Fire Drill Activation Procedures

Notify Emergency Personnel

• Before beginning a fire drill, administrators must notify emergency personnel. Your local fire department must be aware that you are conducting a fire drill so they do not respond to a false alarm situation. Schools and other large facilities are often required to conduct frequent fire drills that are monitored by the local fire department. Fire department personnel will be dispatched to your site to observe and inspect your fire drill procedures.

Notify Staff and Administrative Personnel

• When conducting a fire drill, staff and administrative personnel of the building are notified in advance. They do not need to be told exactly when the drill will take place, but are often given a time frame so that they may be prepared. They should review the evacuation routes and procedures with their students or employees frequently to be certain that they are aware of the proper procedure to evacuate the building. All rooms within a facility should have an evacuation route posted.

Activate the Fire Alarms

• The fire alarms are activated by designated personnel. All occupants of the building must begin to exit the building upon hearing the fire alarms. Staff members can be placed in the hallways to offer guidance and direction to occupants during the evacuation process. To avoid injury, the evacuation must be done quickly in a quiet orderly fashion.

Building Inspection

• After all occupants have evacuated the building, fire department personnel or administrative staff will inspect the building. All rooms, hallways and stairwells should be inspected for any remaining occupants. Once the building has been completely inspected and cleared, the signal to return can then be issued. If the building has not been cleared in a timely fashion, the fire drill may need to be repeated.