Importance of School Bus Emergency Evacuation Protocols

There's no doubt that school buses are among the safest ways to travel in the world. Accidents, injuries, and fatalities are all far lower than for any other kind of ground travel, making a school bus statistically one of the best places for a child to be.

But accidents do still happen! According to studies, the interior of a school bus could be burned out by a fire in as little as three minutes. If something goes wrong, the driver needs to be able to quickly and safely evacuate the bus. That's why it's so important to have emergency evacuation protocols in place for all your buses and routes.

Emergency Evacuation Preparedness Keeps Kids Safe

When putting together an evacuation protocol, there are several things to keep in mind.

1 - The type of evacuation

There are typically two types of evacuations covered in evac protocols - orderly and emergency. Orderly evacuations would be when the students are not in immediate danger, so the driver can take a little more time clearing the bus. Emergency evacuations would be called for when there is a clear and immediate threat to the students, such as a fire on the bus, and the bus must be cleared ASAP.

Have protocols for both these types of evacuation, and train your drivers on recognizing immediate dangers.

2 - Have evac drills at least once per year

Drilling is crucial, to help ensure both drivers and students will know what to do in the case of an accident or other emergency.

Drivers' training should focus on threat recognition, and being able to clearly relay important commands to the students in a crisis.

Students' training should focus on knowing the safety features of the bus, the emergency exits, and how to operate them. If you have older or more reliable students on a bus, it might be best to assign them the task of wrangling the emergency exits - but every student should learn how the doors, windows, and roof exits work, just in case.

Be sure to time the drills as well. Remember, in a worst-case scenario, the driver may only have a couple minutes to evacuate a bus. Push them to safely improve their speed!

3 - Drivers must always know who's on the bus

The nightmare scenario of an evacuation is to seemingly get everyone off the bus - but accidentally leave someone behind. A driver must always know exactly how many students and other passengers are on the bus, and keep doing headcounts to ensure they're all accounted for.

Smart student-tracking apps on your drivers' phones and tablets can help here; by ensuring they always have an up-to-date count of riders.

4 - Remember the special needs children

Whenever a bus has a special-needs child onboard, their evacuation protocols must reflect that child's situation. Children in wheelchairs, for example, most likely cannot evacuate on their own. They'll need assistance from the driver or another adult to unhook their chair from the bus.

For children with emotional issues, staying calm is usually the most important factor. The driver needs to maintain a calm and steadfast demeanor, to prevent adding more stress to a stressful situation.

5 - Keep updating your protocols

At least once a year, pull out the evacuation protocols and look them over. Has anything changed since they were written? Are they still relevant to the current student ridership? Never let them go too long without being checked.

BusBoss wants every student rider to stay safe, and we offer a range of technology and consulting solutions that will improve your bus operations. Contact us to learn more.