Providing a safe space for learning is key and safety drills continue to be an essential tool for educators to make the most out of these teachable moments.
Schools across School District 47, following a standardized safety policy, conduct five drills from September to June: three fire, one earthquake and a school lockdown.
Administrators schedule the drills to fit in the school calendar and spread them out so safety is a subject that continues to be discussed throughout the school year. A fire drill is conducted in each of the school year’s three terms.
“Really, it’s a lot of talking on the first one with the teacher explaining what the drill is and what the students have to do,” said Jasmin Marshman, principal at James Thomson Elementary School. “The actual alarm could be quite frightening for kindergarten students, so the students are prepared for the first one.”
Marshman said that before the drill, using the school’s public address system, she explains that they are going to practice their fire drill and walk out of the school in a quick, but orderly way.
James Thomson has a policy of using the school’s bell system to conduct drills.
“Once the fire alarm is on, it stays on for a long time,” she said. “That gets the kids worried, so I ring the buzzer.”
The second and third fire drills are a bit more of a surprise, but students are walked through the procedures by their teachers.
“It’s just a practice for them and I think the alarm freaks them out a lot of times,” she added. “It also takes away from the ability to talk and explain while the drill is happening.”
The teachers help students through the procedure, ensuring that lights are turned off and doors are shut behind them, she said. Out on the school’s back playing field, the students line up and roll call is taken to make sure that everyone is accounted for.
“Out on the field, we talk about how it was good timing,” said Marshman, adding that she challenges the students to try to beat their previous evacuation time.
By the end of the school year, the students, especially the ones in kindergarten, are comfortable with what they have to do, she said.
All schools in the district participate in the annual Great British Columbia ShakeOut earthquake drill held in October, which is handled in much the same way as the first fire drill of the year.
“They have sound effects of things falling, but we don’t do that,” Marshman said.
Teachers emphasize the earthquake drill organizers’ message of drop, cover and hold on.
“If there is an earthquake, they know what to do,” she said. “They won’t be panicking and running around.”
Though schools in Powell River have been running lockdown drills for a number of years, recent tragedies south of the border (including the shooting of students and staff at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut) have brought to light fears of similar instances of violence happening in Canadian schools.
After last year’s school lockdown drill at James Thomson, Marshman said a group of parents came to her with concerns about the drill.
“Sandy Hook had just happened and I think that right away that’s where parents’ [thoughts] went to as why we’re doing it and that we are falling into the mindset of violence at schools, but that’s just not the case,” she said. “There are so many instances that can arise that we may need to [lock the school down] that would have nothing to do with that type of violence. There’s no discussion of a shooter coming into the building.”
At Henderson Elementary School, principal Scott Fisher said he did not hear similar concerns about the drill, but understands why the drill may seem a little controversial.
“I think it raises everyone’s eyebrows a little bit because everyone gets that antsy feeling,” said Fisher. “But I think everybody in Powell River realizes we’re not in quite the same situation as a place with that kind of population density.”
Because Henderson, like many of Powell River’s schools, is located near a wooded area with a fair amount of wildlife traffic, bears and cougars coming too close to students is a much larger concern.
Fisher said the school has procedures to protect students, who are outside, by taking them to the fenced area of the playground in the event of a bear or cougar being sighted near the school.
At James Thomson, students practice closing their classroom door, finding a safe spot and waiting for further instructions, said Marshman.
Marshman said that realistically the only times she would feel it necessary to perform a lockdown was if an unknown adult came into the school and did not check-in at the school office, or parents were arguing in the hallway or there were reports of wildlife in the area.
“We talk about [dangers], but we try to keep it as low key as possible,” she said. “If an emergency arose, we just want them to know what to do to protect themselves.”
