Volunteering to help teachers in classrooms is a great way to show support for the teachers and your child's school. However, there may come a time when something out of the ordinary happens, thus creating an emergency event. For example, if a fire breaks out inside the school, would you know what to do? The following shows how most schools handle fires and what you should do in those instances.
Pull the Fire Alarm
Pulling the fire alarm accomplishes three things. One, it alerts everyone in the school that there is a fire. Two, it sometimes triggers the fire suppression systems, or sprinklers, if these two systems are connected. Three, it alerts every teacher in the school so they can clear the school of children and faculty so that no one is hurt or in the way when firefighters are called to the scene. A company like Alexander Gow Fire Equipment Company can tell you more about fire suppression systems and their functions. It is also helpful to close every classroom door on the way out to prevent the fire from spreading and prevent smoke from filling the building.
If the Fire Is in Your Child's Classroom and Can Be Contained, Contain It
If something starts on fire in your child's classroom (which would be very unusual, unless your child is in high school or middle school), and it can be safely contained, contain it. This means that all the children should be moved into the hallway before grabbing a fire extinguisher in the classroom or from the hallway to extinguish the fire in the classroom. If you successfully put out the fire, call maintenance to clean up the mess. If you cannot douse the fire fast enough, pull the fire alarm, call the fire department, close the classroom door, and begin to evacuate.
If There Is a Fire Hose in the Hallway, Use It (If You Know How and There Is No Other Way)
In general, unless you are trained on how to use the fire hoses that are in locked glass cabinets in some schools, you should only attempt to use the fire hose as a last resort. The fire hose is also meant for use on larger fires that the extinguisher cannot extinguish or when fire suppression systems aren't enough. These fire hoses are also meant for firefighter use so that they do not have to drag hoses into the school from the street to get to the classroom that has the fire.