{"id":814,"date":"2018-09-13T15:55:30","date_gmt":"2018-09-13T15:55:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sonitrolverified.com\/news\/?p=814"},"modified":"2018-09-27T17:24:31","modified_gmt":"2018-09-27T17:24:31","slug":"how-effective-is-your-schools-fire-evacuation-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonitrolverified.com\/news\/how-effective-is-your-schools-fire-evacuation-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"How Effective Is Your School\u2019s Fire Evacuation Plan?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recommendations to help make your facility safer<\/em><\/h3>\n

With the academic year in full swing, schools across the country are beginning their first rounds of fire drills. As alarms blare and lights flash, teachers calmly evacuate their students from the building as the students chat with their friends.<\/p>\n

\"fire-escape-planning\"To them, it\u2019s just another annoying fire drill that they will never actually have to use. But on March 4, 1908, Lake View School in Collinwood, Ohio, went up in flames when a furnace overheated, taking with it the lives of 172 students, as well as two teachers and one rescuer. It was the worst school fire in the history of the country and set in motion the development of easy and safe evacuation routes, including fire exits with safety bars, for schools and other public buildings.<\/p>\n

Because of the tragedy in Collinwood, fire safety regulations were changed not just in schools but in public buildings all over the country. Exit routes and fire escape designs were altered. Doorways were widened and new doorknob styles were put into use.<\/p>\n

Create your fire evacuation plan<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s important that your school have an emergency evacuation plan in place.\u00a0 A well-crafted fire evacuation plan can save lives.\u00a0 In fact, school administrators have a legal obligation to create disaster response plans.<\/p>\n

Your evacuation plan must be as clear and efficient as possible. As you create the plan, be sure to work with teachers and other faculty members\u2014they will have worked in classrooms and other settings in the school, and they may be able to foresee feasibility issues or other concerns that you may not think about. You should also submit the plans to your local fire department to determine if they have any suggestions for improvements.<\/p>\n

Every fire evacuation plan should include these two things:<\/strong><\/p>\n