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RweThereYet
Active Member
USA
37 Posts |
 Posted - 12/02/2011 : 5:27:26 PM
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In the state I work in we are required to perform a bus exit drill twice each school year.
Now here is my peeve, the drill is always performed utilizing the REAR door. Never a side door, or a window, and heaven forbid a hatch.
So, what is everyone's / anyone's take on this drill; and, does it not seem that what the kids are repetitiously taught is what they will attempt to use in an emergency situation, i.e. head for the REAR door when that just might be the most lethal point of exit.
If this seems to many to be a point of contention, how does one go about getting these exit drills modified?
Vince Lombardi is quoted as having said: "Practice does not make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect." |
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08 Thomas EF
Top Member
533 Posts |
Posted - 12/02/2011 : 8:07:45 PM
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I agree that EVACUATION drills should cover ALL methods of evacuation, even if it's simply SHOWING the kids how to open the windows/hatches and how to safely get out of them (at least, assuming the bus is still upright).
Our drills consist of: Driver saying that we're having a drill, that we are to leave our things on the bus, two people are to open the door, climb out, and help the kids get down, and that we are to sit and slide out the door and line up away from the bus. Not one word about any of the other evacuation systems.... I don't remember whether it was here or on SBC or elsewhere, but some operations require the driver to explain to the student how to apply the parking brake, use the 2-way radio, etc. in case something happens to the driver, which I think is a great practice.
You're right, more what-ifs need to be addressed in these drills. |
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bus724
Top Member
USA
1609 Posts |
Posted - 12/03/2011 : 06:18:47 AM
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| I've only done evac drills a couple of times (for most of the time I was driving a route, the trainer did all of the drills herself as part of a bus safety assembly at the school; drivers weren't involved until the year I quit). The drills always involved going out the rear door (side door only on rear-engine buses). However, I took a few minutes to explain all the exits, as well as the safety equipment. Part of this included pointing out that in most evacuations, the front door would is the safest way out, and should be used if it's not blocked and time isn't a factor (bus gets stuck somewhere, breakdown on RR tracks, etc). It's not a good idea to practice going out a window, as there's the potential for injury (scrapes, falls), but you can explain to the kids how to (have someone hold the window up, face the aisle and crawl backwards, try to put their feet on the rubrails for support). |
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RweThereYet
Active Member
USA
37 Posts |
Posted - 12/03/2011 : 10:40:34 AM
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I guess what I percieve is that this current practise seems to be the perfect formula for diaster or major chaos at best...
Imagine if you will, how the students are going to "react" when faced with evacuating via a window or hatch when they have NEVER performed this feat under calm conditions.
For any driver to attempt to present students with my own version of "what if's and how to's" also seems a sure-fire formula for potential personal liability since it is not within the drivers perview.
All the best intentions in the world could realistically cost a driver their livelyhood and/or home! |
Edited by - RweThereYet on 12/03/2011 10:43:15 AM |
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08 Thomas EF
Top Member
533 Posts |
Posted - 12/03/2011 : 6:19:26 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by bus724(have someone hold the window up, face the aisle and crawl backwards, try to put their feet on the rubrails for support).
I've never heard of this, and I'm a bus nut, and I've been viewing this forum/SBC for almost 4 years, and I've been through several evacuation drills in school (which occur annually and are bus-by-bus) and it's never come up. How can they expect just any kid to know? |
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GIJane72
New Member
3 Posts |
Posted - 04/03/2012 : 6:01:46 PM
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| We do evacuation drills twice a year. The first day, all the kids go out the back door. The second day, half go out the front door and half out the back. I'm fortunate enough to be at school early enough that I have time to go over all safety procedures with my kids. We practice opening the side windows, popping the hatches, emergency brake, etc. It drives me nuts because so many drivers I work with just go through the motions of the drills and make fun of the drivers who og the extra mile. I want my kids to be able to safely get out of the bus in an emergency. |
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RweThereYet
Active Member
USA
37 Posts |
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coolbuskid
Senior Member
51 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2012 : 10:26:18 PM
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I first learned how to operate the side doors during band trips, because we used the doors to load and unload instruments. What happens if you just start doing the drill differently? I know, a bureaucrat will whine about you because you're different, and other drivers will tease you because you look silly. Time to start putting together an argumentative presentation at your expense, showing that students who are told to do one thing in practice will usually do that thing when it's for real. Like we hear in band rehearsals, "You perform like you practice."
Learning how to exit through the side doors is even more important if this exit requires an extra step of clearing and raising the bench seat there. The exit is no good if one or more students is blocking it, and those students don't know how to open the door and why to empty the seat so that it can be moved up and out of the way. It's also often joked about that nobody knows how to open the roof hatches, and not even the drivers practice to open them. One other thing that's often not discussed is how to open the front door and use it as an emergency exit. All exits should be reviewed and practiced with a majority of the regular riders. |
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RweThereYet
Active Member
USA
37 Posts |
Posted - 06/25/2012 : 05:33:11 AM
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| update - under Magement Operations "District launches new bus evacuation training"... are other/ will other district revamp their programs? |
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Emergency Exit drills
