Ensure the Safety of Your Students With a School Fire Plan

Though death from school fires is rare, the key to keeping it that way is updating your school fire plan each year, along with implementing annual fire safety training for all staff and students.

Here are a few expert tips for designing the safest and most effective fire plan for your school in 2024.

Understanding the Basics of a School Fire Plan

Simply put, a school fire plan is designed to save lives. In California, every school, from kindergarten through twelfth grade, is legally required to have an updated Comprehensive School Safety Plan (CSSP) in place by March 1.

As part of a CSSP, a school fire plan ensures that every person in the school building knows exactly what to do (and does it!) in the event of a fire, including the safest/fastest ways to exit every classroom or office, where to meet up outside the building, and how to ensure no one is left behind.

Considerations When Creating Your Plan

When designing your fire safety plan, never go it alone. The best school fire safety plans are a group effort because they take into account a wide range of perspectives, from the janitors to the teachers.

To ensure every person in your school is safe during a fire, your fire plan needs to consider the needs of every person. Other vital considerations include:

• School layout and structure: Start with a map of your building. Consider the overall layout of rooms, hallways, stairs, and exits. Identify and problem-solve any areas of the school that may pose challenges for safe and swift exiting.
• Student demographics (age, mobility, special needs): Carefully consider the needs of every age group and demographic. For example, the evacuation plan for a special needs classroom should take into account wheelchair access.
• Staff roles and responsibilities: Staff responsibilities should coincide, when possible, with the staff member’s professional duties. For example, teachers should naturally assume responsibility for their students by leading them to the nearest exit, accounting for every student present, and doing roll-call to ensure no student is left behind. School administrators may be suited to handle communication over the PA, direct traffic flow in hallways, conduct bathroom checks, and other duties.
• Communication systems: Aside from the fire alarm going off, your PA system is the most immediate way to send information to the entire school. As a potential tool in your fire plan, is speech easy to understand over the speaker system, or does your PA need an upgrade? To optimize communication in the event of a fire, we provide industry-best fire detection equipment and speaker systems that can relay vital information to your entire school using clear voice messages.
• Fire prevention measures: Fire prevention is everyone’s responsibility. Your staff and students should be practicing fire prevention measures every day. Implementing a fire safety curriculum that includes top fire prevention strategies will empower your students and staff by helping them take a proactive approach to their safety.

Designing the Best Evacuation Routes

• Every room in your school should have predetermined primary and secondary exit paths. The shortest and safest exit routes should be identified, taking into consideration areas prone to bottlenecks, and accessibility for students with disabilities.
• Clear signage and markings. Within every room, a sign should be prominently posted displaying the primary and secondary exit paths in the event of a fire.
• Ensure exit signs are present at every exit door and directional exit signage is placed throughout the school to ensure people know which direction to walk.
• Regular route maintenance and obstacle removal. Ensure all exit paths are clear and free of obstructions daily. You can delegate this responsibility to a team of alternating staff members.

Ensuring No One Is Left Behind

It’s everyone’s worst nightmare in a fire: accidentally leaving someone behind. Your fire safety plan needs to ensure the swift and safe exit of every student and staff member. To ensure no one is left behind, your fire plan should:

• Implement a buddy system
• Clearly define the role of teachers in accounting for students
• Designate assembly points
• Outline attendance verification procedures
• Detail plans for students with special needs or mobility issues

Training & Drills

Your school fire plan is only as strong as the people executing it. You could have the most well-thought-out fire safety protocols in the state, but if your staff and students don’t know what to do when a fire breaks out, your plan is useless.

That’s why fire safety education for your staff and students is paramount. You can keep your school safe by empowering your staff and students with the knowledge they need to make safe choices. You can do this by:

• Implementing regular fire drills
• Providing annual staff training on fire safety and evacuation procedures
• Implementing a student fire safety curriculum
• Involving local fire department in drills and planning

Additional Safety Measures

The vital element behind every successful school fire plan is fully operational fire detection and suppression equipment:

• Fire detection and alarm systems: Ensure your fire alarm system is in proper order by conducting monthly visual inspections and scheduling more in-depth fire alarm inspections administered by Foothill Fire Protection once a year.
• Fire suppression equipment: For fire extinguishers, we recommend monthly visual inspections and a more thorough fire extinguisher inspection by a certified fire safety professional once a year to ensure your fire suppression equipment is fully charged and operational.
• Emergency lighting: Our fire safety experts can design and install emergency lighting for illuminating exits and exit routes during evacuations.
• First aid supplies and training: Ensure your school is fully stocked in first aid supplies and your staff is thoroughly trained in first aid.

Fire Protection Services in Northern California

The more comfortable and familiar your staff and students are with fire safety measures, the safer they’ll be. Since practice makes perfect, be sure to schedule regular fire drills and hold fire safety educational events to ensure everyone has the knowledge and tools they need to stay safe.

Take the first step toward keeping your school safe by creating or updating your school’s fire plan today. Foothill Fire Protection is California-licensed, NICET-certified, and available 24/7.

Contact us any time you need help.