# Why this stupid new fire drill method at school? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 14, 2011, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-this-stupid-new-fire-drill-method-at-school/596231 "2011-09-14T01:39:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pabstist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e99b99/32.png) [@pabstist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pabstist)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-this-stupid-new-fire-drill-method-at-school/596231/1 "2011-09-14T01:39:50Z")
So everybody knows how a fire drill at a school works, right? The alarm sounds, the teacher and the class leave via the nearest exit and go outside as a group to a specified area. Then the teacher takes attendance. Well, the high school my wife and I work at has figured out a new and better way to do this! The school now has an advisory period before/after lunch, with the same kids for all four years. So anyways, when is there is a fire alarm, everybody still leaves via the nearest exit. Here’s where it gets interesting! Once outside, each teacher has a specified spot to be in. The students from their advisory period must find them and then they stay together. So no matter what exit the student uses, they must then walk maybe halfway around the building until they meet up with their teacher. Before, it was the shortest path to a safe spot. Now some students will have to walk for five or 10 minutes, around the burning building, before they get to their safe spot. How the hell is this better? Seriously, nobody can figure this new policy out! Anybody else seen this idea in action? Or figure out why it could make sense? We haven’t had a fire drill yet; I’m dying to watch the confusion which ensues. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-this-stupid-new-fire-drill-method-at-school/596231/2 "2011-09-14T01:43:07Z")
Because if you’re a high school teacher with 140+ students, you’re more likely to remember the students (attendance) from your advisory period and those are the ones you usually have the best relationships with. Or something. ---
**Author:** ![Silvorange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Silvorange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silvorange)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-this-stupid-new-fire-drill-method-at-school/596231/3 "2011-09-14T01:45:21Z")
Well, it does give them a way to account for all the students. If the kids were at lunch, or the fire alarm went off between classes, they wouldn’t already be with a teacher. That said, I’ve never heard of a high school taking attendance during a fire alarm. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-this-stupid-new-fire-drill-method-at-school/596231/4 "2011-09-14T01:51:23Z")
At least it makes more sense than the alternative to “duck and cover” we had to do back in the 50s. If a nuclear warhead were to drop on our school, we were to march single-file into the hallway, go to our lockers, open the locker doors so they’re at right angles to the wall, and stand between the locker doors until the crisis was over. I assume the kids on the end would get half their bodies nuked. Compared to that, your new school drill routine makes perfect sense. ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-this-stupid-new-fire-drill-method-at-school/596231/5 "2011-09-14T01:53:47Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > At least it makes more sense than the alternative to “duck and cover” we had to do back in the 50s. If a nuclear warhead were to drop on our school, we were to march single-file into the hallway, go to our lockers, open the locker doors so they’re at right angles to the wall, and stand between the locker doors until the crisis was over. I assume the kids on the end would get half their bodies nuked. > > Compared to that, your new school drill routine makes perfect sense. We crouched under our desks and prayed the rosary. Catholic School in the fifties was no cliche. It really happened. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-this-stupid-new-fire-drill-method-at-school/596231/6 "2011-09-14T01:55:36Z")
> [@pabstist](#): > > Before, it was the shortest path to a safe spot. Now some students will have to walk for five or 10 minutes, around the burning building, before they get to their safe spot. How the hell is this better? They will still take the shortest route to safety. Once they are safe, they continue, while staying safely away from the burning building, on to the location where they are counted. This way, the school can make sure all students are accounted for more quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-this-stupid-new-fire-drill-method-at-school/596231/7 "2011-09-14T02:12:29Z")
Ditto **ZenBeam**. Makes a lot of sense to me. OP seems to think there is some danger in going from Place A (which is in a safe location by whichever exit was nearest when the alarm sounded) to Place B (the Advisory Teacher’s area). I would expect that if both Place A and Place B are in safe areas, then the path between them would be safe too. If not, then I can understand the OP’s complaint. ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-this-stupid-new-fire-drill-method-at-school/596231/8 "2011-09-14T02:19:48Z")
> [@Silvorange](#): > > That said, I’ve never heard of a high school taking attendance during a fire alarm. You haven’t? How else do they account for the students? Or does it just not matter? ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-this-stupid-new-fire-drill-method-at-school/596231/9 "2011-09-14T02:27:05Z")
I guess “advisory period” is what they call “home room” these days. Yeah, it makes sense to me, too. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-this-stupid-new-fire-drill-method-at-school/596231/10 "2011-09-14T02:34:52Z")
> [@pabstist](#): > > Before, it was the shortest path to a safe spot. Now some students will have to walk for five or 10 minutes, around the burning building, before they get to their safe spot. How the hell is this better? > > Seriously, nobody can figure this new policy out! Anybody else seen this idea in action? Or figure out why it could make sense? We haven’t had a fire drill yet; I’m dying to watch the confusion which ensues. This new method gives the cool kids a chance to sneak in a few cigarettes during the chaos of everyone running from one end of the building to the other. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-this-stupid-new-fire-drill-method-at-school/596231/11 "2011-09-14T02:45:20Z")
> [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](#): > > You haven’t? How else do they account for the students? Or does it just not matter? Exactly. We have to account for every student. If there is a difference between my initial roll and my fire drill roll, heads will roll. My school will occasionally hide kids, just to make sure teachers aren’t faking their head counts. ---
**Author:** ![Romeo\_and\_Whatsherface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@Romeo\_and\_Whatsherface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Romeo_and_Whatsherface)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-this-stupid-new-fire-drill-method-at-school/596231/12 "2011-09-14T02:59:26Z")
They do the same thing at my high school, except students don’t go to their advisory spot. Our kids leave whatever class they’re in and meet at that teacher’s designated spot, which I call out as they’re heading to the classroom door. Once at our spot, I take attendance to ensure all kids got out safely. I get the idea behind meeting by advisory (home room–“advisory” is supposed to reflect the teacher’s role as advisor, but I liked “homeroom.”). The only problem is that it sounds like mass confusion. Sure, they can walk safely around the burning building, but hundreds or thousands of kids milling around–they won’t, of course, stride purposefully–doesn’t sound too efficient, especially when you consider that the faster you get all the kids accounted for, the better. Why waste minutes waiting for kids to get to their advisory spots before you can find out if they all made it out OK? The problem with my school’s system is if you have kids out of the room, they have to figure out where to find their class, but as the system is set up, it’s not hard to do. Sounds like some administrator had a bright idea and didn’t run it by the teachers. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-this-stupid-new-fire-drill-method-at-school/596231/13 "2011-09-14T03:11:40Z")
FWIW, That was more or less the procedure for the pharmaceutical companies I worked at. On your first day at work, you were added to a particular list or zone and told that in an evacuation you’re expected to head to a given spot (advertised with signs) out in the parking lot/property of the company. I was the coordinator for one zone, and I was responsible for running a head count on 40-50 people who all generally worked in the same area as I did, so I could recognize most of them. The job meant that people could be anywhere in the building, though, and it made more sense to have them go to a known spot rather than have them report to just anyone who wouldn’t know who they were, and prevented coworkers from worrying whether someone got out who may have just reported to someone else. Each employee only has to remember one place…go to Zone 7. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-this-stupid-new-fire-drill-method-at-school/596231/14 "2011-09-14T03:53:31Z")
As far as I know, this is pretty standard fire drill procedure for any facility in which people move around during the day. There’s a particular place outside the building where you go to be counted, and that place does not depend on where you happened to be in the building when you heard the alarm. Once you get outside the building, there’s no reason to think that moving to your designated counting spot will expose you to any particular danger. And it means that the person doing the counting has an unvarying list of those whom he expects to count. (And you can arrange matters so that they are people he will likely know personally, which obviously facilitates counting.) All of this makes it much easier quickly to identify by name those who have not been counted, and to establish whether they didn’t come in that day, or whether they are otherwise unaccounted for. The method used by **pabstist** ’s school up to now strikes me as obviously deficient. How are pupils accounted for if the alarm goes off during lunch? How are pupils accounted for if they are not under the supervision of a particular teacher when the alarm goes off? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-this-stupid-new-fire-drill-method-at-school/596231/15 "2011-09-14T04:12:46Z")
I see mass confusion in this. Especially in a real fire and you have fireman unrolling hoses. Can you imagine kids in the way trying to walk around the building? For nothing more than a silly attendance check? I’d suggest it’s much better to exit from the safest location and stay put. Don’t even think about moving. This is the 21st century. WHy not use a tech approach? Like a phone app. Each teacher gathers a bunch of students together and enters names. The information from all the teachers phones is merged. Presto! you got a full attendance. > [@Keeve](#): > > Ditto **ZenBeam**. Makes a lot of sense to me. > > OP seems to think there is some danger in going from Place A (which is in a safe location by whichever exit was nearest when the alarm sounded) to Place B (the Advisory Teacher’s area). I would expect that if both Place A and Place B are in safe areas, then the path between them would be safe too. If not, then I can understand the OP’s complaint. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-this-stupid-new-fire-drill-method-at-school/596231/16 "2011-09-14T04:24:10Z")
Come to think of it… Our ID’s at the University have bar codes that are used to check out books in the library and other campus privileges. That would be a very, very quick way to check attendance if the high schools have similar ID cards. I haven’t tried interfacing a bar code reader and smart phone. But, I bet it’s possible. You can certainly do it with a laptop and usb port. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-this-stupid-new-fire-drill-method-at-school/596231/17 "2011-09-14T04:45:33Z")
These ideas are plausible future solutions, but a laptop method would require the people taking attendance to possibly go out of their way to _get_ the laptop before exiting the building in order for it to work. You’d have to guarantee that whatever technological solution you had would be available to the teachers even if they weren’t originally in their classrooms. My former company handled it by having each Zone coordinator have a complete list of all employees on a clipboard, so that if one coordinator couldn’t get theirs, the list was still available and a single person with a clipboard wasn’t responsible for ensuring the safety of each and every employee. In the even that none of the lists were carried out of the building, there was a locked box out by the security post that contained the full list - storing a laptop in there would be possible, but riskier (IMHO) if people were inclined to want to steal it. ETA: Just to be clear, I’m not dismissing these ideas, I’m just commenting on a couple of issues that would have to be considered in order for them to work. And **aceplace57** - I don’t think an attendance check following an emergency evacuation is silly. It might seem like a waste of time during fire drills, but when/if the alarms go off for real, being able to tell emergency response personnel that “everyone is out” or “three people who are usually in part X of the building are unaccounted for” is a very valuable piece of information. Not knowing whether they have to look for people means firemen spend more time going through a building, which puts themselves at greater risk. The problem with fire drills is that people become complacent. We tend to assume that the next time the alarm goes, it’s also fake… happened to me once, and turned out there was a small electrical fire. In the ceiling space of a chemistry lab containing all kinds of solvents and compressed gases. No real damage occurred, but… ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-this-stupid-new-fire-drill-method-at-school/596231/18 "2011-09-14T04:58:44Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > For nothing more than a silly attendance check? In a drill, it’s a “silly attendance check”. In an actual emergency, it’s a low-tech way to make sure that each student can be accounted for, in an expected place, in a reasonably timely manner. While I can see the potential for confusion, I can also see the need for it. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-this-stupid-new-fire-drill-method-at-school/596231/19 "2011-09-14T05:04:15Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I see mass confusion in this. Especially in a real fire and you have fireman unrolling hoses. > > Can you imagine kids in the way trying to walk around the building? For nothing more than a silly attendance check? There’s nothing silly about the attendance check. It’s a central aspect of any fire drill. How else are you to know if everyone has got out of the building? The first thing the firefighters will want to know when they arrive is whether this is primarily a firefighting or a rescue operation; it’s a pretty fundamental issue. The new drill that **pabstist** describes is SOP in most places that I have worked in. It doesn’t seem to cause the arriving firefighters any problem. ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-this-stupid-new-fire-drill-method-at-school/596231/20 "2011-09-14T06:25:35Z")
> [@LH75](#): > > We crouched under our desks and prayed the rosary. Catholic School in the fifties was no cliche. It really happened. So did we. We all knew a direct strike would kill us, but if it were far enough away so that the building got knocked down, I guess the desks would protect some of us. I don’t remember what the teacher did, though. A nun in full habit would find it difficult to crouch anywhere. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-this-stupid-new-fire-drill-method-at-school/596231.md?page=2)