Law steps up requirements for safety drills in schools
By Yvonne Samuel
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri)
Copyright 2006 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Illinois has launched a statewide school safety initiative this year for private and public schools.
Under the School Safety Drill Act signed into law last year, all private and public schools are required to conduct three evacuation drills, one bus evacuation and one severe weather drill each school year. In addition, schools are strongly encouraged to conduct a law enforcement drill, which could include an intruder scenario.
“As parents, we expect our children to be safe when we send them off to school each day,” said state Fire Marshal David Foreman.
“Regular drills help teachers and students know exactly where to go and how to get there quickly,” he said. “We hope an emergency never occurs, but when it does, we want everyone to immediately know what to do to stay safe.”
The law helps to clarify minimum requirements and standards for public and private school emergency planning. The law also requires schools to work closely with emergency responder agencies to conduct annual reviews of a new statewide School Emergency and Crisis Response Plan developed this year.
The plan provides schools with a comprehensive emergency guide. Staff from the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois Terrorism Task Force and the Office of the State Fire Marshal collaborated and updated the plan.
Next month, public and private schools will conduct drills during National Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 8-14. School administrators have contacted local fire departments to schedule emergency evacuation drills.
Cullen Cullen, assistant superintendent of the Madison County Regional Office of Education, said school districts previously were required to have only three evacuation drills.
This month, 13 school districts in Madison County are scheduling evacuation drills with their local fire departments, said Cullen. “These drills have to have first responders present,” he said.
Steve Dirnbeck, principal of O’Fallon Township High School, said school officials met with the O’Fallon Fire Department to schedule an evacuation drill. Recently, the school had an unplanned evacuation because of a malfunction in the fire alarm system, he said.
The school hasn’t scheduled its bus evacuation drill but plans to conduct its severe weather drill on the first Tuesday in March.
Also, the school will plan an intruder drill.
“We have to make these drills as realistic as possible,” he said.
While six drills may be a lot for a nine month school year, he says they are needed to ensure safety. “We can evacuate a building in three minutes,” he said.
Brad Harriman, regional superintendent of the St. Clair County Regional Office of Education, said more than half of its 27 school districts had planned evacuations during National Fire Safety Week.
“I think like anything else, practice will prepare you for the real thing,” he said. “Hopefully, the real thing won’t happen.”