We all know that fires are unpredictable and can happen at any time, potentially causing a vast amount of damage and threatening the safety of our students. Hence, here at our Infants Department, we have put fire drills into place to ensure that our students are familiar to the alarm (sound) and know what to do (in case of a real fire) . As our students are still very young, we have been practicing the following procedures:
On the……….
28th June 2016 : all students were introduced to the sound of the fire drill (alarm) and were told about the steps. 1. Stop what you are doing/leave all of your belongings. 2. Put on your shoes. 3. Line up so that the teacher can check attendance etc. But, most importantly, students learned that when you hear the alarm, you must not panic and run away.
26th July 2016 : we had our first test run. The alarm was set off, students were asked to put on their shoes as quickly as possible and line up in front of the classroom. This initial step allows us to observe and time exactly how long it takes our students (with help) to put on their shoes and line up in an emergency. Again, students were urged not to panic or run out of the classroom but to follow the steps quickly and calmly.
13th September 2016 : we had a full fire drill run through. Again, the fire alarm was set off (on an unspecified day/ time). Teachers were notified of a fire in building 3 (it was only a drill, students were not in any danger) and all classes were asked to evacuate their buildings and assemble at a designated meeting point. A team of teachers, both foreign and Thai, were in charge of checking that all classrooms/communal areas, such as toilets, were evacuated, and that all classes had assembled at the correct meeting point. Teachers also monitored how long it took students to assemble downstairs.
We sincerely hope that no such incidents will occur at our department, but, with this scheme in place, we can rest assured that our students and teachers are aware of what to do in case of a real fire.
