Emergencies

HS4 Fire evacuation scheme

Criteria

The premises are located in a building that has a current fire evacuation scheme approved by Fire and Emergency New Zealand.

Documentation required

A current fire evacuation scheme approved by Fire and Emergency New Zealand.

Rationale/intent

The criterion aims to uphold the safety of children by ensuring that the premises have an adequate plan for evacuating children in the event of a fire.

Amended May 2015.

Guidance

ECE centres need to have an approved fire evacuation scheme for the premises in which they operate. Fire and Emergency New Zealand provide information about the process of applying for an approved scheme and maintaining the scheme once it is in place. The application can be done online.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand

If centres are unsure about the suitability of a building with other tenants for an ECE service, they should contact the local fire service office as they will provide individualised advice on the suitability of any premises and the development of an evacuation scheme.

ECE centres must have an approved evacuation scheme before the Ministry of Education can grant a probationary licence. Up to 30 working days should be allowed for a scheme to be approved as the Fire and Emergency New Zealand has 20 working days to make a decision on an application, unless they determine that more information is needed, or that they need to observe a trial evacuation. In each of those cases the Fire and Emergency New Zealand has an additional 10 working days to make a decision.

If the ECE centre is in a building with other tenants, centres need to be aware that the fire evacuation scheme approved by Fire and Emergency New Zealand applies to the whole building and all tenants, and is the responsibility of the building owner. It does not just apply to the ECE centre.

It is important to note that the approved fire evacuation scheme only covers fire emergencies.

The fire evacuation scheme needs to include regular trial evacuations for fire emergencies. Fire Regulations require this to be done at least every 6 months, and that it is reported to Fire and Emergency New Zealand within 10 days of taking place. There is information about maintaining an approved evacuation scheme on the Fire and Emergency New Zealand website.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand

Please note however, that under HS8 Emergency drills, the Ministry requires services to carry out trial evacuations (covering a variety of emergency situations), on an at least 3-monthly basis. See the guidance for HS8 Emergency drills for more details.

HS8 Emergency drills

It may be more difficult to evacuate children from centres that are not at ground level in the event of a fire. Fire evacuation schemes need to identify ways to mitigate this. We recommend reading High rise evacuation plans for ECE service providers.

Definitions

Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fire Safety, Evacuation Procedures, and Evacuation Schemes) Regulations 2018 – New Zealand Legislation

HS5 Safe assembly areas

Criteria

Designated assembly areas for evacuation purposes outside the building keep children safe from further risk.

Rationale/intent

The criterion aims to uphold the safety of children by ensuring that assembly areas do not place children in further danger – on a main highway for example. The criterion is also based on the assumption that a safe assembly area is more likely to result in regular drills being carried out.

Amended May 2015.

Guidance

Although it is important there is a place for people at the centre to go to when a fire breaks out or in another emergency such as an earthquake, it is just as important to ensure that this place does not put children or adults in further danger from other hazards. This can be a challenge for some centres because of the layout of their premises and proximity to main roads, car parks, waterways and so on. Young children often behave erratically when scared or distressed, and adults need to reduce stress (for themselves, as well as for the children) in these situations as much as possible.

Centres should talk with regional Ministry of Education ECE licensing staff and Fire and Emergency New Zealand personnel about the best options for their particular situation.

Regional offices

Fire and Emergency New Zealand

Additional guidance is available specifically for centres above ground level, we recommend reading High rise evacuation plans for ECE service providers.

The National Emergency Management Agency and the Ministry of Education have produced an Emergency management plan template that can be used for planning for a variety of emergencies.

National Emergency Management Agency

Things to consider

• Selecting an appropriate assembly area should also take into account where Fire and Emergency New Zealand vehicles and personnel might be when they are responding to a fire.
• The place chosen should be checked to ensure children or adults will not be trapped in an area from which they can’t escape if the fire should spread. For instance, in an area surrounded by high walls or fences with no exit other than through the fire area.
• The use of portable orange netting, cones and walking ropes can be useful for keeping children together while moving and once they have reached the final place of safety.
• Ideally any equipment needed should be stored near the exits from the building to avoid the need to retrieve it from more distant storage areas when evacuating the building in an emergency.
• Consideration should be given as to how children will be kept warm and dry if evacuation takes place during wet or windy weather. Centres may be able to make some arrangement with a nearby business or other organisation to assist with this.
• A "grab bag" ready near the building exit to take when centres evacuate to an assembly area should be provided. In addition to emergency supplies and medication, this could include books or other items that can be used to engage children’s attention while at the assembly point.
• If staff suspect that during the process of exiting or re-entry to a building to secure items poses further risk to their own lives or the lives of others, then they should not do so.

HS6 Securing furniture

Criteria

Heavy furniture, fixtures and equipment that could fall or topple and cause serious injury or damage are secured.

Rationale/intent

The criterion aims to uphold the safety of children.

Guidance

In all areas of the centre, large and heavy items of furniture and equipment and appliances must be secured to the structure of the building, studs are fine, but wallboards may be too weak. Smaller appliances such as stereos or microwave ovens can be secured with industrial Velcro, seismic wax and non-slip mats. More information is available on the Natural Hazards Commission website.

Large furniture and appliances – Natural Hazards Commission | Toka Tū Ake

Lighter things such as books and blocks can also cause injury if they fall on children. These can be held on shelves by a wire or short chain connected to the shelf with a metal eye or hook.

See Things to consider for securing furniture that may need to be moved frequently.

Lockable castors should be used to prevent trolleys or shelving on wheels from moving around. Think about weight distribution on free standing shelves, that is, store heavy items at the bottom of shelving with lighter items higher up.

Things to consider

When securing these items, the following guidelines will be useful:

• Always fasten to the structure of the building. Studs are fine, but wallboards may be too weak.
• Make sure that the fastenings used are strong enough to hold the weight of the heavy object. What will happen if it gets bounced up/down?
• Possible, fasten objects near the top rather than at the bottom. If this can’t be done, then fastenings at the bottom will need to be very strong. This is because of the leverage effect when something topples (a fridge for example).

Connections that are easy to unclip and re-clip allow furniture to moved when needed. Fastening points can be placed at several places around the walls (in some buildings).

A short chain on the furniture connected to a metal eye on the wall, by means of a carabiner, D-bolt or similar, can be a good system. This means you can change your furniture around, and still have secure fastening for the heavy objects.

HS7 Emergency plan and supplies

Criteria

There are a written emergency plan and supplies to ensure the care and safety of children and adults at the service. The plan must include evacuation procedures for the service's premises, which apply in a variety of emergency situations, and which are consistent with the fire evacuation scheme for the building.

Documentation required

A written emergency plan that includes at least:

1. An evacuation procedure for the premises.
2. A list of safety and emergency supplies and resources sufficient for the age and number of children and adults at the service and details of how these will be maintained and accessed in an emergency.
3. Details of the roles and responsibilities that will apply during an emergency situation.
4. A communication plan for families and support services.
5. Evidence of review of the plan on an, at least, annual basis and implementation of improved practices as required.

Rationale/intent

The criterion aims to uphold the safety of children by:

• ensuring that the service has an adequate evacuation procedure for a range of emergency situations, and resources
• sufficient emergency supplies and resources for the children and adults likely to be at the service.

Amended May 2015.

Guidance

In addition to compliance with HS4 Fire evacuation scheme (above) the centre must have a documented evacuation procedure specifically for the ECE premises. The evacuation procedure required is the responsibility of the service provider.

This evacuation procedure must cover all emergency situations including, but not limited to fire, earthquake, tsunami, flood, storm, volcano, landslide and so on. The procedure has a broader scope than just fire evacuation and must be consistent with the overarching Fire and Emergency NZ approved fire evacuation scheme.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand

If the service is licensed for under 2’s, then in order to have supplies sufficient for the age and number of children attending, the emergency supplies must include infant formula and spare sterile bottles.

The National Emergency Management Agency and the Ministry of Education have produced a template that can be used for planning for a variety of emergencies (see HS5 Safe assembly areas, above).

National Emergency Management Agency

The Ministry also has planning guidance and a quick checklist for your overall emergency management plan.

Prepare for an emergency or traumatic incident in early learning

Additional guidance is available specifically for services above ground level, we recommend you read High rise evacuation plans for ECE service providers (see HS5 Safe assembly areas, above).

HS8 Emergency drills

Criteria

Adults providing education and care are familiar with relevant emergency drills and carry out each type of drill with children (as appropriate) on an, at least, 3-monthly basis.

Documentation required

A record of the emergency drills carried out and evidence of how evaluation of the drills has informed the annual review of the service's emergency plan.

Rationale/intent

The criterion aims to uphold the safety of children by ensuring that:

• adults at the service have the necessary skills, knowledge and experience to deal with emergency situations
• review of the service’s emergency plan and evacuation procedures are part of the service’s regular self-review processes; and
• children are familiar with, and confident in, responding to emergency procedures.

Amended May 2015.

Guidance

Centres need to first determine which emergency drills are relevant to their location and carry out each type of drill with children (as appropriate) on an, at least, 3-monthly basis.

Relevant drills to be carried out with children are likely to at least include fire evacuation, earthquake, shelter in place and tsunami, depending on the services location. Lockdown is a drill that should be practiced by staff without children.

Why practice emergency drills?

Research has shown that the factor that most contributes to reducing injuries and fatalities during any emergency situation is regular practice. This ensures that staff and adults at the centre are familiar with procedures and that children also become familiar and comfortable with what is expected of them.

Regular practice will also ensure that any equipment that will be relied on in an emergency drill will be subject to regular checks, for example, any special equipment that might be used to assist in the evacuation of the non-walking children. It is also recommended that staff have a range of strategies available to manage any children whose behaviour has become disturbed during an emergency drill.

The following activities will help to ensure all adults are familiar with the emergency drill procedures:

• Emergency drill procedure briefings for all relieving staff.
• Training as part of new staff induction.
• Regular refresher training for all staff.
• Including emergency plans and procedures as a regular agenda item for staff meetings.
• Communication with parents and families, via noticeboards and in newsletters.

Staff/educators should be able to confidently:

• Talk about the procedures without needing to refer to any documentation.
• Identify the roles they and others will play during an emergency drill.
• Describe how children (walking and non-walking) will be managed during an emergency drill.
• Describe how they will deal with any unexpected circumstance that arises during an emergency drill – that is, respond to questions such as "how will you manage if several of your 3 to 4-year-olds refuse to walk independently from the building?"

You should aim to hold your emergency drills at times when you have typical numbers of children, of varying ages, and adults at the centre. Consider also the timing of emergency drills and whether or not staff will be notified in advance. Holding unannounced emergency drills at challenging times (for example, during lunch time or sleep time) may be inconvenient but will give greater assurance that procedures are effective. Roles for adults could be varied during emergency drills so that any key responsibilities are covered even in the absence of a particular staff member.

Fire evacuation

The fire evacuation scheme needs to include regular trial evacuations for fire emergencies. Fire Regulations require this to be done at least every 6 months, and that it is reported to Fire and Emergency New Zealand within 10 days of taking place. There is information about maintaining an approved evacuation scheme on the Fire and Emergency New Zealand website.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand

Shelter in place

Shelter in place is a drill that should be practiced with children in the service and involves children being asked calmly to come quickly inside and play inside for a period of time because of an external “threat” such as a chemical spill, swarm of wasps. The entries and exits to the building are restricted, however normal instructional activities continue as much as possible.

Lockdown

Lockdown drills should be practiced by staff without children. Drills on what to do in potentially violent situations can be practiced, but at a time that children are not on site as the drills may cause undue fear and anxiety. Especially if the drill involves everyone sheltering in a darkened space such as a sleep room. However, staff should be aware of procedures and able to carry the procedures out if the service has been alerted to an immediate threat. Practices for lockdown drills should be recorded and kept as per other drills.

Tsunami

Some services are in low-lying coastal areas and therefore would be required to evacuate if there was a tsunami warning. Some of these services may have an evacuation procedure that requires the use of vehicles to get as many children as possible to high ground quickly. It is not expected that these services practice the tsunami drill to the full extent by overloading vehicles with children and travelling to the designated safe space as this is illegal in normal circumstances and poses unnecessary risk to children. These services should still practice their tsunami drill and include children as far as practicably possible, for example, drill may include a process that facilitates the movement of children to the proposed exit point as quickly as possible in preparation for getting children into planned evacuation vehicles.

Services who do not plan to use vehicles for evacuating children in the case of a tsunami should still practice the tsunami drill as per their procedure and in line with their services emergency plan (HS7).

Record keeping

Centres are required to keep a record of each emergency drill. At a minimum, this should record:

• The date and time.
• Number of under 2’s and supervising adults.
• Number of over 2’s and supervising adults.
• Other adults or children present.
• Time taken to complete the emergency drill (for each separate group if appropriate).
• A checklist of the key steps in the emergency drill, whether or not they were completed, and any comments.
• For fire drills: A building assessment, for example:
  • checking that all appropriate notices were displayed
  • escape routes were clear
  • firefighting equipment serviced and so on.
• Details of any actions that need to be taken to rectify faults discovered or to improve on the planned procedure.

Keep the emergency drill records for 2 years.

Reviewing emergency plans and evacuation procedures should be a regular part of a centre’s self-review. Records of each emergency drill, together with emergency training records, should be used to inform that review. If any changes are required to any emergency drills, these should be noted promptly in evacuation plans and any other documentation and notices updated. Remember also to communicate any changes made with staff, parents and whānau as required.

The National Emergency Management Agency have a What’s the Plan Stan website which focuses on helping children prepare for an emergency and a special section which aims to support teachers to develop children’s knowledge, skills and attitudes to respond to and prepare for an emergency.

What's the Plan, Stan? – Get Ready

Additional guidance is available specifically for centres above ground level (see HS5 Safe assembly areas, above).