Evacuation Of Special Needs Students

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Evacuation Of Special Needs Students

• Are you prepared for an emergency?
• Southeastern States Pupil Transportation
  Conference
• July 16, 2008
• Atlanta, GA
• Mike Simpson, Director of Transportationmsimpson_at_
  scsk12.org
• Debbie Rike, Supervisor of Transportationdrike_at_sc
  sk12.org

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• Enrollment 49,500
• Enrolled for Transportation 24,800
• Enrolled for Special Transportation 560
• Total Miles each day 24,520
• Total Miles each year 4.4 million
• Total number of buses 298
• Total special education buses 45
• Total number of employees 340

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Evacuation Of Special Needs Students

• State Law, Mandates Most states require the
  local school district to develop plans to prepare
  students to respond to emergency situations.
• School District Policies Procedures
  Emergency evacuation drills shall be conducted
  regularly throughout the school term to
  thoroughly acquaint student riders with
  procedures in emergency situations.

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Evacuation Of Special Needs Students

• National School Transportation Specifications
  Procedures
• Emergency Evacuation Of Students With
  Disabilities
• Each bus route should have a written emergency
  evacuation plan. This plan should include a
  students ability to evacuate or help others.
  Students with disabilities should participate in
  required evacuation drills and should only be
  excluded if their participation would present a
  health risk.

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Evacuation Of Special Needs Students

• When would you evacuate?
• Fire or possibility of fire
• Bus stalled in dangerous traffic or railroad
  tracks
• Bus is unstable
• Severe weather tornado warning
• Concern of imminent danger
• When would you not evacuate?
• Downed power lines
• Safer to stay on bus and wait for help

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Evacuation Of Special Needs Students

• Developing a Plan
• Plan should be written.
• The plan should be explained in less than
• one (1) minute.
• Each plan should be well rehearsed at least
  twice annually (if not more).
• Drivers and bus assistants should have a working
  knowledge of each bus route and safe locations
• They should also have knowledge of locations of
  hospitals, fire and police stations, etc.
• Resources
• School Health Nurse
• Occupational Therapist
• Physical Therapist
• Speech Language Therapist
• Other members of the IEP Team as appropriate

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Evacuation Of Special Needs Students

• Equipment
• Heavy duty belt cutter
• Fire blanket or Evac-Aide
• Guide rope
• First Aid Kit and Body Fluids Clean Up Kit
• Working Knowledge
• Be thoroughly familiar with all equipment on the
  school bus such as tie down securement straps,
  manual operation of wheelchair lift, student
  medical equipment.
• Is checking your emergency equipment and plan a
  part of the everyday Pre Trip Inspection?

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Evacuation Of Special Needs Students

• IEP
• Know your students Age, Physical Ability,
  Cognitive, Medical, Behavioral, Communication,
  Equipment
• Health Care Concerns
• How long can the student safely be without these
  Oxygen, Suction Machines, Feeding Tubes,
  Ventilators, etc.?
• Physical condition of students
• Which students can assist?
• Who needs assistance exiting and what type of
  assistance?
• Who needs total assistance?

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Evacuation Of Special Needs Students

• Behavioral
• Student fears (heights)
• Crying
• Refuses to leave the bus
• Hide under the seats
• Run away
• Unpredictable

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Evacuation Of Special Needs Students

• Important issues to consider when establishing a
  plan
• Seating arrangements including CSRS,
  wheelchair, safety vest.
• Plan for each bus and each route. Can you
  explain the plan in less than one (1) minute?
• Be prepared to exit front
• and/or rear.
• Include the order students would leave the bus.
• Which adults/students might be able to assist?

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Evacuation Of Special Needs Students

• Evacuating students in wheelchairs
• Is the lift operational? Is there time to
  evacuate using the lift? If so, use the lift.
• How many chairs are on the bus? Priority may be
  for the heaviest wheelchair.
• Can the wheelchair lift be operated manually?
• When the lift is not operating, non ambulatory
  students should be removed from their wheelchair
  as quickly and safely as possible.

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Evacuation Of Special Needs Students

• Determining which students to remove from
  wheelchairs
• This procedure may cause injury to students and
  should only be used in a life threatening
  emergency.
• Ambulatory students may require physical
  assistance.
• Small children may be lifted and carried.
• Students too large to be carried may be removed
  from the bus by placing on a blanket and either
  lifted or dragged to the nearest exit.
• All staff should be trained in lifting techniques
  (2 man lift).

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Evacuation Of Special Needs Students

• Freeing students from securement devices and
  other items
• If time permits, release the wheelchair
  securement devices manually.
• In emergency situations, a belt cutter may be
  used to quickly release the securement devices.
  There should be a minimum of two (2) belt
  cutters per bus.

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Evacuation Of Special Needs Students

• Dealing with a medical emergency during an
  evacuation
• Be aware that an emergency situation could be a
  trigger for seizure, panic attack, etc.
• Know the physical limits of students when they
  are removed from ventilators, oxygen, or other
  special life support equipment.

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Evacuation Of Special Needs Students

• Monitoring students once they are off the bus
• What is the student order of evacuation? Can
  certain students be left unattended while you
  evacuate others?
• Which students cannot be left unattended while
  you assist others evacuate the bus?
• Utilizing volunteers Is this in your plan?
  Should it be?
• Take your student list with you to verify all
  students are evacuated.

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Evacuation Of Special Needs Students

• Is training and practice a part of your staff
  development, and is it documented?
• Staff Development
• Hands On
• Table Top Exercises
• Staff must train to think quickly and make good
  decisions.
• Conduct emergency evacuation drills with
  students.
• Documentation should be filed on the bus, at the
  school, and in the transportation office.

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Evacuation Of Special Needs Students

• Drills Where do they occur
• Most drills should occur in a safe area on school
  campus.
• Drills should be monitored by school
  administration and transportation staff.
• All students, even those who do not normally
  ride, should participate. This prepares students
  for an emergency that might occur on a field trip.

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Evacuation Of Special Needs Students

• Removing a student from a wheelchair and using
  the drag method with an Evac-Aide

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Evacuation Of Special Needs Students

• Are you involving Police Departments, Fire
  Departments, and EMTs in your plan or drill?
• Provide emergency personnel instructions on
  utilizing emergency exits, equipment, etc.

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Evacuation Of Special Needs Students

• Scenario 1
• Mike is a Middle school student with Duchene MD
  and is transported on the bus in a motorized WC.
  He weighs about 200 lbs. and the WC weighs an
  additional 600 lbs. Mike is secured in a WC
  station at the front of the bus.

• Scenario 2
• The special education bus is taking the preschool
  class on a field trip to the zoo. There are 4
  adults on the bus including the driver. None of
  the students have physical disabilities but all
  are seated in CSRS.

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Evacuation Of Special Needs Students - Summary

• Develop a Written Plan
• Follow Policies and Procedures.
• Utilize Resources.
• Be familiar with equipment.
• Use IEP, Health Care Plans, and know about
  physical and behavioral concerns of students.
• Update the plan to include new students.

• Practice
• Written plan for each route
• Situations when wheelchair lift will not work
• Drag Method
• Practice!
• Practice!
• Practice!
• Practice!