School Fire Safety Checklist for Students Teachers and Administrators

Fires in schools are not as uncommon as people think. According to the National Fire Protection Association, about 5,000 fires in education buildings occur each year. Each fire comes with the risk of injuries and deaths, and a costly repair bill. Making sure your staff, teachers, and students are educated in fire safety prevention, and know what to do in case of a fire is extremely important to ensure everyone’s safety. Follow these fire safety education tips to help prevent fire damage at your school.

Take fire prevention measures.

Take these extra steps to protect your school from vandals who start the fires. Nearly half of all school fires are started intentionally. Using these school safety procedures is vital to keeping your school fire-free.

1. Consider using fire resistant landscaping, like planting shrubs and water resistant trees to prevent fires from spreading from the building. When planting the fire-resistant trees, plant them at least 30 feet away from the school and space them at least 10 feet apart from one another.
2. Install motion sensor exterior lighting or lighting on timers.
3. Install alarms on all doors, windows, roof hatches, and ventilator openings.
4. Place your trash bins far away from the building so fire doesn’t spread. Consider locking each trash bin to prevent intruders.

Fire Safety Education in School.

If fire safety education isn’t already part of your curriculum, add it. Educate both teachers and students.

1. Do a walk-through of the school with teachers and staff so they know where all of the fire exits are and the safest way for their students and themselves to exit the building should a fire occur.
2. Give an emergency exit map to each classroom and label all of the exits and paths to safety. Make sure each class has at least two exits.
3. Pair students with specific adults, and have special pair-ups for students who need assistance.
4. Have a student roster available to make sure every kid is accounted for.
5. Train students on how to behave during a fire, and have frequently scheduled fire drills to help students practice.
6. Educate students not only on what to do if there’s a fire at school, but also at their home.

Do Routine Fire Safety Inspections.

School fire safety procedures dictate that you need to inspect your building regularly. By inspecting your school’s sprinkler system, structure, equipment, and electrical, you can better protect everyone from accidental fires.

1. Check that all doorways, stairways, windows, and emergency exits remain unblocked at all times.
2. Inspect cafeteria kitchen equipment and appliances to make sure they’re up to date and working properly.
3. Inspect the school’s sprinkler system. Sprinkler systems can prevent fires from spreading beyond a contained area. Having special sprinkler systems and decontamination showers installed in all science labs is especially important.
4. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) created the NFPA25 to help you keep your school’s sprinkler system up to code at all times.

If a fire occurs at your school, educating students and staff on fire prevention methods, practicing routine fire drills, and keeping everyone up to date on evacuation policies and procedures will not only help prevent fires from occurring, but will also help keep everyone safe.

Does Your School Need Fire Damage Restoration?

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