Preschool Fire Drill Instructions
You don't want to even think about the possibility of a fire breaking out, but fire drills are an essential part of teaching children about safety. Unless they've participated in one at home, preschool will be the first experience children have with fire drills. Use a reassuring yet firm voice when explaining what a fire drill is and why it's important. This will show children that the subject is serious and important without scaring them. Once you're done with your school fire drill, encourage children to talk to their families about having a drill at home as well.
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Instructions
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Ask the school administration for fire drill instructions if you haven't already received them. The head of the school should be able to tell you where you should meet outside during the drill. If you don't have a map that shows the route you should take to get out of school, request a copy. There may also be certain materials you're required to bring during the fire drill, such as attendance lists and parent contact information. Request a list of these required materials.
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Place your drill materials in a spot near the door. Preschoolers will require help lining up and staying calm during the drill, so you won't have time to gather up your attendance sheets or other forms. Keep your attendance sheet posted on the wall near the door. Tape a folder next to the attendance sheet and keep copies of any other paperwork you'll need inside. You can quickly grab these things on the way out the door.
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Post the map of the route you will walk during a drill, all the way to your designated outdoor meeting spot. You'll need to have a copy up high where teachers can easily consult it, but you can also make a large, colorful version to hang low on the wall for children to see. Since preschoolers generally can't read maps, post photos on the map as well. Tape a photo of your classroom and a photo of the meeting spot over the corresponding points on the map.
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Talk to children about what will happen during a fire drill. Explain that these drills are just practice, but they are very important and must be taken seriously. Show children where in the room they will line up when the alarm sounds and explain that they must be completely quiet during a drill so that everyone can hear the instructions that you will give.
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Play a recording of a fire alarm sound. The loud, high-pitched sound of the alarm will scare young children who haven't heard it before. Giving children some advance notice of what it sounds like may help them stay calm during an actual drill.
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Do a pretend drill. For the first drill, you can tell the children that you're doing a drill. Play the recording of the alarm sound, have children line up quietly and walk in a single file line outside to your meeting spot. Once children have done one successful drill, explain that you'll do it again sometime soon, but without warning this time. Do another pretend drill later in the week. You'll be ready when your school holds its first official fire drill.
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References
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