Evacuation Procedure including fire, lockdown and medical - Perth School

Fire Emergency:

• In the event that the school's fire alarm rings, it should be treated as a real emergency and evacuation should begin immediately.
• Signal differentiation is as follows: short sounds of the whistle represent a “drill”, and long, continuous sounds indicate a “real emergency”.

Lockdown:

• Drills are signaled with the announcement of 'Its hammer time'.
• If a real emergency occurs, you will hear the announcement of 'Lockdown'.

Medical Emergency:
Team members will be made aware of various potential medical situations. Practice opportunities will be provided to ensure that team members can proficiently and confidently respond to each type of situation.

In the event of an emergency, all educators, staff and visitors are required to cease any ongoing activities immediately. It is important to maintain a calm demeanour to assemble the children without causing any panic. The primary objective is to guide the children safely to the nearest exit or to a secure spot, depending on the nature of the situation.

For instance, in case of an internal fire, the protocol is to lead everyone to the emergency evacuation point located at the bottom of the outdoor area, near the fence. The nearest exits are indicated in blue in the below images: 

Collection of Essential Items

When an emergency is announced, specific responsibilities lie with our educators. They are to ensure the gathering of the following crucial items:

• Studio iPad: This is used to track each child using the SmartCentral application. It is of utmost importance in accounting for all children.
• Contact Details Paper Roll: This holds the necessary contact information for parents and must be collected.
• Evacuation Bags: These bags containing first-aid supplies and other essential items are critical during emergencies.
• School Phone: The school phone, held at the front desk, should be taken if it is deemed needed.
• Individual Child Medication: If children have specific medicines such as epi pens, they are located in the front office's first-aid cupboard and must be obtained.
• Fire Evacuation Blanket: During the summer months, the fire evacuation blanket stored in the shed is to be collected.

It is the responsibility of educators to ensure these items are gathered promptly and effectively within the bounds of safety.

The Supervisor or Resident Practioner (RP), during her absence, is tasked with the critical responsibility of conducting a thorough inspection of The Akidamy School premises. They must confirm that no individuals, whether staff or children, are inadvertently left behind during an evacuation. This safety check is only carried out if conditions permit.

At the designated assembly area, as identified on the School Site Map, the Nominated Supervisor takes on a pivotal role. Their first responsibility is to immediately contact emergency services by dialing Australia's emergency service number - '000'. Following this, they proceed to count the number of students, staff, and visitors present to ensure everyone is accounted for. Please refer to the images below for a better understanding of the meeting point location and related information.

Wait for subsequent directives from the Nominated Supervisor, or in their absence, the Responsible Person. This could also involve following orders given by emergency services.

After obtaining official permission from relevant authorities, all educators, staff, visitors, and children can safely re-enter the school premises.

Please be aware that the event might necessitate a report to the Education and Care Regulatory Unit (ECRU) via the National Quality Agenda IT System (NQAITS) as per Australian regulations. Additionally, it may be necessary to notify the families as well.