EMERGENCY DRILLS AND
FIRE MARSHAL INSPECTIONS
Frequency of Drills
- There
will be one (1) fire drill per week during the first four weeks of school
and one (1) per month for the following months. For year-round schools,
the weekly fire drills should be conducted when a track begins so that new
students are orientated.
- An
obstructed fire drill should be conducted every six (6) months. One or
more exits are blocked prior to the drill. Students should not know in
advance that an obstructed drill will occur.
- There
should be at least one (1) fire drill during each year when students are
in the cafeterias or in the hallways during changes of classes. If the
school contains an auditorium, there should be a fire drill during the use
of that facility.
- For
multi-track year-round schools, this means one (1) fire drill per week for
the first six (6) weeks. D track should have three (3) drills in the first
three (3) weeks; E track should have three (3) drills during weeks 4-6. In
the following months there should be one drill for each track change.
- Schools
must also conduct two (2) Homeland Security drills during the course of
the year in addition to fire drills – these maybe lockdowns, reverse
evacuations, shelter-in-place, room clear,
relocation or duck and cover drills.
Consult the APS Safe School Response Plan for additional
information.
Fire Drill Records
- Complete
the Fire Drill Form, INS 24. A supply of these forms can be
obtained from the Risk Management Office.
- Send
the original and the yellow copy to the Risk Management Office. Risk
Management will be responsible for forwarding the yellow copy to the Fire
Marshal's office.
- Submit
work orders for equipment repairs.
Guidelines for School Sites
- Drawing(s)
clearly showing escape routes must be posted near the exit(s) of each
room.
- Doors
that are not exits, but may be mistaken for exits, must have a sign saying
"Not a Fire Exit."
- The
principal or his/her designee is responsible for sounding the fire alarm.
This procedure tests the alarm system also.
- Teachers,
custodians and all other employees should have definite assigned
responsibilities during a fire drill.
- Restrooms
must be checked for stragglers.
- The
last person to leave the room should close the door to the hall, if time
allows.
- Custodians
should turn off all fans, eliminate drafts and stand by to assist the Fire
Department should there be a fire.
- The
fire lanes must be clear and there must be access to the school.
- Students
should exit in an orderly manner with the teacher following the class.
Teachers should carry class attendance records or enrollment cards
outside. Attendance should be checked to be sure no one is missing. Missing
students should be reported to the principal immediately.
- Students
should not carry clothing or books.
- Teachers
should carry class attendance records or enrollment cards outside.
Attendance should be checked to be sure no one is missing.
- Students
in swimming pools and gyms who are scantily dressed should form a double
line at the exit door and wait to determine if there is an actual fire.
- Students
should assemble at a safe distance from the building and wait for the
"return to the building" signal. Classes should evacuate at
least 50 feet from the building.
- The
fire alarm must be unique in sound and audible in all parts of the
buildings.
- Exit
signs must be illuminated constantly.
- Exit
doors must open out and be equipped with panic hardware.
- Doors
should never be locked or blocked during school hours or during an
assembly after school hours.
- Schools
with disabled students should prepare an individualized evacuation plan.
The Students with Disabilities Evacuation Plan should include the
individualized plan for hearing impaired,
wheelchair confined, or otherwise disabled students.
- No
students should be left in a building during a drill or actual emergency.
Students should not be allowed to return to a building to retrieve
possessions.
- It
is the principal’s duty to inspect all exit facilities in order to insure
that all stairways, doors and other exits are in proper condition.
- Missing
students should be immediately reported to the principal.
- Substitute
teachers should be informed of fire drill methods at the time of work
assignment.
- Conduct
occasional fire drills with the lights out (Black-Out-Drills) in schools
without exterior windows.
- Principals,
by law, notify the appropriate emergency responder if an emergency
requires evacuation. All fires should be reported to the Fire Department.
If dismissal is necessary, refer to the directive Emergency Dismissal.
- The
APS Safe Schools Response Plan discusses
various types of emergencies and response procedures. The plan includes
required procedures and must be implemented at all schools.
Fire Marshal Inspection
APS schools are subject to inspections by the
Albuquerque City Fire Marshals, Bernalillo County Fire Marshals, Kirtland Air
Force Base Fire Marshals, State of New
Mexico and APS Risk Management, depending on their
location. The laws governing each jurisdiction apply to the specific location.
The 1991 Life Safety Code and the Uniform Fire codes are the current reference
for all jurisdictions. The inspectors will report to the principal’s office,
and the principal or the designee will conduct the
inspection around the campus.
If violations are found at the school, a
violation form will be signed by the principal. A copy of the report should
also be sent to the APS Risk Management and to Maintenance & Operations.
After the time allowed by the inspector, the campus is subject to a reinspection to determine if the situation has been
corrected.
Work orders will be entered by Maintenance
& Operations to correct building violations. It is the principal’s responsibility to
correct administrative violations.
Cross Ref.: Board
Policy E.01
Emergency
Dismissal directive
APS
Safe Schools Response Plan
Fire
Drill form
NSBA/NEPN Classification: EBCB
Revised: May
1995
Revised: April
1996
Reviewed: May
1997
Reviewed: January
1, 2001
Revised: September 2005