EMERGENCY EVACUATIONS
procedures should a dangerous event take place on their premises. Surprisingly, there is no statutory requirement to have a lockdown policy or procedure, and schools can simply choose to have one if they feel that it would help them to manage risk.
“IN JUNE THREE SCHOOLS WENT INTO LOCKDOWN WITHIN 24 HOURS.”
Although some general advice from the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) regarding the development of lockdown procedures exists, schools are generally left to their own devices when it comes to implementing these guidelines, despite calls from the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) for more specific government guidance.
A LESSON IN SAFETY
With a growing number of UK schools
having been exposed to major incidents or threats of violence on their premises,
Malcolm Crummey, Sales Manager UK & Ireland at TOA Corporation UK, explains why its time to take lockdowns seriously.
In a perfect world a school should always be a safe environment for children, regardless of what is going on outside. Unfortunately, this is not always the case and events such as terrorist incidents in the local area, a traffic accident, an intruder on site, air pollution, a nearby fire or even a dangerous dog roaming on the premises could require a school to go into lockdown.
The word lockdown might appear to be a dramatic ‘Americanism’ that is usually associated with riots in US prisons, but it is now being used globally to refer to situations where invacuation is more appropriate than evacuation as a means of keeping people safe. Reports of educational establishments in the UK that have had to resort to this procedure are now commonplace and in June this year three unrelated incidents caused three separate schools in the West Midlands to go into lockdown within 24 hours – one of which involved a gunman firing shots at a cyclist who fled into the premises. Meanwhile, in October two Blantyre schools went on lockdown following reports of an incident where a man was seen nearby with a crossbow.
Although such reports are the stuff of nightmares for parents, schools need a coherent strategy for lockdown
16
Chris Keates, its General Secretary, recently commented, “It would not be appropriate for the government simply to require schools to have preparedness plans in place and assume that they are able to do this. It's important that they are given specific advice and support on what additional provisions are necessary and the support and advice to implement them.”
This is a far cry from the situation in many countries such as Germany, for example, where the DIN VDE V 0827 standard for emergency and danger response systems was implemented in July 2016, with the objective of providing technical assistance for emergencies and dangerous situations. Requirements are now in place governing the technical systems that trigger alarms in dangerous situations, call for help, warn those involved or issue audible instructions. It means that the organisational concept can be supported by technology appropriate to the lockdown objective.
In a situation where a partial or full lockdown is required, communication is at the heart of issuing clear information that can keep people safe. Therefore, a security system that includes an integrated alarm and communication system through which announcements and instructions are transmitted audibly to all persons in the building is vital. It also allows emergencies to be immediately reported to a central location, the nature and extent of the danger to be verified, and allows measures to assist and protect students to be taken immediately. Furthermore, a system can be used for internal everyday communication, enhancing the value of any financial investment.
Although the reasons behind the growing number of school lockdowns are cause for concern, by having clear and effective communication systems installed alongside well rehearsed and understood lockdown procedures, schools can be certain they are doing all they can to protect teachers and students alike.
www.toa.co.uk www.tomorrowshs.com
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