Pupil Transportation Department
50 Laurel Drive
Elberton, Georgia 30635
706 213-4056
TO:
ALL PRINCIPALS AND BUS DRIVERS
FROM:
Tommy Todd, Director of Pupil Transportation
RE:
SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS FOR RIDING AND EVACUATING A BUS
Principals:
Tuesday morning September 19, 2006 each driver has been asked to instruct his/her students on
Bus Transportation Safety, and conduct an evacuation drill at the first school they arrive at;
please assist the drivers at your school during the safety instructions and evacuating procedures.
Safety in using school buses is a major concern of everyone in our school system. A single
accident involving only one child is too great a price to pay simply because we failed to teach
our students how to ride and evacuate the bus safely.
Educating our students and parents about safe riding practices will not guarantee that no one
will ever get hurt, but it is essential that we do all we can to try to avoid as many accidents and
injuries as possible. With this in mind, I am asking everyone to participate in an effort to teach
our students how to ride and evacuate our buses as safely as possible.
Tuesday morning September 19, 2006 each driver is asked to instruct his/her students on Bus
Transportation Safety, and conduct one evacuation drill at the first school they arrive at.
Students at that school will enter the building and all others will reload the bus and continue the
route. In the event of rain, the drills will be conducted the next day, September 20, 2006.
EMERGENCY EVACUATION
Due to the increased number of students being transported and the increase in extracurricular
trips, there is greater likelihood of an accident or mechanical breakdown. While an accident or
mechanical breakdown in and of itself does not require that the bus be evacuated, other collateral
factors could require an emergency exit.
There exists a need to instruct students on how to properly vacate a school bus in case of an
emergency. Without proper instructions and drills, it is possible for students to panic and jam
emergency exits by trying to exit at the same time. In order to avoid such a situation, the local
school system should organize and conduct emergency evacuation drills for All students.
REASONS FOR ACTUAL EMERGENCY EVACUATIONS:
Fire or danger of fire The bus should be stopped and evacuated immediately if the engine or any
portion of the bus is on fire. Students should move to a safe place at least l00 feet or more from
the bus. Being near an existing fire and unable to move away or being near the presence of
gasoline or other combustible material should be considered as “danger of fire,” and students
should be evacuated.
Unsafe position In the event that a school bus is stopped due to accident, mechanical failure,
road conditions, or human failure, the driver must determine immediately whether it is safer for
students to remain in the bus or to evacuate.
Railroad If the final stopping point is in the path of any train or adjacent to any railroad tracks,
the driver must evacuate.
Danger of collision If the position of the stopped bus is such that there is danger of collision, the
driver must evacuate. In normal conditions, the school bus should be visible for a distance of
300 feet or more. A position of over a hill or around a curve, where good visibility does not exist
should be considered reason for evacuation.
Danger of conditions changing The stopped position of the school bus may change and increase
the danger. If, for example, a bus should come to rest near a body of water or precipice where it
could still move and go into the water or over a cliff, it should be evacuated.
IMPORTANT FACTORS PERTAINING TO SCHOOL BUS EVACUATION DRILLS:
Safety of students is of the utmost importance and must be considered first.
Emergency evacuation drills should be supervised by the principal or by persons assigned to act
in a supervisory capacity.
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The bus driver is responsible for the safety of the students; however, in an emergency, the driver
may be incapacitated and not able to direct the evacuation. For that reason, helpers should direct
the emergency evacuation drills.
Helper Qualifications
Helpers should know how to:
a) Maturity
b) Good Citizenship
c) Live near the end of the route
1) Turn off ignition switch, 2) Set emergency brake
3) Summon help, 4) Kick out certain windows
5) Set disabled vehicle warning devices
6) Open and close doors, 7) Help students off bus
Written consent from the parents or guardian should be obtained before assigning a student as a
helper.
School bus evacuation drills should be organized in a manner similar to fire drills. Drills should
be held at least once in the fall and once in the spring.
Evacuation or drills should be held on school property and not on the bus route.
Each of the three basic types of emergency evacuation drills should be conducted.
THREE BASIC TYPES OF EMERGENCY EVACUATION DRILLS:
1. Everyone exits through the entrance door.
2. Everyone exits through the rear emergency door.
3. Front half exits through entrance door and rear half through the rear emergency door.
Do Not permit students to take lunch boxes, books, etc., with them when they leave the bus –
getting the students off safely in the shortest time possible in an orderly fashion is the objective.
Students should go to a distance at least l00 feet from the bus in an “emergency drill” and remain
there as a group until given further directions by the helpers.
All students should be instructed in the proper safety precautions while riding the bus and in
emergency evacuation drill procedures.
Instruct helpers in how and where to get help. Instructions and telephone numbers should be
posted or carried in the school bus.
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