A teacher at the Cedar School directing students during a trial run of the school’s emergency evacuation plan on Tuesday. Cedar School has taken the initiative to establish its own evacuation plan with assistance from the Department of Disaster Management. (Photo by Gordon French).

Armstrong-Davies was part of a team from the department that observed the execution of an emergency evacuation plan at the Cedar School on Tuesday.

The Territory’s susceptibility to natural disasters makes it mandatory for emergency evacuation plans to be implemented, said one official.  

Cedar School has taken a proactive approach of mapping its own plan with guidance from the Disaster Management Department and Tuesday marked the first time the plan became operational.

“On our work plan for this year we are going to be working with all the public schools to ensure that they have an emergency evacuation plan.  However, Cedar School has taken it upon themselves to start out with their evacuation plan and they have been in contact with us last year to help them put together their plan,” Armstrong-Davies stated. 

Under the watchful eye of the Cedar School Director, Scott Hibbard, who assumed the responsibilities of an Incident Commander for the exercise, over 230 students along with teachers set the evacuation plan in motion shortly after 1:30 p.m.

Once the evacuation announcement was made via the school’s intercom system, students filed out the building and into the parking lot where they queued up according to class.

Class teachers then took the register to ensure that all the students were accounted for.

Once all the students were accounted for, each class teacher held up an “Ok” sign.

However, Development Director Jaeda Wooldridge said that in cases where students are deemed missing, the teacher would then hold up “Need assistance” sign, indicating to the Incident Commander that something is amiss.

Once this is done, a designated search team comprising of school officials will then be deployed throughout the school to make a quick check for missing students, Wooldridge assured.

But, during Tuesday’s exercise, all of the teachers held up “Ok’ signs.

Following the roll call, the students quickly left the parking lot in pairs and proceeded to higher ground at the top of a nearby hill.

Wooldridge said the evacuation plan is designed in a manner that sees the eldest students accompanying the youngest students with the latter on the inside.

As the students made their way onto the main road, two school officials in orange-coloured reflective vests – one at the top of the hill and another at the bottom – held up stop signs to halt the flow of traffic to allow a safe passage to the top of the hill.

However, some drivers reluctantly stopped while others attempted to pass the blockade but were prevented by police officers, who were mainly present to observe the evacuation exercise and not to control traffic.

Oblivious to what was occurring at the two stop points, students and teachers made their way up the hill on the right side of the main road. Once at the top of the hill, they then cut across the main road and proceeded to a designated point where they queued up again according to class for another register to be taken.

Once the “Ok” signs went up, the Incident Commander briefed the assembly, before announcing that it was safe to return to the school building.

The students returned in twos to the school’s basketball court by filing down the right side of the road.

The Incident Commander then briefed the gathering before dismissing them to their respective classrooms.

“I thought the school performed well, it was our first complete run through and I think it went quite well.  Just tighten up a little bit on getting the children paired coming down from the hill. We have had really good support from disaster management and part of this is as a result of their work with us last year,” Hibbard stated.

Armstrong-Davies congratulated the school, noting that officials were pretty well equipped.

“Considering that it was the first time practicing the drill, they did well. They just need a bit of improvement on the timing if there is anything that they need to improve,” Armstrong-Davies stated.

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