School Evacuation Procedures

Introduction

Property supervisors must guarantee that schools and colleges have sensible and proportionate school evacuation procedures for situations which are a threat to the security of staff and students.

Dangers to schools might come from a number of areas, although there has actually been a
boost in worldwide as well as home-grown terrorism in recent times we should also take into consideration more localized threats to schools and the community such as:
Neighbourhood locals with a grudge, violent behaviour generally, severe anti-social activities which may threaten the school, pupils or team and even dangerous canines.
Ecological dangers such as smoke, gas or fumes or a major fire nearby.
Inside risks from students, personnel or local residents.
Threats from a nearby major incident at ‘high profile’ prestigious local properties (e.g. as a result of emergency vehicle responders and or road closures).
Risks posed by association with high profile locals (MPs, Celebrities), your schools local, your
normal routines, site visitors, parents, contractors as well as employees.

Consider the following:

Facility supervisors and key staff need to:

Spearhead and hold discussions with colleagues and all stakeholders regarding security, safety and risks to the institution and the nearby community.

Talk about and consider the key dangers to your school and put this in your school evacuation procedures.

Check your site regularly focusing on physical defences such as boundary fencing, gates and entry doors. Making use of the details above create a school evacuation procedure, communicate to all, and test out your procedure.

These procedures need to include:
– The recognition of most likely dangers, means of sounding the alarm system, invacuation and also lockdown plans.
– How procedures will be conveyed and to which personnel.
– A plan to handle bombs and suspicious packages (particularly posted items).
– A resolution to run drills and also re-examine these plans routinely.

Urge every person in the school and local community to take on a duty for safety, as well as promoting the “It’s okay to be suspicious” mantra – a confront ethos, encourage reporting any type of questionable behaviour.

Consider a bespoke school lockdown system app.

Discuss with all employees, students, guardians and governors your newly-formed school evacuation procedures.

Take responsibility

In part this will include ensuring that the whole team and others (such as older students) can take on their particular duty and act in any circumstance they feel poses a risk. Everyone should feel vindicated in deciding to act on the procedures or any of part of the procedures (e.g. a lockdown), or various other actions should there be a lack of senior staff.

RUN HIDE TELL

Run Hide Tell is the British Governments response and recommendations to individuals caught up in a terror-attack. The 4 minute movie, Stay Safe: Firearms and Weapons Attack lays out three key actions to protect yourself.

FREE SCHOOL LOCKDOWN PROCEDURES GENERATOR

We have developed this free online tool to help you generate your school’s lockdown policy.
Watch this brief video to see how easy it is, then click the ‘Generate Lockdown Policy ‘ button.