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Hi

 

I am wondering if anyone is happy to share how many times a year they conduct firedrills. I can seem to find it in the stat requirement how often they should be carried out.

 

Also can you please tell me if you have a seperate fire register or do you take the register and also how do you carry the children's info? We currently have a large folder with all registration details in but it's not always the easiest to grab etc.

 

Also how do you safely get the group out together? We are thinking of making a group wrist strap so that all children have a loop of ribbon to hold onto therefore keeping the group together as we are in a large church and the safety point is on the other side of a busy road. Also we have a child with SEN and feel that he needs a wrist strap too

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Once a half term for sessional groups, and we don't have a separate register, but mark it in the daily register. However we do have a fire drill book where we can record all the details of the drill, and any areas of concern or that need developing. Actually I'm not sure when our last one was - thanks for the reminder!

 

We used to grab the children's details folder, and take it with the register but now we have a list of all the children's emergency details in our register now so that we don't have to take everything out on visits and so on.

 

I've never been overly concerned with worrying about how to get the group out safely - we have few children and are lucky that we can decamp quite safely into our carpark, or if we were unable to go back into the hall, the local pub! :o

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how many times a year they conduct fire drills. -

 

once every half term so all children and staff participate... this could mean every day for a week if needed.... so 6 times a year... once a year we did it when parents were waiting in the building to collect children...

 

Also can you please tell me if you have a seperate fire register or do you take the register and also how do you carry the children's info?

 

we had a list in the back of the register with all the relevant contact details on for each child and staff. .. so wherever the register went so did children and staff details.. and we used this to do roll call for fire drills... noting at the bottom or top in red a fire drill had been called and time.. we also had a separate book with firedrills in it.. which we entered time, date etc, how long it took, exit we had used any issues we needed to address for future. a sort of fire drill log... in the front of this was a copy of our procedure and a risk assessment for fire drills...

 

Also how do you safely get the group out together?

We are thinking of making a group wrist strap so that all children have a loop of ribbon to hold onto therefore keeping the group together as we are in a large church and the safety point is on the other side of a busy road. Also we have a child with SEN and feel that he needs a wrist strap too

 

we held hands, one long chain! (they were very used to this as we used it when going out of the building for outdoor play.. no free flow for us)

but did not have to cross roads or go outside of the grounds as our collection point was inside the church porch . far enough away but close enough to reach easily.. second collection point or if we were unable to return to hall was local school next door so also on site.. any children with SEN the keyworker for the day took care of / kept hold of hand

 

all depends on what is the fastest method of getting them out of the building... time taken getting them to hold onto something needs to be taken into account..

Edited by Inge
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I use the signing in book. All staff, children and visitors sign in and out of the building, so it acts as an ideal register. I take the first aid bag out with us - this includes an up to date list of all the children with contact numbers. I have a separate fire drill register where I record who has taken part in a fire drill. It's then easy to see who hasn't and to plan the next one when those children are in. The long rope never worked for me. The children just all fall over each other.

 

 

Hi

 

I am wondering if anyone is happy to share how many times a year they conduct firedrills. I can seem to find it in the stat requirement how often they should be carried out.

 

Also can you please tell me if you have a seperate fire register or do you take the register and also how do you carry the children's info? We currently have a large folder with all registration details in but it's not always the easiest to grab etc.

 

Also how do you safely get the group out together? We are thinking of making a group wrist strap so that all children have a loop of ribbon to hold onto therefore keeping the group together as we are in a large church and the safety point is on the other side of a busy road. Also we have a child with SEN and feel that he needs a wrist strap too

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We only do fire drills once a term as we share a school site and have linked fire alarms. Ofsted were happy with that last time they visited.

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We also do a drill every half term - but as children attend different days we make sure we do it everyday of the week.

 

To keep the children together we use a rope which they all hold onto - we also have a 'grab bag' - which contains contact list for children and staff and a mini first aid kit. Each member of staff is given a 'colour' at the start of the session and that colour has a designated job - ie one person co-ordinates the children, one collects the grab bag, register and mobile phone etc

 

Something that came to my attention recently is that you should record the time it takes to evacuate the building as well as the time and date of the drill.

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We do termly drills - again we are on a school site so go with what they are doing, plus the odd occasion when one of the school children break the glass 'by accident!' As we gather on the main schol playground which is fully enclosed , no need for straps etc. Have a set of index cards in a small bag which is in a designated bag by the mobile - both of which go with the senior in charge as we evacuate, just in case the bulding burns down and we need to get the children collected. There is a fire log on which date/time/numbers evacuated ( both children and staff ) and time taken - plus any issues/problems. Fire officer and OFSTED all happy with what we do :o

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Guest Spiral

We do ours every time a new child/staff/volunteer attends so everyone knows what to do.

 

We've popped posters onto the walls to remind the leader and manager of their roles (one gets the mobile phone, register and whistle, the other gets the contact book and checks the building is empty).

 

Different staff take responsibility for calling out the names and the golden rule is that if a quiet child won't answer 'yes', a member of staff does it for them so the person reading the register can carry on fast and do it without looking up!

 

After all of this, we fill out a sheet to state how it went and work on any problems that occur.

 

Hope that helps,

Spiral :-)

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Hi ours are done each half-term, each session, with different staff so they all have a practice of leading it.

The staff register, childrens register and visitors book are all stored in an easy to grab place each day.

In the children's register is also a sheet with emergency details.

We also have a fire drill log book which is filled in by the person doing the drill it is dated, timed and evaluated each time.

Hope this helps. :o

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Just in addition to what has been stated here, its good to sometimes surprise your staff with one out of the blue to see how they cope. I also asked that the staff hold a drill without my knowledge one time but they never did!

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My staff did.. several times.. and I never said when we were doing one..but must admit to keeping and eye on the toilet ensuring there was no one in the middle of something for a drill.... felt it a bit cruel to pull a child off the toilet or out with no nappy on for a drill...

 

We all knew that we would call it anytime if needed.

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Thank you everyone for there input. I have passed it over to the deputy as one of her roles and she know carries them out but def like the idea of noting telling staff and getting other staff to call one.

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  • 1 year later...
Guest lucyevans

The requirement to complete fire drills/log has been removed from the revised EYFS - will you still do them?

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Something that came to my attention recently is that you should record the time it takes to evacuate the building as well as the time and date of the drill.

 

We call this " shout to out " on the register.

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The requirement to complete fire drills/log has been removed from the revised EYFS - will you still do them?

 

I think that although it's been removed from the Statutory Framework it is still a health and safety requirement...........have to say I missed that altogether so thank you!

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Hi I think the new Eyfs gravitates towards practitioners making own judgements and assessing risks and fire drills could be included within this. However I personally feel it is good practice to continue to do them each half-term, each session with differing staff taking the lead. These are always timed, evaluated and logged in a fire drill book. Each staff member knows on the weekly planning whose turn it is to call it each day with vary times being chosen by them. We take the daily child register, staff register and visitors book. :)

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