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Emergency Drills Policy

At Flex Academy, we value the safety of staff and students. We practise fire, earthquake and lock down procedures each year to help keep us prepared in the case of an emergency. 

Drill Type and Frequency:

  • Earthquake Drills - 1x per year  (See document ShakeOut BC)
  • Fire drills - 6x per year
  • Lockdown Drills - 3x per year (see the Code Yellow and  Code Red handouts) 
  • Handout
  • Silent Drills - in addition to the above, we also do “Invisible Drills”  each year to observe and learn from previous incidents 

Earthquake Safety

  • When an earthquake occurs, your first warning may be a swaying sensation if you’re in a building, a sudden noise or roar. Next, vibration, quickly followed by rolling up, down, sideways, or rotating. It may last a few seconds or could go on for a few minutes. Be prepared for aftershocks as well.
  • We can’t prevent an earthquake, but we can:
    • Be prepared to minimized injury
    • Be prepared to minimize damage to your home
    • Be prepared to survive afterwards for at least 72 hours without help
  • Flex participates in the Shakeout safety drill once per school year. During these drills, students learn safe and dangerous places to go during an earth quake:
    • Safe: under heavy tables or desks, inside hallways, corners of rooms or archways
    • Dangerous: near windows or mirrors, under any objects that can fall, the kitchen – where the stove, refrigerator or contents of cupboards may move violently, doorways – because the shaking may slam the door on you.

Family Resources

ShakeOut BC Resources
Video: Making a Family Emergency Plan
BC Hydro 72 Hour Emergency Kit Tips
BC Government Prepare Your Home Tips 

Fire Safety

Flex Academy is equipped with fire safety equipment as a first line of defence if a fire should occur on campus. Fire equipment includes equipment to both warn you in the event of a fire and helps you extinguish a fire. These include the following:

  1. Smoke alarms
  2. Fire extinguishers
  3. Carbon monoxide alarms
  4. sprinklers

Flex Staff and Admin will follow the Flex Academy Fire Drill procedures for the Elementary and Middle/High School buildings.

During a Fire Drill:

  • Calm Exit

  • Doors Closed and Unlocked

  • Lights Out

  • Safety Locations 

  • Calling Names

  • Fire Slips

Fire Drill Responsibilities
  • Basement  - J’aimee - Downstairs Sweep 
  • Gym Building  - Terry & Gayle - Gym and Upstairs Sweep 
  • Admin help with sweeps depending on what building they are in

Family Resources

Canadian Red Cross: Planning for and dealing with house fires
National Fire Protection Association
Resources for kids: Sparky the Fire Dog
Office of the Fire Commissioner Links

Lockdown Procedures/ Drills

Student and teacher preparedness in case of an emergency. Reminder to:

  1. Front load information to all involved prior to a drill to help prepare and keep everyone calm.
  2. Restrict all student cell phone use to keep communication lines clear between you, teachers, admin/ directors as
    necessary. Important for students to not to utilize their cell phones for calls or for text messaging, and to put their personal phones to “silent mode” during a lockdown drill or situation.

 Hold and Secure (Code Yellow) Drills Internal threats (eg Altercation in the hall)

  1. Retrieve students
  2. Local doors closed and locked but open for a knock
  3. Business as usual in class
  4. No changing classrooms until all clear on Zoom

 Hold and Secure (Code Yellow) External threats (threat outside the buildings or closed to the property)

  1. Retrieve students from halls/outside
  2. Take attendance and report to the office on Zoom who is missing
  3. External and internal doors locked
  4. No one in or out of classrooms
  5. No moving classrooms for classes
  6. Do not evacuate if the fire alarm goes off. Wait for instructions.
  7. Business as usual - no need to be quiet in class
  8. Ends when first responders or admin dismiss in person or over Zoom
  9. Admin/managers escort to the bathroom

Hold and Secure Communication

  1. Staff Communication
    1. Zoom Call (will ring) 
    2. Zoom alert message
  2. Student Communication: 
    1. Keep things running normal in class
    2. Minimal and calm communication 
    3. Attendance sent to office
  3. Await updates via Zoom 

Hold and Secure Responsibilities

  1. Basement
    1. Shawna - Manage Zoom alerts & questions
    2. J’aimee Lock the Upstairs door by Kindy Playground 
    3. Theresa/James Lock Main KCCS Doors
    4. Ryan Cover the Village Room and lock those doors
    5. Bri Sweep JrK, K, and Gr. 1 Rooms 

  2. Gym & Upstairs

    1. Gayle - Lock Gym Entrance Doors and Monitor 

    2. Gayle - Sweep downstairs bathrooms

    3. Danita - Lock the Rear Entrance Doors

    4. Terry - Sweep of Upstairs Hall and Mezz and Gym, sending students to classes

Hold and Secure Other Procedures

  1. All students stay or go into their classroom.
  2. Regular classroom activity continues.
  3. The coordinator ensures all exterior doors are locked.
  4. Supervision at all entrances may be heightened.
  5. Classroom teachers close windows and blinds, lock the door, take and submit attendance, and recording any additional persons in the room.
  6. Students can do quiet seatwork, ensuring that all announcements can be heard. Do not open doors (no bathroom/water fountain breaks).
  7. Students are escorted to parents for pickup at the day’s end if an area threat is still present.
  8. Wait for the all-clear via Zoom

Full Lockdown Procedures

Internal Threat - Locks, Lights, Out of Sight

  1. Retrieve Students - pull them from the hall 
  2. If not in the classroom - go behind the closest locking door
  3. Silence and out of sight
  4. Attendance and zoom who you have with you and where you are 
  5. Doors don’t open for anyone
  6. Don’t cover windows/door
  7. Do not lock perimeter doors
  8. Ends when first responders or admin dismiss in-person

Lockdown Communication 

  1. Staff Communication 
  2. Same as Secure 
  3. Student Communication 
  4. Age appropriate 
  5. Transmit Calm 
  6. Older students - tell what is going on and why in a lockdown 
  7. Manage student texting and tell students to tell their parents to not come to the school 

In any lockdown situation, Teachers must immediately:

  1. Assemble students into classrooms
  2. Close and lock doors and windows and turn off lights
  3. Have students sit silently out of sight lines
  4. Take attendance. Zoom the office to report all present or in the case of a missing child.
  5. Wait for further instructions or information by intercom.
  6. Do not exit classrooms or make washrooms trips until directed to by principal or acting principal.

Evacuation

  1. In a Parent Facilitated Evacuation - Parents are contacted en masse and teachers are given instructions on where to take students for a drive-thru pick-up
  2. In a Staff Facilitated Evacuation - Students are walked to Willow Park Church or EnergyPlex Complex 

Emergency Management System

1. Flex will create an emergency management system in accordance with the Emergency Management Planning Guide

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