Action Tips: Make an Evacuation Plan for your School

Ask your principal if the school already has an evacuation plan. If one isn’t available, offer to create one. If one is available, ask if you can see it to ensure that all scenarios have been considered.

• Define proper exits of the building. If they aren’t already available, create maps of the school's campus with the exits clearly marked. You may want to use a specific decal or color to make the location of the exits obvious.
• Create maps of the surrounding neighborhood, if they aren’t available. Draw the evacuation routes on the map in bold colors.
• Arrange primary and secondary evacuation routes in your overall evacuation plan.
• Map how people will exit the school building. Decide how personnel will flow from the school to the off-site or remote locations. This will include cars/transportation shuttling students as well as those walking from the school. Model the evacuation route appropriately for your local roads and community.
• Reach out to your local community for assistance. Sometimes students will need to be evacuated to a location for care or safety until parents can pick them up. Connect with local churches and community centers for potential housing of students.
• Visit evacuation sites with staff and local officials. Establish where student reunification areas will be and a location for emergency service providers.
• Educate school administrators and teachers on how to prepare for a crisis. Direct them to the Do Something website, and work with them to troubleshoot any holes in your evacuation procedures.
• Don't be afraid to ask for help. Disaster preparation is a serious matter. Consider establishing a crisis team that will identify the types of emergencies that may occur and when to initiate each plan. Reach out to emergency personnel in your area, like the fire and police departments. They can help you evaluate what you already have in place and identify any potential evacuation or routing problems.
• Let parents know. Tell them by website, email, or mailed letter about your evacuation procedures, routing methods and where a possible shelter will be in case of emergency.

Sources:

eHow

American Red Cross