Fire Drills

[Bernie]

How do you do your fire drills?

And how often do you do them?

xx

[Tina O]

check smoke alarms everyweek .
Fire drills try and do them every month to 6 weeks but I'm not good at keeping on schdule..... I treat then quite light hearted ..... along a 'people who help us 'theme or get a new story from library that has got some reference to fire/needing help / cat up a tree etc.... if all else fails bring on fireman sam... but mindees are all under 5 xx so it's all done in story-mode.... then we walk out to our special 'safe spot' xx T and talk about phoning for help xx

[LeeMarie]

I do a fire drill about once a month. I either set the smoke alarm off and wait for the children to react (if they haven't after about 10 seconds) I prompt them or I shout "Fire, Fire. Everyone leave the house". All the children know they should got to the front door and wait for me to take them outside. I then record it in my evacuation book - date, who was there and any comments.

It does work and stops the children getting upset if you need to evacuate. A while ago, I was using the grill and the fat on the tray caught fire At my shout of 'fire, Everyone to the front door now' they all got up and walked to the front door ready to leave. No one (except me) was bothered by the alarm, smoke or flames from the grill tray and I quickly throw my fire blanket over it to put it out. I was really proud of them all for behaving so well and not getting upset or refusing to leave the toys.

[singingcactus]

I just pick a random day a month. Gather the kids and check we can get out the house quickly should we need too. I do it at a different time, day of week, and door each time.

[blue bear]

Mr and another minder randomly call each other and say there's a fire in x room and we evacuate based on that. We call at random times of the day to make or real.

[charlieamber]

Mr and another minder randomly call each other and say there's a fire in x room and we evacuate based on that. We call at random times of the day to make or real.

Thats what I used to do when I was minding 3 years ago, not done any this time round but its still my first week! Must start doing them again

[Bernie]

Mr and another minder randomly call each other and say there's a fire in x room and we evacuate based on that. We call at random times of the day to make or real.

What a fab idea.

Thanks guys
xx

[miffy]

Mr and another minder randomly call each other and say there's a fire in x room and we evacuate based on that. We call at random times of the day to make or real.

I do this too - Ofsted liked it because they felt that we were testing ourselves too.

I keep a record of when I do the fire drills, which children were present, how we evacuated and any problems that happened.

Miffy xx

[Twinkle-Toes]

Do you all go as far as to wake sleeping babies, go out in the pouring rain with no shoes on etc

Or is more a gather everyone together with shoes/coats on and then do it?

It's just i have 13mths, 20 mths & 2.5 yrs in the day so this would be the hardest set of kids (if you get me, based on age/carrying/lots of sleeping etc) but don't know how real i should make it?

[rickysmiths]

Do you all go as far as to wake sleeping babies, go out in the pouring rain with no shoes on etc

Or is more a gather everyone together with shoes/coats on and then do it?

It's just i have 13mths, 20 mths & 2.5 yrs in the day so this would be the hardest set of kids (if you get me, based on age/carrying/lots of sleeping etc) but don't know how real i should make it?

Defintely no shoes if that is how they are. I teach them to leave as they are rain, snow or shine. If there was a real fire you couldn't waste time putting on shoes and coats!! Yes I would pick up sleeping babies if I chose to do a practice then. I only do a practice every term or when a new child starts with me.

I have a bag in the boot of my car anyway which has old socks and space blankets and a couple of fleeces in so we could use these if needed. I also have bottled water everlasting milk, some paper cups and some biscuits. I say in my procedure that after we had got out I would put the children in the car and move it off the drive out of the way of the emergency services.

I know some people keep an evacuation bag near the door with similar things in.

[Twinkle-Toes]

Defintely no shoes if that is how they are. I teach them to leave as they are rain, snow or shine. If there was a real fire you couldn't waste time putting on shoes and coats!! Yes I would pick up sleeping babies if I chose to do a practice then. I only do a practice every term or when a new child starts with me.

I have a bag in the boot of my car anyway which has old socks and space blankets and a couple of fleeces in so we could use these if needed. I also have bottled water everlasting milk, some paper cups and some biscuits. I say in my procedure that after we had got out I would put the children in the car and move it off the drive out of the way of the emergency services.

I know some people keep an evacuation bag near the door with similar things in.

Thanks Rickysmiths, thats made a lot of sense! I automatically assumed it would be random days/time with different children so to do it 'properly' you have to just evacuate. As in when i worked in a office, no bags/coats etc

Just a few comments made by people got me thinking i was being slightly ott! The evacuation bag is a great idea. Do you take your attendance reg (or whatever you use) and your first aid box too? Was thinking of keeping emergency contact details in an envelope in my first aid box for this sort of thing.

[rickysmiths]

Thanks Rickysmiths, thats made a lot of sense! I automatically assumed it would be random days/time with different children so to do it 'properly' you have to just evacuate. As in when i worked in a office, no bags/coats etc

Just a few comments made by people got me thinking i was being slightly ott! The evacuation bag is a great idea. Do you take your attendance reg (or whatever you use) and your first aid box too? Was thinking of keeping emergency contact details in an envelope in my first aid box for this sort of thing.

I would pick up my Attendance Reg if I had time but there is a grid in the Emergency envelope with what children I have when which would at least be a guide for someone if I couldn't help but hopefully I will be their and have got the children out so I know who I should have. Does that make sense?

I don't take a first aid kit out because there is one in the boot of my car.

To be honest if you have little ones to guide or carry, a bag over your shoulder grabbed as you go out of the door, if you haven't had to climb out of a window, will be all you will want to manage.

I don't think it would help being in a First Aid box because mime is in a cupboard and I wouldn't grab it if we were getting out and the emergency services wouldn't think to look for it.

Much better the large padded envelope on the hall table marked 'Rickysmiths Childminding Emergency Information'.