Fire Safety at School
Advice and guidance regarding fire safety at school.
All schools and pre-schools must meet the obligations of the Fire Services Act 1981 and adhere to the Fire Strategy in Schools (Guidelines for Design).
If you have questions about fire safety or, if would like a fire officer to give a talk at your school, please call (01) 222 4066 or email [email protected]
Three golden rules:
- Look around your school and eliminate the hazards
- Install a fire detection and alarm system to give early warning
- Prepare an evacuation plan and practice it regularly
Fire safety routine in schools
Attention to the following fire precautions should become a regular routine:
- Ensure that all escape routes from the school are free from obstruction and readily accessible at all times. Doors on escape routes should never be locked when anyone is in the building. Exit doors should be able to open easily and immediately, from the inside
- Fire doors should be kept closed at all times. These can only be held in the open position by an electromagnetic hold-open device connected to the fire detection and alarm system
- Implement a regular system of inspection of first-aid fire fighting equipment, like fire extinguishers and hose-reels
- Test fire detection and alarm system and emergency lighting regularly, keeping a record of inspection results and action taken in the fire safety register
- Ensure that fire instruction notices are legible and visible
- Ensure that periodic fire evacuation drills are carried out
- Train all members of staff to use first-aid fire fighting equipment and make sure they are prepared to take action in case of fire
- Do not allow the storage of combustible materials in staircase enclosures, under staircases or along escape routes, such as corridors
- Take adequate precautions when using paper or other flimsy materials for decorations, and never use cotton wool for this purpose. Do not suspend such decorations from light fittings or near heating appliances
- Exercise great care during the performance of school plays and at school parties so that there is no likelihood of costumes or props catching fire
After-school hours
Carry out an inspection to ensure:
- That all heating devices, gas fittings and other heat producing appliances have been turned off and left safe
- That there is no combustible material of any description near a possible source of ignition
- That all potentially dangerous chemicals in laboratories are safely stored
- That all cleaning materials (oily rags, polishing cloths, mop-heads, etc.) are properly stored in a suitable store room with the door closed
- That rubbish and combustible waste are not allowed to accumulate in laboratories, workshops, craft rooms, boiler rooms, or elsewhere in the building
Fire drills
It is the responsibility of the school principal and board of management to ensure that fire evacuation drills are carried out.
Each fire routine must be based upon a simple, efficient procedure, which is specifically designed for the premises in which it has to operate. The following points must be given prime consideration:
The purpose of the fire drill
Fire drills are intended to ensure, by means of training and rehearsal. that in the event of fire:
- The people who may be in danger act in a calm and orderly manner
- Those people who have designated responsibilities carry out their tasks to ensure the safety of all concerned
- The escape routes are used in accordance with a predetermined and practised plan
- Evacuation of the building is achieved in a speedily and orderly manner
- That people will react rationally when confronted with a fire or other emergency at school or elsewhere
Frequency of fire evacuation drills
- Fire drills should be carried out at least once per term
The people in the premises
- Consideration must be given to the age of the pupils attending the school and whether there are any children with special needs who may require assistance
Fire drill routine
Planning:
- The fire drill should simulate a situation where one escape route is not available
- Each fire drill should be started by a pre-determined signal
- The whole premises should be checked as if a real evacuation was in progress
- One senior person must be nominated as the person in control of the fire drill
A fire routine is based on a critical sequence of events:
Alarm operation:
- Anyone discovering an outbreak of fire must, without hesitation, activate the nearest fire alarm
Calling the fire brigade:
- All outbreaks of fire or any suspected fire, however small, should be reported immediately to the fire brigade by the quickest means available. This task could be given to the school secretary as they will always have a phone readily available. If nominating another person, make sure that they have ready access to a phone at all times
Evacuation:
- On hearing the fire alarm, pupils must be instructed to leave the building in single file and in a calm, orderly manner
- The person in charge of each class must indicate the exit route to be used and everyone must be directed to a predetermined assembly point
Assembly point:
- An area outside the school premises must be designated as an assembly point
- It must be clearly marked and easily identified
- The assembly point must be far enough away from the school premises to afford protection from the heat and smoke of a fire or other emergency
- The assembly point must be in a position that does not put pupils and staff at risk from emergency vehicles responding to the incident
Assembling the students:
- Specific arrangements must be made for pupils with physical or mental disabilities to ensure that they are assisted during evacuation
- No running is to be permitted to avoid panic
- On staircases, everyone must descend in single file. Overtaking of classes or individuals must not be permitted
- Lifts must not be used
- Anyone who is not in class when the fire alarm sounds must go immediately to the assembly point
- No one must be allowed to re-enter the building until told to do so by the fire service in attendance, or, in the case of a fire evacuation drill, the person in charge
Roll call:
- Attendance registers and visitors book should be held at a central point and must be brought to the assembly point when the alarm sounds
- One person should be nominated to have overall responsibility to ensure that a roll call is conducted in the event of evacuation
- When classes have assembled at the assembly point, a roll or count must be made immediately to ascertain that nobody has remained in the premises
- Any visitors or contractors in the premises at that time must be included
- The count at the assembly point must be checked using the attendance registers and visitors book to verify that everyone is out of the building
- Each teacher must report to the nominated person in charge of the evacuation procedure to verify that everyone in their charge is accounted for or to inform him/her of any persons missing
Meeting the brigade
- The person in charge of the roll call must identify him/herself to the Fire Brigade on their arrival. In doing so, vital information can be relayed to the Fire Officer which will dictate the actions to be taken by the Fire Brigade
What the fire brigade will want to know:
- Is everyone accounted for?
- If anyone is missing:
- How many? What is their usual location? Where were they last seen?
- Where is the fire? What is on fire? (It may not be apparent)
- Are there any hazardous substances involved in the fire or stored in the building? (i.e. chemicals, solvents, liquefied petroleum gas, acetylene cylinders etc.)
Instruction, training and recording
During the first week of term, or as soon as practically possible, all new entrants, including pupils, staff or support staff, should be shown the primary escape routes of the school.
They should also receive instruction on the school fire evacuation routine.
- All members of the staff should receive instruction and training appropriate to their responsibilities in the event of any emergency
- All members of staff should receive instruction, given by a competent person, annually. They should all receive a personal copy of prepared written instructions. This instruction should include details of how to call the fire brigade
- Newly appointed staff should receive instruction as soon as possible after their appointment
A record of the training and instructions given and fire drills held, should be entered in the fire safety register and will include the following:
- Date of the instruction or fire drill
- Duration
- Name of person giving the instruction
- Names of person(s) receiving instruction
- Nature of instruction or fire drill
In large premises a specific person shall be made responsible for organising staff training. Another person should be nominated to co-ordinate the actions of staff in the event of fire. Arrangements should be made for a deputy or deputies to carry out the above duties in the absence of the nominated persons.
In smaller premises, one specific person shall be made responsible for organising staff training and for coordinating the actions of the staff in the event of fire. Arrangements should be made for a deputy to carry out the above duties in the absence of the nominated person.