Fire and Bomb Evacuation Policy January 2017 1
FIRE SAFETY 1. PROCEDURE Manford Primary School follows procedures on the Blue Dot RIDDER poster. Any person discovering a fire must sound the alarm immediately and inform the secretary of the whereabouts and nature of the fire. On hearing the alarm the following procedure should be adopted: If in a classroom leading out to the field (rooms 1 13) the teacher in charge should lead the children from the classroom on to the field where they should line up for checking. Children in the Early Years group area should go into the nearest reception classroom and out onto the field. Children in the EAL group area should lead out of the Year 2 exit door into the playground. Any children or adults in rooms 14 (caretaker s room), 15 (small group room), 16 (yellow room), 17 (blue room), 18 (hygiene room), cleaner s cupboard (Room 30) and sensory room (Room 19), and group room adjacent to the caretaker s room, group bays opposite the junior hall should leave the building by the main exit, via the electrically operated doors. Year 5 classes 5R and 5L (rooms 20 and 21) should exit via their classroom doors and lead into the car park through the press button doors allocated at the end of the walkway leading into the car park. They should then proceed onto the field and line up against the boundary fence onto Manford Way. Year 6 class (room 22 and Hatton class room 23) should exit via the fire exit doors in their classrooms and proceed to the field via the side of the hall and year 5 classrooms onto the field. Year 6 PPA room 24, PPA room and Hatton meeting rooms 25 and 27 and art room (room 29) should exit through year 5 and 6 entrance doors into the playground. Green room and library (room 28) should exit through their fire exit doors into the playground. The Learning Mentor room (room 31) should exit through Year 4 / 5 entrance doors into the playground. Purple classroom (room 32) should exit through the fire exit door into the playground. PSA room (room 33), SEND office (room 34) Parent s room (36) and ICT room (room 35) should exit via the Infant entrance into the playground. Any adult or child in the dining hall should exit via the doors into the playground. 2
For exit into the playground children should be lined up by the low walls that back onto the houses. The gates should not be obscured in case of the need for fire engine access. A member of the office staff will also proceed to the playground with a mobile phone in order to make contact with another member of office staff on the field to ascertain that everybody has evacuated the building. If you are an individual or an adult with a small group of children exiting into the playground let the member of office staff know in order that they can let staff on the field know of the whereabouts of all. If it is necessary to keep the building evacuated the classes in the playground will then be led safely to the assembly point on the field via Parkes Road. Nursery (room 38) should exit via the gate onto the field. DHT/AHT (room 36), main office (room 37) HT (room 41) staffroom (room 39) and children s kitchen (room 42) should exit via the main reception doors onto the field. Office 2 (room 37) by the car park entrance near to the nursery should exit into the car park and make their way through the double electronic gates and along to the pedestrian gates onto the field Infant Hall Adults and children should exit out of the hall doors and proceed outside through the Reception doors located by the school office. If this is unsafe, exit can be made out of the hall fire exit doors into the staff car park. The electronic gates will open automatically on sounding the alarm. Anybody can exit through these gates and walk to the pedestrian gates leading onto the school field. Children will then be able to line up in their class place. If the whole school are in the hall, adults will need to make an informed decision about exit through hall doors, red reception classroom or fire exit doors in order that the building is vacated as soon as possible in a safe manner. If not all class teachers are present with their class the adults in the hall will give instructions on which way to exit. Staff not in the hall will exit the building and proceed to the exit they know the children will be exiting en mass and supervise to ensure the safe evacuation of all. Junior Hall Exit is by the fire exit door at the back of the hall. A key is located next to the alarm by the side of the doors. In the case of the whole school being in the hall adults will make an informed decision about exiting with their class through the fire doors or the hall doors and exiting via the disabled exit. If not all members of staff are present those in the hall will direct students on which way to exit. Staff not in the hall will exit the building and proceed to the exit they know the children will be exiting en mass and supervise to ensure the safe evacuation of all. 3
Kitchen staff are to proceed to the playground and stay there with other children and staff. Should the alarm be sounded whilst the children are in the dining hall they should be led straight out into the playground and line up against the low walls backing onto the houses, opposite to where they line up to lead into class. If in the hall, they should leave by the fire exits. Children in small groups in other parts of the building should understand that they must leave the building by the nearest exit that leads to the field or playground. PLEASE NOTE : It is very important to make sure that notices are displayed in all classrooms stating the number of children in attendance that day, and if any are out of class in groups. This makes it easy and quick to check that all have evacuated the building. If there is not such a notice in any classroom please inform the Health and Safety Coordinator immediately. The teachers should ensure that both corridor doors and the one leading out of the building are left closed and close all windows. Arrangements for those with a Disability. All visitors to the school are made aware of the fire procedures in place at the school. Those with a disability will have an adult assigned to them in case of emergency evacuation. Pupils in school with a disability always have staff assigned to them. In the case of an emergency evacuation, staff assigned to disabled pupils will use one of the three ramps that lead onto the field or go into the playground. In the case of the field being too wet for wheelchair access, staff may decide to go out into the playground or call for assistance to carry a child. Support staff to be made aware that there may be a need to support a member of staff assigned to a child with a disability in the case of an emergency. If the fire prevents these instructions from being carried out, the teacher in charge must use his/her discretion as to the best action to be taken. It must be impressed on the children that they must wait for their teacher s instructions before moving. All ancillary staff and any parents/visitors on the premises and in the classroom should make their way to the field. If in other parts of the building please leave by the nearest exit. No one must re-enter the building unless told to do so by the head teacher or person in charge. Procedures at Lunchtime, Before and After School For children attending before or after school club or Stay and Play the assembly point is in the playground. All children should line up by the wall as far away from the building as possible. Staff should check toilets for any children. Registers will be taken out and numbers checked. Children are confined to the dining hall end of the school, so all should assemble in the playground. All adults in the school at this time should exit by the nearest fire exit, all should call out in their near vicinity to inform others of the need to evacuate 4
which will lead onto the field or into the playground. They should let the office staff know they are out and inform them if they feel anybody is left in the building. If there are any clubs taking place, the adults responsible should lead the children out by the nearest exit and check numbers against their registers. They should then inform a member of staff that they are all present and correct. After calling the fire brigade, the office manager should take out the registers so that numbers can be checked, a portable first aid box in case of accident, and the visitor s book. The finance officer should look to see if any children are left in the medical area, hall, or toilets and see that they are taken out into the playground. Both the office manager and the finance officer should carry the emergency mobile phones, so that they are able to communicate to ascertain the evacuation of everybody in the building. A member of the office staff are to take out the sign in and out book. If any teacher or other member of staff questions the whereabouts of a staff member/visitor with whom they work it can be checked in the book. The Deputy head is to be responsible for checking staff members in the book are out of the building. The caretaker will isolate electricity and gas supplies at the mains if possible. Staff trained in their use should only use fire extinguishers. Preserving life must take priority over preserving property. If it is necessary to evacuate the building for any length of time, or if the weather is inclement, the infant and junior children will walk to John Bramston Primary School. The nursery children will walk to Manford Way Health Centre. If the emergency services deem the building safe to reoccupy staff and children will return to school. In the event of being unable to return to school, the Business Continuity Plan will be invoked and children will remain at John Bramston or the Health Centre and parents would be informed of where to collect them. (Parents phoned if necessary and notices posted outside of school entrances). Fire Risk Assessment: An audit is carried out every year or after a fire or near miss. The Health and Safety officer (deputy head teacher) and caretaker will undertake the Fire Risk Assessment. Copies of the audit form and previous audits are kept in a H & S file in the deputy head teacher s office. A priority will be to ensure that rubbish is not allowed to collect next to the building, that fire exits are clear and that doors and windows are closed when leaving. 5
2. FIRE DRILLS A drill will be held at least once a term and a report given to the governors. Drills will be held at different times of the day, including during breaks and lunchtimes. Results of fire drills will be reported to the staff and discussed at staff meetings. Evacuation procedures that are successful under practice conditions may be less so in the event of a fire. Fire drills cannot adequately simulate the confusion and uncertainty that can arise in an emergency. Evacuation procedures should make an allowance for: False alarms in some schools there are so many that initiating the evacuation procedure is delayed until the alarm is confirmed as genuine. This practice is dangerous. Full or partial evacuation in large schools, particularly those with a number of separate teaching blocks, restricting the evacuation to the block concerned may minimise disruption. Controlling pupils the first priority of staff is the safety of their pupils. They may choose to lead their class to safety from the front, so that they are best placed to select the safest route. Alternatively they may decide to guide their class from the rear, in which case route-finding may have to be left to the children leading the way. There is no universally correct procedure. Disabled staff and pupils arrangements must be made for the safe evacuation of those with disabilities that may include learning, physical and sensory difficulties. Fire- fighting members of staff should only consider fighting a fire after they have seen to the evacuation of the pupils in their charge. No one should re-enter a building at any time until given the all clear. 3. ALARMS The caretaker from a different call point will check alarm call points weekly each week. The caretaker checks the emergency lighting once a month to ensure it is working (the contractor checks the battery). A contractor tests the fire alarm and emergency lighting every 3 months. A service record is kept by the alarm panel, which is located in the office. 4. EXTINGUISHERS A contractor checks all fire extinguishers annually. The caretaker is responsible for ensuring they have all been checked. 5. NOTICES Fire notices are located near to the door in each room and next to fire exits in the corridors, as well as at every fire call point. 6. LETTINGS 6
The caretaker is responsible for ensuring those in charge of lettings know where the fire extinguishers are. The caretaker will also show them where the key for the West Wing is. 7. FIRE EXITS All doors leading to the outside of the school building are fire exits. Fire door vision panels must not be blocked in any way, nor must fire doors be wedged open or fixed back. 8. LONE WORKER IN THE SCHOOL. The lone worker will telephone the school office or caretaker and notify them that he/she is working alone.. EMERGENCY EVACUATION BOMB WARNINGS If a message is received, all staff will be informed quietly of bomb scare; registers will be handed out; the office manager will telephone Foundation Stage staff and the kitchen. The person receiving the call will fill out the appropriate form (See Appendix D). The following procedure must be adhered to:- Staff to immediately search in their vicinity. Anyone who finds a suspicious object should clear all people away from the immediate area and inform the head teacher. If the object under suspicion cannot be accounted for, the head teacher will implement evacuation procedures and inform the police and fire service. On hearing short pips on fire alarm (one long sustained ring is for fire) immediately prepare to evacuate the building Children collect personal belongings and coats and leave by the nearest fire exit, which leads to the field All children will be lead across Manford Way to the park opposite where they will assemble near the swings and wait for the instructions. If it is necessary to evacuate the building for any length of time, or if the weather is inclement, the infant and junior children will walk to John Bramston Primary School. The nursery children will walk to Manford Way Health Centre. Teachers will be responsible for looking after their registers and making sure that the class is accounted for at all times. Available staff will be instructed to warn visitors not to enter the building The kitchen supervisor should liaise with the Head teacher. The office manager will telephone the Town Hall main switchboard. 7
Procedures for meeting Rescue Services A member of the office staff will be responsible for greeting emergency services (Arrowsmith Road) if an incident is that side of the building. The head teacher will make sure the gate onto the field is unlocked and greet the rescue services if the problem is at the front of the school, both will notify them of any special risks e.g. flammable materials. Employees will be given annual training and reminders about Fire and Bomb safety procedures. In the absence of the Head Teacher and Deputy Head Teacher, members of the senior team will be expected to take responsibility. If Emergency Services deem the building safe to reoccupy staff and children will return to school. In the event of being unable to return to school children will remain at John Bramston or the Health Centre and parents would be informed of where to collect them. (Parents phoned if necessary and notices posted outside of school entrances). Relevant Officers: John Cooper, Buildings and Development, Education Services x 83060 John O Mahoney, Emergency Planning, Public Protection x 85520 8