It is the responsibility of Headteachers and the Senior Leadership Team, (SLT) to ensure that a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) is developed for all pupils with permanent or temporary disabilities to ensure they are not put at any disadvantage or treated less favourably in the event of an emergency.

The plan should:

• Identify any specific needs of the individual;
• Identify staff responsibilities;
• Identify staff training requirements;
• Identify specific evacuation routes where appropriate including providing ramps on final exit doors where appropriate;
• Identify refuge areas and specific evacuation procedures.

 

The PEEP should be reviewed at least annually to ensure that the most up to date information is available. 

Further reviews should be undertaken where there is a change in the person's health, a change in procedures or an alteration of the premises.

The school should consult with all stakeholders, including parents/guardians when drawing up a personal emergency evacuation plan (PEEP) for a pupil with disabilities.

The curriculum timetable should be used to indicate the whereabouts of the pupil at any given time of the day.  From this, it can be decided the best methods and routes to be used to evacuate them in an emergency.  The routes should be considered in conjunction with the school’s Fire Risk Assessment and the emergency evacuation plan.  Once the routes have been identified, they must be ‘walked’ in the first instance to ensure they would be appropriate in the event of an emergency. 

Copies of PEEPs should be kept in appropriate places such as the Fire Log, the school’s emergency plan and with appropriate personnel.  Where appropriate, the pupil concerned should hold a copy of their PEEP along with any items identified in the questionnaire that may be required in the event of an evacuation from the building.

An area identified as a 'safe refuge' must be located within an identified fire-protected area and must be clearly signed.  If you are unsure whether the area is fire-protected, then you must presume that it is not and other advice must be sought from the provider of your fire risk assessment.

The Refuge Area is only to be used as a meeting point until sufficient help from trained staff arrives to ensure the pupil's safe evacuation.  This is not the responsibility of the fire service.  Under no circumstances should a pupil be left unattended in this area.

The staff involved in supporting a disabled pupil to evacuate the building in an emergency will usually be the pupil’s support staff and others who work in the curriculum areas in the pupil’s timetable.  Schools should not plan for staff to re-enter a building to assist in an evacuation. 

An evacuation chair is a device used to enable to evacuate people with mobility issues down a flight of stairs in the event of an emergency.  A single operator can use the chair, as it does not require heavy lifting to evacuate a person. 

However, if a person has to be evacuated down a number of flights of stairs it is recommended that other trained staff are able to take over part way down the stairwell.  The evacuation chair should be located near the refuge point or on the stairwell.

If an evacuation chair is deemed appropriate and necessary, an adequate number of staff must be trained in its use.  The evacuation chair should only be used where the consultation process, indicated below, has identified that it is safe to do so by a health professional or the Councils Back Care Consultant Herts Handling for example, pupils with brittle bone disease may be harmed if transferred to an evacuation chair.

The PEEP should be carried out using the Model Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan, Appendix 5, before a /pupil with disabilities joins the school, or as soon as the school is made aware that an individual would need support to evacuate the school in an emergency.  

A number of people should be consulted to identify how a safe evacuation can be achieved; this could include the pupil, where appropriate, parents/guardians, SEN Team at Buckinghamshire Council, School Commissioning, health professionals and school staff involved in the individual’s care, including the SENCO.

The purpose of this consultation is to ensure that information is gathered and appropriately shared, procedures established, training requirements and any special equipment that may be required identified. 

This process should be repeated as circumstances change or annually whichever is the soonest.

It is important, that the timetabling for pupils with mobility issues should avoid the use of upper floors wherever possible, as:

• Evacuation routes on the ground floor are generally straight forward, following a route to the nearest emergency exit, which should be ramped if pupil is a wheelchair user;
• This will help the pupil retain their independence so they can self-evacuate the building (where appropriate);
• This will reduce the likelihood of harm to the individual being transferred and members of staff involved in the evacuation.

The first step in carrying out the PEEP is to examine the pupil’s lesson timetable and for each location identify the appropriate exit routes (and alternatives) and where necessary refuge points.

If the pupil needs support to evacuate the building, e.g. transfer to an evacuation chair, then the route should lead to a safe refuge where any necessary equipment is stored and trained moving and handling staff can carry out the transfer.

All staff who are involved in the pupil's safe evacuation should be trained including refresher training in the:

• Specific emergency procedures to ensure staff are kept up to date with the procedures and where appropriate;
• Paediatric Moving and Handling
• Evacuation chair training

 

It should be ensured that a sufficient number of staff trained and available to assist in an emergency evacuation to cover staff absence records of training should be recorded on the PEEP, and a copy kept in the Fire Log.

Staff involved in moving and handling should either attend a one day Paediatric Moving and Handling course (with hoists) or half day course (without hoists).  Refresher training is required annually to protect the health of staff and the pupil. 

An appropriate member of staff in Special Schools and Additionally Resourced Provisions, with pupils with physical disabilities, should attend a 2-day Load Assessor Risk Assessment course.  This person should monitor all the moving and handling tasks that are undertaken in the school.  

Refer to section 5.2a, Health and Safety Policies and Procedures, for further information on Moving and Handling and the requirements for training. 

The PEEP should be practised as soon as practicably possible before a full school emergency evacuation drill to identify any problems encountered and improvements that need to be made. 

All members of staff who may be involved in the evacuation and the pupil should travel the evacuation routes and go through the procedures including a physical evacuation using any necessary equipment , e.g. evacuation chair, transfer board, hoist etc.

After each practice/drill there should be a review to identify any problems encountered and improvements to be made.  Where changes need to be made, they will be discussed with all affected parties and any amendments recorded in the PEEP. 

Evacuation chairs and other essential safety equipment should be checked on a termly basis with an annual service; the equipment should be visually inspected before a practice drill. 

Hoists and slings used in an evacuation for a wheelchair user should be inspected every six months.

If two-way radios are used for communicating progress with the evacuation to the Senior Leadership Team then they should be tested termly to ensure they are functioning. 

They should also be used during a drill to ensure their effectiveness in a real emergency situation.

All staff who teach or have pupils with disabilities in their registration group should make themselves aware of the emergency evacuation procedures for evacuating the pupil. 

It should be ensured that new staff supporting pupils should be informed of the emergency arrangements as part of their induction process and training provided. 

Appendix 1

Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan Questionnaire for Employees to Complete

Appendix 2

Guidance Notes for Completing the Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP)

Appendix 3

Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan

Appendix 4

Procedures for Employees Requiring the use of and Evacuation Chair at Aylesbury Complex (Walton Street Offices)

Appendix 5

Model Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) for Individual Pupils

Appendix 6

Record of Staff Training