Evacuation drills were a feature introduced many years ago to improve the safety of students in schools. The goal was to create a plan to quickly and effectively evacuate students in case of an emergency.
According to the New York City Department of Education guidelines, “Up until December 31st, schools are required to conduct 12 drills, four of which must be lock-down drills, and the other eight must be evacuation drills.”
Evacuation drills typically begin with the sound of a fire alarm and a flashing light. Students are then trained to leave all their belongings behind and form a single file line.
Is that an efficient system, though? Most people would grab their belongings and run as fast as they could in an emergency.
WJPS senior Hamza Ariyan said, “I think they’re necessary to an extent because we need to know how to exit the building.”
As well as this system, there’s also the cold weather to factor in. According to the DOE website, “In cold weather, students should be reminded to take their coats.”
However, because of lockers, many students do not have access to their sweatshirts and coats. In an attempt to combat this obstacle, the DOE also states, “Students without winter coats will be taken to safe, warm locations as quickly as possible.”
This system has never once been implemented. Typically students will stand outside for a few minutes, regardless of the weather, besides extreme weather events, and then shuffle back inside.
WJPS senior Lily Zhao said, “I feel like even in the cold weather, it’s good to have fire drills, so you’re prepared for the real thing.”
WJPS English teacher Mrs. Marks said, “We have to practice in all weather conditions, so if there is a real fire drill, we need to be prepared.”
Despite the DOE not implementing some of these cold-weather practices, many believe fire drills are necessary to keep students safe.