Note: Your are not logged in. We can not keep your scores or track your progress unless you Register and Log In

10.3 – Emergency Exit and Evacuation

An emergency situation can happen to anyone, anytime or anywhere. It could be a crash, a stalled school bus on a railroad-highway crossing or in a high-speed intersection, an electrical fire in the engine compartment, a medical emergency to a student on the school bus, etc. Knowing what to do in an emergency — before, during, and after an evacuation — can mean the difference between life and death.

10.3.1 – Planning for Emergencies

Determine Need to Evacuate Bus. The first and most important consideration is for you to recognize the hazard. If time permits, school bus drivers should contact their dispatcher to explain the situation before making a decision to evacuate the school bus.

As a general rule, student safety and control are best maintained by keeping students on the bus during an emergency and/or impending crisis situation, if so doing does not expose them to unnecessary risk or injury. Remember: The decision to evacuate the bus must be a timely one.

A decision to evacuate should include consideration of the following conditions:

• Is there a fire or danger of fire?
• Is there a smell of raw or leaking fuel?
• Is there a chance the bus could be hit by other vehicles?
• Is the bus in the path of a sighted tornado or rising waters?
• Are there downed power lines?
• Would removing students expose them to speeding traffic, severe weather or a dangerous environment, such as downed power lines?
• Would moving students complicate injuries such as neck and back injuries and fractures?
• Is there a hazardous spill involved? Sometimes, it may be safer to remain on the bus and not come in contact with the material.