites, everything needs to be… differentiated!

Here’s my script (of course I deviate from it each time)

Lockdown/Hold and Secure

There are a variety of reasons I may come onto the PA (short for the public address system – how you are hearing this) and declare a lockdown or hold & secure – this means we need all students and adults inside closed locked rooms. If you are in a bathroom or other space, stay there until an all clear/more information is provided. Because we do not have a bell system for outside… if you are out of the building and hear some talking going on the PA inside the building, please come inside to get further instructions. Once the doors are closed and locked, do not open them until the all clear is given via PA.

Earthquakes

Not every earthquake needs us to evacuate the building – in fact, being inside a building can be safer than outside because sometimes land is shuffled and mudslides can occur. We leave the building if directed by someone over the PA system OR when things have fallen off the wall OR when the vibrations are enough that they trigger the fire alarm system. We do not re-enter the building until it is declared safe.

Fire Alarm 

When it rings we head walk outside, following the directions of any adult in the room. The adult responsible for the room will let the office know if someone is missing from the cohort. The bell is loud and annoying – but that is kind of the point to make you want to get outside and away from the bell. If it is a drill, school staff will let everyone know and we will return inside. If it is a real alarm, the fire chief is the one who says when people can re-enter. That means we always need to be cognizant of the weather – if you have your coat in the room, grab it before you go outside… if you’re in the gym or in another space do NOT go back to another room to get your coat.

Fun fact – ignore the fire alarm IF a lockdown has been declared first!

Campus evacuation

If we need to completely leave our building, we will gather down at Westview and begin contacting families for where we need to meet up.

If you think of something that we could do better, please let Landy know! That is the main reason we do practice drills! Just like our learning – there is always something more/better/different we can do!

Feel free to use and edit any script – much like everything I share via my blog, it is to be considered ‘open source’!

And here is the ‘name alert’ system we are using to identify if a student is missing from the adults who are working with them!