Bus Safety Program

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Bus Safety Program
Emergency Evacuation

• Think
• SAFETY
• First
• Not
• SPEED
• First

• Children are our most important resource

SAFETY
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Safety Training Presentation

• Emergency Bus Evacuation and Points of Egress

Mustafa Abdullah Safety Training Instructor
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Emergency Exit and Evacuation
An emergency situation can happen to anyone,
anytime, anywhere.
It could be a crash
A stalled bus
on a railroad-highway crossing or in a high-speed
intersection,
A fire in the engine compartment,
A medical emergency to a student on the
bus, etc.
Knowing what to do in an
emergency, before, during and after an evacuation
can mean the difference between life and death.
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Reasons for Evacuation
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Types of Emergencies
When children are being transported, any type of
bus emergency can be serious. Some of the
emergencies that you should be prepared for
include
Collisions Fires Breakdowns Immersions Downed
Wires Disabled Driver
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Collisions

• School buses survive most collisions remarkably
  well. So long as children are properly seated,
  serious injuries to children are rare. But even
  after a minor incident, calming children and
  keeping track of them can be a challenge.

N
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Fires

• Although bus fires dont happen every day, they
  occur more frequently than commonly thought.
  Buses can burn quickly in certain situations.
  Once the seats are burning it takes less than two
  minutes for toxic fumes to become un-survivable.

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Breakdowns

• When children are on board, even a minor
  mechanical problem creates significant safety
  concerns. The danger of a second collision to the
  disabled bus must be considered. In some cases,
  quick evacuation will be necessary.

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Immersions

• Although rare, bus immersions do occur. At least
  two incidents have resulted in student
  fatalities. Children drowned when they could not
  get out of their buses fast enough. There have
  been a number of close calls as well.

The recent floods in this area show that it is
very possible that a bus could become involved in
an evacuation situation in our district due to
flooding.
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Downed Wires

• Incidents in which buses come in contact with
  electrical wires are not uncommon. Electrical
  wires can pose serious dangers to vehicle
  occupants. Passengers should remain on board if
  at all possible, until help arrives.

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Disabled Driver

• A number of incidents occur every year in which a
  school bus driver becomes unconscious or
  otherwise disabled by a sudden emergency. An
  attendants ability to stop and secure the bus is
  critical in such incidents.

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Know Your Bus
Learn how to key the mike
Applying the service brake
Pull the belt tight and cut at an angle
Triangle reflectors can be tricky to set up try
it!
Use a fire blanket to drag an injured or disabled
child to an exit in an emergency
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Pre Planning
Drivers (and aides where appropriate) should try
to establish some ideas of how they intend to
evacuate their vehicle in the event of different
types of emergencies. Have a Back-up dont
expect that every plan will fit every scenario.
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Be Prepared and Plan Ahead
When possible, assign two responsible, older
student assistants to each emergency exit. Teach
them how to assist the other students off the
bus. Assign another student assistant to lead the
students to a safe place after evacuation.
However, you must recognize that there may not be
older, responsible students on the bus at the
time of the emergency. Therefore, emergency
evacuation procedures must be explained to all
students. This includes ensuring that they know
the location and operation of the various
emergency exits and the importance of listening
to and following all instructions given by you.
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Evacuation Plan
(SPECIAL NEEDS VEHICLES)
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Evacuation Plans

• The purpose of an evacuation plan is to clarify
  exactly who does what in an emergency

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Responsibilities

• Drivers Responsibilities
• 1.Contact base
• 2.Secure the bus
• 3.Maintain communications
• 4.Protect the scene

• Attendants Responsibilities
• 1.Determine a safe place of evacuation
• 2.Assist driver in maintaining order
• 3.Account for all students

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When to Evacuate
Determine need to evacuate the bus
The first and most important consideration is for
you to recognize the hazard. If time permits, the
driver should contact the dispatcher to explain
the situation before making a decision to
evacuate the bus. As a general rule, student
safety and control is best maintained by keeping
students on the bus during an emergency and or
impending crisis situation, if so doing does not
expose them to unnecessary risk or injury.
Remember, the decision to evacuate the bus must
be a timely one. A decision to evacuate should
include consideration of the following conditions
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• Is there a fire or danger of fire?
• Is there a smell of leaking fuel?
• Is there a chance the bus could be hit by other
  vehicles?
• Is the bus in the path of a sighted tornado or
  rising water?
• Are there downed power lines?
• Would removing students expose them to speeding
  traffic or a dangerous environment?
• Would moving students complicate injuries?
• Is there a hazardous spill involved?

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Mandatory Evacuations
The driver MUST evacuate the bus when

• The bus is on fire or there is a threat of a
  fire.
• The bus is stalled on or adjacent to a railroad
  crossing
• The position of the bus may change and increase
  the danger
• There is imminent danger of collision.
• There is a need to quickly evacuate because of a
  hazardous material spill.

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Emergency Bus Evacuation Procedures
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General Procedures
Determine if evacuation is in the best interest
of safety

• Determine the best type of evacuation
• Front or rear door evacuation, or a combination
  of both.
• Emergency window evacuation.
• Roof hatch Evacuation.
• Secondary point of egress evacuation.

• Secure the bus by
• Placing transmission in park.
• Setting the parking brake.
• Shutting off the engine.
• Removing the ignition key.
• Activating the hazard lights.

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• If time allows, notify office of evacuation
  location, conditions, and type of assistance
  needed.
• Dangle radio microphone out of drivers window
  for later use if possible.
• If radio is inoperable, dispatch a passing
  motorist or area resident to call for help. As a
  last resort, dispatch two (2) older, responsible
  students to go for help.
• Order the evacuation.
• Evacuate students from the bus.
• Do not move a student you believe may have
  suffered a neck or spinal injury unless his or
  her life is in immediate danger. Special
  procedures must be used to move neck and spinal
  injury victims to prevent further injury.
• Direct a student to lead students to the nearest
  safe place.
• Walk through the bus to ensure no students remain
  on the bus. Retrieve emergency equipment.
• Join waiting students. Account for all students
  and check for their safety.
• Protect the scene. Set out emergency warning
  devices as necessary and appropriate.
• Prepare information for emergency responders.

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Some Tips to Determine a Safe Place

• A safe place for the students will be at least
  100 feet off the road in the direction of
  oncoming traffic. This will keep them from being
  hit by debris if another vehicle collides with
  the bus.
• Lead students upwind of the bus if fire is
  present
• Lead students as far away from railroad tracks as
  possible and in the direction of any oncoming
  train.
• Lead students upwind of the bus at least 300 feet
  if there is a risk from spilled hazardous
  materials.
• If the bus is in the direct path of a sighted
  tornado and evacuation is ordered, escort
  students to a nearby ditch or culvert if shelter
  in a building is not readily available, and
  direct them to lie face down, hands covering
  their head. They should be far enough away so
  that the bus cannot topple on them. Avoid areas
  that are subject to flash floods.

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Primary Points of Egress

• Front Door
• Rear Emergency Door
• Emergency Windows
• Roof Hatches

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Primary Egress Points -Learn How to Go Out All
Exits
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Primary Egress Points -Learn How to Open ALL
Exits
Roof hatches can be tricky to open!
Two Different Type Of Escape Hatches They Open
And Close Differently
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1
2
3
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Getting Out of the Hatch
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6
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Secondary points of Egress
There may come a time when it is necessary to
make a mass evacuation where the primary points
of egress are either blocked or not sufficient to
make a timely evacuation of all students. It then
will be necessary to make use of the secondary
points of evacuation.
What are the primary points of egress? How do you
access them? What are some of the dangers
involved with their use?
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What to do If
CONCLUSION

• The bus rolls over (passenger / side drivers
  side)
• Theres a fire on the bus (front / rear)
• The bus fills up with smoke
• The bus is caught in a flood or tornado
• The bus comes in contact with downed wires
• The bus stalls at a R/R crossing
• The driver passes out (or the aide)

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In a situation such as this the normal evacuation
procedures that we practice will not apply. What
would you do in a situation such as this?

• Things to consider
• Seat belts
• Fuel leakage
• Broken glass
• Passenger disorientation

When the front passenger side door is blocked,
other means of egress must be considered. Note
the open roof hatch.
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Flood / Tornado
Try to find shelter in a building. If no shelter
is available look for a ditch or culvert, direct
students to lie face down with their hands
covering their heads. Move far enough away so
that the bus will not topple on them. Avoid areas
that are subject to flash floods.
Seek high ground, avoid ditches and gullies.
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Downed Wires
If at all possible, remain ON the bus until help
arrives If you have to evacuate, JUMP from the
bus to the ground. DO NOT step off keeping one
foot in contact with the bus and one touching the
ground
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Railroad Crossing
Lead students as far away from railroad tracks as
possible, in the direction of any oncoming train
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DISABLED DRIVER
A driver could become disabled due to an
accident, or due to a medical condition. In
either case, someone will have to take charge of
the situation and make the command decisions.
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Would they know what to do if the driver suddenly
became unconscious while driving the bus? Who
would stop the bus? How would they do it?
Who is going to evacuate the bus?