Tuesday, March 8, 2011

New FireEvac Incident Command System for Schools


One of the major issues facing safety officials is the rapid and efficient movement of large groups of people to safety in an emergency.  The problem is compounded when those needed to be orderly moved are children being directed by personnel who are primarily responsible for non-safety related activities (like classroom teaching for instance).


One of our fire department customers came up with a novel idea that we thought was worth sharing with our fire department and school users.  We call it FireEvac since the plan was essentially developed for fire evacuation although it could be used for any emergency requiring the quick and orderly movement of students to an area of safety.

The secret of any evacuation plan is based on good communications between a person trained and skilled in incident command working through team members responsible for executing a coordinated evacuation plan.  Through a combined effort between the City, the Fire Department, the School, and Falcon Direct; the FireEvac System was developed.  Each member of the team was charged with a specific responsibility.

The Fire Department agreed to train school safety officers as coordinators responsible for student evacuation in one of four zones.  The safety officers agreed to the necessary training under the supervision of an Incident Commander.  Each of our four zone coordinators as well as the principal was equipped with a VHF radio set up for emergency operation on the fire department 2-way radio channel.  The City agreed to fund the project with the purchase of the necessary school radios subject to a budgeted allowance of about the cost of a single HT750 radio.  That's where Falcon Direct came in!

Falcon Direct met the cost target with ease!  That's what makes us a little different than our peers.  We don't just sell radios - we provide solutions!  We would welcome the opportunity of helping YOU! 

For additional information on the FireEvac plan, give us a call at 205.854.2611 or drop us an email to sales@falcondirect.com.