fire evacuation recording

[primrosecottage]

Help please.....

How/do you record testing smoke detectors?
Do you practice 'fire drills'( all my children are under 2)/ or should we do this through play (and then record?)?
Do you have to record doing 'fire drills'?
Is this even expected of us?

[BallyH]

Help please.....

How/do you record testing smoke detectors?
Do you practice 'fire drills'( all my children are under 2)/ or should we do this through play (and then record?)?
Do you have to record doing 'fire drills'?
Is this even expected of us?

This is one area that my inspector did look at. I do not record 'testing smoke detectors'. Mine are electric. I wrote in my sef that they are regularly checked as it is my home as well as my business. I do however have written evidence of 'fire drills'. It is very basic on an A4 sheet and kept in a plastic wallet. I know she looked at it as she had got the last sheet of this and my visitor's records mixed up when she put them back. I have 4 columns headed something like 'date/time'. 'length of time drill took to get to safe place'. 'people present' and finally 'evacuation exit & feedback'. I have records for approximately every 3 months. I try to practise with different children every time. I try to exit from a different door and sometimes with coats/shoes sometimes not to prepare them for all eventualities. I sometimes blow a whistle, other times I shout 'fire, fire'. I then write how we could do better. It is all written by hand and may I say not very neatly but that isn't important, the recording is. You must also have a floor plan of your house showing your fire exits on display. Mine is roughly drawn and shows all my exit doors in red. It is displayed beside my ofsted certificate for all to see.

[greenfaerie]

I do fire drills and test the smoke alarms, upstairs and downstairs. I have an A4 sheet that has both records on and I do fire drills termly with a different collection of children preferably. The content of my drill sheet is pretty much the same as what's been said. I just devised the sheet myself after reading lots of people's good ideas! :)

[Mouse]

I have an emergency evacuation policy that covers what I will do in the event of having to leave the house in an emergency. It needn't just be for a fire and in the past some inspectors have been picky about it being called a Fire drill when it should be an emergency evacuation drill!

We do practice an emergency evacuation and I keep a record of it on a sheet in the back of my diary. I say which children I have with me, their ages, which door we left by, an evaluation and any things I need to consider in the future. I do think a physical run through is important as it might just show up an issue that you hadn't considered.

I talk about it with the children and about how we might have to get out of the house quickly. We don't do it as a game, but neither do I make it frightening for them. We talk about what they would do in the event of a fire, for example (stay away from it, shout for their adult - me, their parents if at home, their teacher at nursery, go out of the door that is furthest away from the danger, don't stop to get shoes, coats, bags etc). Most of them love it as they get to go outside in their socks, although one lo had a total meltdown and wouldn't step outside the door. That was important for me to consider as I had 2 non-walkers (one under each arm) and had thought she would walk outside by herself, which she refused to do. It completely threw my idea that in an emergency we'd walk to a neighbours house and wait there for help! Over time I've managed to convince her that it's OK to go outside in her socks so we don't have a problem now, but if it had been a real emergency and she wouldn't leave the house I could have had real trouble getting all 3 children out safely. I know a lot of people I've spoken to don't see the point of practising an evacuation, but for the few minutes it takes, it's got to be worth it :thumbsup: