Fire Evacuation Plans for Childcare Centers

1/6/2022 (Permalink)

Did you know? US Fire Administration claims an estimated 325 fires occur in daycares annually. With that being said we believe that having and practicing an evacuation plan would be ideal to avoid and prevent any serious injuries and accidents in the event of a fire.

When it comes to fires there’s a storm of questions running in your head especially when having a building filled with children. Did everyone make it out okay? Where there any visitors in the building? Who called in sick today? All of these questions require for a quick answer even in the middle of all the commotion. Remember were talking about kids here and removing a building filled with kids at the same time. There’s no room for error or second-guessing. This is where a well-practiced evacuation plan can be the difference between having everyone out in time or not.

Ideally the goal is to have a strategized plan before opening to begin with. Everyone must understand their role and be able to identify which caregiver will be responsible for which children. Children who don’t yet walk ideally are distributed evenly among the caregivers. Keeping multiple copies of a parent phone tree through out the facility will also help when trying to communicate with parents. (Assure this list is kept updated and current) Your caregivers should be able to know how to use a extinguisher in the event its necessary to use. There should be 2 exits in every room in the building. Sometime a window may be the only option as a way out, assure there’s a    way for the kids to safely evacuate through that window if necessary. Parents should be able to know how to locate you in the event of a relocation. Designate primary and secondary assembly locations. During a fire it is important that overall, you try to remain calm and follow protocols at all times, and call 911 from the secure location. DO NOT re enter the building unless the fire department says its safe to go back in there. Once all employees and children have been safely evacuated, begin checking the attendance roster. Once that is done you may now begin contacting parents after that, call your local SERVPRO for help with your insurance claim process and we can start on the clean-up and restoration process.