Whether you are a teacher or student, everyone is responsible for fire safety at school. Knowing what to do during a school fire will not only keep yourself safe but also others. By familiarizing students and faculty with fire safety, schools can reduce the risk of fire emergencies. Code 4 Fire Watch provides school fire safety tips to help keep everyone safe from fires.
School Fire Safety Tips
Learn Where the Emergency Exits are Located
Every student and faculty member should take some time to located where the emergency fire exits are located. They will be marked as exits and lead to the outside of the school. Emergency exits also include stairwells. You should not use an elevator during a fire emergency and should take the stairs. Locate where the closest stairwell is. It is also a good idea to locate another stairwell or exit near you in case the closest one is blocked during an emergency. In case of an emergency, you may have to help direct people to an exit, so it is best to know where each of them is located.
Escape Safely
In case of a fire, students and faculty should know how to escape safely. If approaching a closed door during a fire, test to see if the door is hot with the back of your hand. If the door is hot, that means a fire is present and you need to find another way out. Fire is the main danger, but so is smoke inhalation. If the hallways are smoky, the best way to escape is by getting low to the ground where the least amount of smoke is present. Cover your mouth with a damp piece of clothing to help filter out smoke from the air you breathe.
Understand How to Use a Fire Alarm
If you see a fire or other fire emergency, you will need to know how to activate the alarms. Activating fire alarms at school should only be done if an emergency is present. Pulling the fire alarm at school with trigger sirens and other notifiers to instruct people to exit the building. Students should also understand that pulling the fire alarm is a serious matter and should only be done when danger is present. Triggering the fire alarm at school will call emergency responders to the location and everyone is required to exit the building.
Know Where to Go
During a fire evacuation at school, students and faculty need to know where to meet outside of the school. Each class should have a pre-set designated area to meet. Teachers should have signs to indicate where students should meet outside. During a fire evacuation, students and faculty should not leave the campus. They need to meet at the designated area to conduct a headcount. This ensures that everyone has safely been evacuated from the school and they are safe.
Practice Fire Drills at School
They say practice makes perfect. And in a fire emergency, perfection means safety. Schools should conduct monthly fire drills to ensure that everyone understands what to do. These drills should be taken seriously, and everyone must participate. The key to a successful fire evacuation is calm and orderly movement. The worst thing that can happen during an emergency is panic. By practicing fire drills at school, you reduce the likelihood of students panicking during a fire. Fire drills also allow you to identify any weaknesses in your plan. They will allow you to practice communicating between classes and take an accurate headcount.
Fire Safety Tips at School from Code 4 Fire Watch
Code 4 Fire Watch provides professional fire watch services throughout the United States. We protect businesses when their fire alarms are offline or need additional protection. If your business or school is in need of fire watch services, contact our team today! We can have fire watch patrol on site quickly.
