Fire Prevention Planning, Practicing & Proactive Measures

1. Fire PreventionPlanning, Practicing & Proactive Measures Guidance for School Leaders

2. Jonathan Lund, P.E. • Fire Marshal, Des Moines Fire Department • Bachelors in Fire Protection & Safety • Oklahoma State University • Iowa Licensed Professional Engineer • (Fire Protection)

3. Why Schools and Fire Drills? • Research Based Program • Make drills purposeful • Reduce apathy towards fire alarms • Improve outcomes during actual emergencies • For more information: • Using School Fire Drills as a Learning Experience paper

4. My Contact Information • Jonathan Lund • Fire Marshal, Des Moines Fire Department • 2715 Dean Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50317 • Office Phone: 515-283-4242 • Email: jklund@dmgov.org • If questions arise afterwards, please feel free to contact me, I will help in any way I can.

5. Planning • Anticipate: where are fire related emergencies likely to occur? • Prevent: Ensure proactive measures are in place • Mitigate: Provide as many mitigation efforts as possible

6. Planning: Anticipate • Potential fires: • Flammable or combustible liquids • Kitchen cooking equipment • Science classroom • Bathroom • Electrical Hazards

7. Prevention: Proactive Measures • Storing flammable and combustible liquids in appropriate containers and in approved cabinets • Cooking policies, cleaning practices • Science procedures • Reducing combustibles in bathrooms • Avoid temporary wiring solutions (multi-plug adapters, extension cords)

8. Mitigation • Fire Drills • Fire Extinguishers • Near identified hazards • Readily accessible • Trained users • Fire Sprinkler Systems • Fire Alarm – Mass Notification Systems • Detection = early warning • Fire Suppression Systems

9. Practicing (Drills) • Spontaneous fire drills encourage an apathetic attitude towards fire alarms and force students (and adults) to make a decision every time the fire alarm sounds, “is this a drill or is it the real thing?” • By making sure fire drills are announced, we can instill appropriate behaviors in children to ensure they will react appropriately when the fire alarm sounds.  • Additionally, by adding an educational component to fire drills, we can make sure the time spent during fire drills is beneficial for the students

10. Fire Drills as a Learning Experience • Stop having surprise drills • Start teaching students about how to respond to fire emergencies • Involve your local fire department • Be accountable (before and after) • Establish goals and see better results! • Challenge students and teachers

11. Fire Drill Scenarios • Fire department responds • Blocked exit • Student(s) missing • Non-class time drills

12. FAQs • Frequently Asked Questions from Students about Fires and Fire Drills • What should a student do if they get separated? Should they find their teacher or get out of the building? • The most important thing to do in a fire is to safely exit the building. Once outside, find your teacher (if you exited out your normal exit door) OR find an administrator (if you exited to a different area) and tell them who you are and which teacher you normally report to for accountability. • If there is smoke what should we do? • The best thing to do is to utilize your secondary exit, if that too has smoke, you can crawl low through smoke to your nearest exit. It is very important that you make every effort to exit the building. • What if all exits are blocked, do we jump out the window? • If all of the exits are blocked and there is no place else to safely exit the building, you should find the nearest window and call for help from that window. Jumping from a window would be the least desirable exit plan (last resort). • What if I was in the hallway or bathroom during the time the fire alarm sounds (out of room)? • The best thing to do is to safely exit the building using the nearest exit. Once, outside see FAQ #1 for proper procedures.

13. FAQs • Frequently Asked Questions from Students about Fires and Fire Drills (continued) • Why should we be quiet and orderly when walking out of the building? • It is important to remain quiet and orderly during fires and fire drills because faculty and administration must account for everyone in the building. This information is relayed to the firefighters and is critical to ensuring everyone is safe. • If there was a fire where would the parents pick up the kids? (release place) • A secondary pick up (release place) depends on each school’s pre-arranged plans. • Can students take their stuff with them? Stopping at lockers? • Students should not stop to get anything from their lockers or their desks, during a fire or fire drill, exiting quickly, quietly, and safely are the most important things to do. • Should we stop and try to use the fire extinguisher? • Only trained personnel should try to use a fire extinguisher to extinguish a fire.

14. FAQs • Frequently Asked Questions from Teachers about Fires and Fire Drills • What would be an example of a blocked exit? • Smoke that is down to the floor, fire, fallen debris that obstructs the exit, etc. are all examples of obstructions that may force you to consider your secondary exit. • What should teachers take with them when they exit for the fire drill? • It is important that teachers have accurate class rosters, and any other materials (e.g. status cards for reporting accountability, first aid kits, etc.) when they exit the building during a fire or fire drill. • Can teachers know when the fire drills are and get feedback from drills? • Preplanning of fire drills is encouraged. The goal of fire drills is not too surprise anyone, but rather to practice important skills. Feedback and debriefs are encouraged.