Lessons from the Lockdown Drill

The lock down drill was performed on October, 29, 2015. Before our practice drill I
tried to contact the local police chief. He was out of town and did not return my
email until after the drill and suggested that we also contact the Sheriffs
Department. The Sheriff is the primary law enforcement agency for Springville.
My email to him:
Good Afternoon Mr. Fox
I am an administrative intern at The Childrens League in Springville. As part of my
internship I am planning a lockdown drill for our school to practice. I was asked to
contact you by one of my administrators to see if the police would be interested in
participating. We are planning our drill for October 29 at 10:00 am. Also, should I
contact the Sheriffs office as well?
Thank you for any help in this matter.
Kirsten Henderson
Administrative Intern
His return email to me:
Ms. Henderson, sorry for the delay in getting back to you but I was out of town on
vacation and am just getting my e-mails. If you plan on doing any other drills,
please contact me a little more in advance and I will try to have an Officer
available. And yes the Sheriffs Department should always be notified as they are
the primary Law Enforcement Agency in Springville and I dont always have an
Officer on duty. Thanks, Chief John F. Fox
Staff followed the procedures to the best of their ability. The large windows proved
to be a problem with being out of site should an intruder be on the grounds walking
around the building. At the beginning of the drill there were a few people who ran
back to their rooms as the drill began. That move could be catastrophic in the
event of a real emergency. They should have stayed in the room where they were,
even if it was the bathroom, and locked the door. Knowing we were planning a drill
and feeling the need to support fellow staff with the children prompted these
individuals to return to their room.
Other issues and questions include:
1. What happens if a room door is open because no one was in that room to
close and lock the door?
2. How do you lock the bathrooms if you are in the bathroom when the
lockdown is sounded?
3. Should lights be on or off?
4. Directions should be posted on the phones about using them to make a
school wide announcement. Phones are different from one side of the
building to the other.
5. Staff needs to practice how to lock doors quickly. There needs to be a
permanent mark made to direct staff on which way to lock the doors as the
handle will move from the inside if the door is locked or not.
6. The addition to the building had different quicker locking mechanisms. All
staff should be aware of the ease of use for these doors.

7. Our large room (OT/PT) has multiple doors to enter/exit plus 2 other pass
through rooms. If only one therapist is in the room there are so many to lock
especially if the therapist has a child with them. What could be a solution?
What if no one is in the room? There are many places to hide there.
8. Staff could not hear the drill announcement in some rooms due to busyness
in the classroom or poor connection. A suggestion was made to repeat the
announcement after a wait time of 30 seconds.
9. Staff needs to be clear that someone will come to let them out and that they
need to stay in their rooms regardless of any heard or muffled
announcement.
10.To create a barrier in our small perceptual motor room mats would need to be
stood up.
11.There needs to be a clear plan for groups who are outside on the playground
or taking a walk. Should they come in or hide in a shed? How will emergency
people know they are out there?
12.After the drill there needs to be a count of staff and children to ensure
everyone is accounted for.
13.When staff join the closest room they need to follow the lead of the staff in
that room and join the group, offering support to the class rather than waiting
off by themselves. They room staff have responsibilities assigned to them. If
they need help carrying that out they will get direction from the classroom
staff- i.e. locking doors, secure places to hide, etc.
14.The master key did not open the copy room door and while in the copy room
they cannot hear the announcements.
15.During a drill the executive director and the financial director check all doors
and peek outside the school to let anyone who needs to come in in. In a true
emergency what should be the procedure?
The week before the drill I attended a lock down drill webinar. It discussed different
ways to secure inside doors quickly. Our doors have been adjusted so they can be
locked from the inside without opening the door. As stated earlier the locks need to
be marker permanently to make locking quicker.
Added January, 2016
While at Eden they had a small 4x6 envelope that contained the procedures for all
emergencies. It was placed near the door so that in an emergency the procedures
are easily accessible. This helps substitutes especially. They also contained paper
and pencil to record who was with the class at the time of a drill. This is to be used
if they need to exit the building.