9.9.8 Emergency Drill Education Guidelines

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE
Consider using these guidelines to educate both tamariki and adults at Centre prior to any Emergency Drill.
Fire Drills – Pre-Drill Education Guidelines
1. Get tamariki together to discuss and explain the alarm. You may want to include;
– That it makes a loud noise (explain the sound it makes).
– Why there is an alarm (to warn us and keep us safe).
– Where to go when they hear the alarm
2. Consider reading relevant books during the session to help tamariki understand.
3. Allow tamariki to go back to their on-session activities.
4. Cover Fire Drill training required with adults on session. You may want to include

  1. Location of the fire alarm and how to alert NZ Fire Service to a fire emergency
  2. Fire drill procedures
  3. Fire Action notices/signs
  4. Location and type of firefighting equipment in the building*
  5. Location of emergency evacuation assembly point
  6. Escape plan / foot travel routes to safe places and assembly point*
  7. Use of any emergency equipment in the building to assist persons who require
  8. particular assistance to evacuate the building*
  9. Fire alarm signals or methods for alerting occupants or available for use by
    occupants*
  10. Location of the daily roll that will be retrieved in case of evacuation
  11. Location of hi-vis vest/armbands or like
  12. Clear expectation of not re-entering the Centre until the ‘All Clear’ is given. There
    may be many hazards to deal with including debris, fire, electrical hazards, glass,
    injured or trapped persons etc.

“The early childhood education school fire-safety programme, Get Out! Stay Out!, is for pre-school children aged from two to five
years old.
The focus of Get Out! Stay Out! is surviving fire in the home setting.

The content and learning outcomes of Get Out! Stay Out! have been kept simple. This is to meet the range of learning abilities
across this age group and because home fire-safety for pre-school children is the ultimate responsibility of parents and caregivers.

Get Out! Stay Out! integrates principles from Te Whariki Early Childhood Curriculum. Learning outcomes have been developed
around a number of Te Whariki goals in each of the strands. Additional take-home material encourages parents/caregiver
involvement and responsibility in home fire safety. It emphasises the importance of children learning in the home environment
in addition to learning through early childhood providers.”
Reference: https://getfirewise.org.nz/ece.html

Earthquakes Drills – Pre-Drill Education
1. Get tamariki together and explain the alarm. Cover that when they hear ‘Earthquake!’ they need to
DROP, COVER, HOLD like a turtle.

2. Demonstrate the turtle position (get down on the floor, head down, arms covering the back of head, eyes
closed, legs crouched up under body).

3. Explain to tamariki that if they are outside, they must stay where they are and not to run inside.

4. Teach tamariki to turn away from glass, move away from buildings and large play equipment and to get
out of sandpits or swings, if possible.

5. Consider facilitating a discussion on past experiences, read relevant books etc.

6. Allow tamariki to go back to their activities.

“An earthquake is when the ground shakes because rocks deep under the ground are moving. When a big earthquake happens
there may be a loud rumbling noise and things can start falling down around you. It might also be hard to stand up. You have to
act quickly and protect yourself from things that might fall on you. Remember how a turtle quickly gets into its shell to keep safe?
Here’s what you can do.
▪ If you are inside, quickly get under a table, and hold on to the table legs (if you can) so the table doesn’t move away
from you. Stay there until the shaking stops and you are told it is safe to come out by an adult.
▪ If you are outside or there are no tables around, take no more than three steps away from things that can fall on you:
DROP, COVER and HOLD
▪ Remember there may be aftershocks (more earthquakes).
▪ Practice your earthquake drill: DROP, COVER and HOLD.”
Reference: http://getthru.govt.nz/downloads/preschool-resources/