Bus evacuation drills required in Jasper public schools

JASPER JUNIOR High School students perform an evacuation drill to be prepared in the situation o f a wreck or bus problem. (Above) Students board the bus to receive their evacuation training. (Left) A bus driver explains how to use the fire extinguisher and where it is located. (Right) The students are shown where the over head emergency exit is and how to use it when needed.

Students at Jasper Junior High School evacuated the school on buses as a drill two days before Thanksgiving.

The exercise is designed to familiarize students, whether they normally ride the bus or not, with emergency measures. School districts across the state are encouraging schools to teach students what to do in unexpected circumstances, the kind that have made headlines in recent years and cost some students and drivers their lives.

The serious tone was set immediately as each bus driver read from a script, "You are young adults and this is the beginning of the rest of your life. It would be most unfortunate if your not paying attention caused your death or someone else's."

Courtesy photos

The demonstration that followed included knowing where the emergency brake is located in case the driver becomes incapacitated. Drivers showed students where the radio is located to call for assistance, and how to release the air on the door so students can evacuate the bus.

They discussed ways to exit the bus other than the doors, such as a roof escape hatch, the windows, and, if no other way exists, kicking out the front windshield.

After exiting the bus, students meet at a designated safety zone so that everyone can be accounted for.