Emergency Evacuation

1. Emergency Evacuation Are You Prepared? 24th Annual Lake Yale Leadership Training Meeting – “A New Chapter In Safety & Excellence” – April 7-10, 2014

2. Why are School Bus Emergency Procedures and Planning Necessary? Mandate: according to Section 1006.063(6), Florida Statutes, each district board shall establish emergency procedures in accordance with s. 381.0056(5) for life-threatening emergencies. Safety: Protects you and your students.

3. You Need to Know What to Do in an Emergency???

4. You Need to Know Key Information Which Can Save Lives This information includes: • Emergency Planning for Your Bus Routes • Maintaining Pertinent Student Information • Knowledge about Your Bus and Equipment • Awareness of Who Can Help You in an Emergency • Knowledge of the Areas of Your Route • How to Evacuate Students

5. You Need to Know How to Proceed When an Emergency Arises • What is the “chain of command” for you to follow? • What are the notification procedures for emergencies? • What are your responsibilities in an emergency? • When should you evacuate your bus?

6. You Need to Know When to Evacuate the Bus • Fire or smoke on the bus • Suspected fire (smelling something hot or noticing a strong fuel smell) • Flooding conditions • Danger of being hit by other vehicles because the bus is inoperable • Danger of being stuck on railroadtracks • Security situation (weapons) • Unsafe position of the bus due to weather, mechanical failure, road conditions, motor vehicle collision Students do not need to be evacuated for all bus incidents; for minor incidents the students may be safer in the bus!

7. Making the Decision to Evacuate • Establish radio contact with Dispatch as soon as possible: • Do not make decision by yourself, if time allows • Dispatch can notify emergency personnel • Ask two questions: • Can you move bus to safer location instead of evacuating the riders? • If you cannot move bus to safer place, is there safe place for riders to assemble?

8. Order of Preference Front door Front and/or rear/side door Know how to open service door Student Helper exits first Sit down on floor first, then ease out Riders exit by rows Window (side or windshield or back window) Know how to open these exits Roof hatch

9. Emergency EvacuationsAlways Have a Plan • Discuss with your Drivers/Aides. • Locate Emergency Equipment. • Fire Extinguisher • First Aide Kit • Seat Belt Cutter • What are the students ability? • Physically • Medically • Behavioral • Have a Plan in Writing • Order to Evacuate • Who can Help

10. What instructions would you give to the riders? • Leave belongings on bus • Make sure all riders are off the bus; the driver is the last to exit. • Go to chosen location • Stay in group until further instructions from driver • Account for all riders throughout evacuation. • Be aware of where the riders go (who they are released to, e.g., parent, another bus, if transported to hospital) • Follow district procedures or direction of first responders and district officials

11. Involve the Riders • Periodically tell riders to look around and consider how they would evacuate • Teach all riders some key skills should driver be incapacitated: • How to set air brake • How to open air door • What to say on radio • To take the key

12. Emergency Evacuation Plan for Riders With Special Needs • Which riders can evacuate themselves • Which riders can be removed without wheelchair, specialized seat, or CSS • Which riders must NOT be removed from wheelchair, specialized seat, or CSS or need specialize equipment removed with them • Which riders and personnel could help you

13. Have written seating plan and evacuation plan • Plan should cover pre-school-age children and other passengers • Child safety restraint systems (CSRSs) should not be placed in school bus seats adjacent to emergency exits • Provide written plans to drivers and attendants

14. Evacuation Of Special Needs Students • 1. A.J. is a 10 year old boy with Orthogenesis Imperfect (brittle bones). He had a recent fracture on his right femur (thigh bone). A.J. lives on a dirt road. The hospital where he receives treatment, has designed a specially padded wheelchair for him. • 2. Cindy is a 12 year old girl with Cerebral Palsy. She uses a motorized scooter for long distance mobility. Cindy can transfer over to the bus seat. She can also walk down the bus aisle if she has seats on both sides to hold onto. • 3. Jean is a 13 year old girl with a spinal cord injury. She is totally paralyzed from the neck down and is totally dependent on a respirator to breath. She is in a motorized wheelchair which she controls through movements of her eyebrows. • 4. Jonathan is a 15 year old boy with Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Jonathan has no active movement in his body, except for his head. Jonathan has trouble holding up his head on the bus. He is presently in a manual wheelchair, until his motorized wheelchair is repaired. • 5. Wesley is a 14 year old boy, who is Jonathan’s brother. Wesley has no disability, but wants to ride the same bus with is brother.

16. Preparing Yourself for Emergency Evacuations: Protecting your back while lifting, carrying and/or dragging • Never bend at the waist • Curve low back slightly inward • Bend your knees • Have a clear path • Maintain a wide base of support – keep legs parted • Work together • Taller person in back • Count together – 1-2-3 lift • Keep the weight close to you • When lowering, bend at your knees Lift with your legs NOT your back!

17. Field Trips Emergency Evacuation Instruction • State regulations and your personal safety require me to ensure that all bus riders are aware of the emergency exits available on this school bus. In the unlikely event that we have to evacuate the bus, you should be prepared to evacuate as quickly and safely as possible. • In the event of an evacuation, do not attempt to bring any items to the emergency exit with you. • Passengers should evacuate using the front entrance door whenever possible. (Point out its location at this time.) In the event this is not possible, you should use the emergency door located in the rear or side of the bus. (Point to its location) If we need to use both the front and rear or side doors, passengers seated in the first ____ rows of seats will exit out the front door and the remaining rows will exit out the rear or side door. Please look around you to determine where these exits are. • For extreme emergencies there are also emergency escape windows and roof hatches. The exits are marked above the window with letters that read “Emergency Exit.” (Point to the push-out side windows to indicate their locations and make sure that the persons sitting next to the exits are of such size and strength that they know how to open them.) • Show passengers where Ignition Key is located and how to shut it off. • Explain Emergency Brake and how to push/pull in case you are unable to function. • Show location of First Aid Kit and Fire Extinguisher. • Explain the use of the Radio in case of emergency. • Show how the Entrance/Exit Door Release works. • Explain location and function of the Emergency Door and Pop-Out Windows. • Explain proper Safe Riding Practices. (Stay in seat until brake is on, no hands out windows and keep them to yourselves, no eating or drinking, no live animals, keep isles clear of objects, etc…) • Explain General Procedure for Bus Evacuation in case of emergency.

18. Summary • Develop a Written Plan • Follow Policies and Procedures. • Utilize Resources. • Be familiar with equipment. • Use IEP, Health Care Plans, and know about physical and behavioral concerns of students. • Update the plan to include new students. • Practice • Written plan for each route • Situations when wheelchair lift will not work • Drag Method • Practice! • Practice! • Practice! • Practice!