Go ahead and plan on it. You will have one fire drill per month that you teach school unless you don’t do it correctly, then you will have more than one a month. Fire drills are as predictable as the National Anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance.  Older children know the drill while younger children may be frightened by the noise and brisk activity. This is one of the things you should discuss on the first day of school so that students will understand the expectation for a fire drill.

I recommend that you have a small drawstring bag on a hook by the classroom door that you pick up as you exit your classroom. Most schools issue teachers a red or green card so that teachers can hold up green to signify that everyone is accounted for and red if someone is missing. It is a routine way of communicating that you have all your children with you. I would also suggest that you include a student roster and copies of your emergency cards that contain parent names and phone numbers for the unlikely event that you are not immediately allowed back inside your classroom. It is also a good idea to have some basic first aid supplies like bandages and ointment. 

Children are so trainable for emergency protocol because in addition to regular fire drills, we also have severe weather drills (though not as frequently). Each school usually has a string of codes that signify something that requires your attention. Code red could mean stay out of the hallway, code green could mean there is an unwanted visitor in the office, code yellow could mean there is a medical emergency. These codes vary from school to school. Most of the codes require you to lock your door and cover the windows and keep the children in your classroom until you get further notification. Because these codes are used rarely, you may want to have a list on an index card under your keyboard so you always have a quick reference. When a code is called, there is no time to go across to Mrs. Smith’s room and ask her what is going on. It is a sign to take immediate action. You can learn whatever you need to know after the event is over. 

For PEC students, fire drills can be one of the worst experiences they have in school. To begin with they are VERY loud and unexpected. It’s a major disruption  in an otherwise routine school day. A fire drill can blow the whole day for one of our students….the extreme noise, the confusion of rushing around, going outside with the rest of the school, etc. I would always ask the school administration and office staff to give me a warning before the fire drill, so I could prepare for it with my students who needed that extra support. I heard an adult in his 30’s who was on the Autism Spectrum ( ASD) speak at a conference once and he told us what it was like for him when there was a fire drill in his elementary school. He said it took him almost two full days to calm and reset his sensory system from the shock and disruption of the unexpected alarm blaring in the hallway outside of his classroom. He said  that he often got a cold or was sick after fire drill day because his immune system was so depleted from trying to survive the shock to his system of the fire drill alarm.

Be an advocate for your PEC students and explain to your administrative staff “why” you need to know ahead of time before they pull the alarm. It’s the right thing to do.

Pamela Webster, M. Ed., SPED