Observations of the annual earthquake drill at Sir James Douglas Elementary
By Sue Watkins
I was lucky enough to be at the Main school during the "Big One at Two" on May 10th, 2007. I asked my son's grade 4 teacher, Mr. Martin, if I could watch the event. He quickly reminded me that I too had to duck and cover during the drill. No problem, I thought, this will be exciting! So, as inconspicuously as possible, I stood in the corner and waited. The kids were all sitting neatly at their desks. This was in marked contrast to when I was in the class earlier that day. In the morning, the kids were dispersed every where. some in the hall, some in the class, all working on the day's art project.
But now, they were all at their allotted spots and I could tell that the whole class was in anticipation. While we waited, Mr. Martin tried to create a diversion by quizzing the kids on their math skills. However, the kids were not easily distracted, as a student shot up his hand and asked "Will we have to line up in alphabetical order?". "No" was the answer "that would take too much time. Now who can tell me how many decimeters are in a meter?" Even I had trouble coming up with the answer. after all the big one was coming and I needed to plan a strategy. I eyed a table at the far end of the room that should be big enough for me to crawl under.
Suddenly, there was a noise. I guess this is it, I thought. All the kids ducked under their desks and I made my way to safety. This wasn't as easy I had had thought. My route to the table was suddenly blocked by chairs and once I got to the table, I realized there was very little room underneath. I guess the area under tables makes for good storage! Somehow I managed to yank out one box and crawl most of the way underneath. Still, my backside was hanging out, but at least my head was covered. Meanwhile, I could hear the teacher and students calming counting. Over the intercom, there erupted a loud rumbling noise, which was to imitate the sound and duration of an earthquake. I must say that it was very foreboding and seemed to go on forever. Once it finished, there was more counting (up to 60) and finally we were able to get out. So far, the only injuries were few bumped heads. I realized, later, that the kids were very good at ducking and covering, but we all forgot about HOLD. (you are supposed to hold onto something, preferably the legs of the table that is protecting you)
Mr. Martin reminded us all to get everything we needed and we headed out of the classroom, down the stairs and towards the exit. Before he left, he grabbed a school back pack (those bright pink packs that are in every classroom and go on field trips). We exited just north of the gym, and, as I walked down the hallway, I noticed about 10 or so stacks of chairs, each over 5' tall, lined up against the wall. Had it been a real earthquake, these would have definitely fallen over making our exit very difficult.
Once outside, the students lined up in their divisions at the rear of the school and sat down; no one was allowed to leave. From their back packs, all teachers distributed tags to the students which they wore around their necks. These tags contained the emergency contact information that parents provided at the beginning of the year. I didn't actually look at my son's tag, but in retrospect, I wish I had (more on the tags later). I think the tags are also instrumental in ensuring that everyone was accounted for: a left over tag may mean a missing student.
In the SW corner of the field, the emergency container was open and a first aid station was being set up. A few of the older students were faking injuries and were being sent to this station. Knowing that my son was in good hands, I left and headed for the annex to pick up kid #2. My route to the annex took me right by the Main school library, where Division 18 was "trapped". I could see signs in the window saying "Help" and could hear the students all yelling "Help! We are trapped in here". It was rather unnerving and I felt uncomfortable about ignoring them, even though I knew perfectly well that everyone was alright. I thought about the rescue buckets that we have planned for next year and made a mental note that the library and all other resources rooms will need one, and the office too.
In addition to the earthquake drill, the annex was also putting their "emergency pick up" procedures to the test. Annex parents had been told to pick up their kids as soon as possible after 2pm and that their children will only be released to those on the emergency contact list. Four years ago, my first experience at the emergency pick up procedure revealed some big flaws in my contact list. I had included a relative from Surrey and friends from the North Shore, none of whom would have been able to make it in the event of a real disaster. Today, my contact list contains friends from the school all of whom have a decent chance of getting there.
I finally arrived at the annex to find all the children lined up according to their divisions. My mission was to pick up my son and my friend's daughter. Finding the kids was easy and, like the main school, the children had information tags around their necks. Well, all except for my son. For some reason, he didn't have one. His teacher made a note of the error and I moved on to get my friend's daughter. She did have a tag, but surprisingly, my name wasn't on it. Her teacher, knowing who I was, allowed me to sign her out. However, in a real disaster, the school can only legally release the children to the persons listed on the tag, so it is vital that the information be correct. In this case, the tag was incorrect. To sign out the children, all I had to do was sign my name. I was surprised and a bit disappointed by this. Don't they care about where I am going? Or the time? If someone signed out my kids, how would I be reunited with them?
The Big One at Two is a hugely important exercise. It allows everyone to practice emergency procedure and reveals areas where improvements need to be made.