Country: Philippines                          
Title:    Calamity/Emergency Drills in Schools and Offices
Author:            Isidro D. . Carino, Secretary.  
Institution:       DECS
Citations:         DECS ORDER No. 96, s. 1990.  
Descriptors:       Emergency programmes.  
Full text: 1.       In order to be prepared when any calamity or
  emergency occurs such as the very strong earthquake which recently
  hit the country wherein thousands were either killed or injured,
  fires, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, bombings, etc., there is an
  urgent need to enchance the consciousness of the different sectors
  in our society specially pupils, teachers, and other school and
  Office personnel on the effects and threats of such calamities.

  2.       In line with the above, all schools and offices are
  enjoined to hold periodic emergency drills for safe and proper
  evacuation of pupils, students, and office personnel during
  natural/man-made disasters.  Deaths and injuries could be minimized
  if students, pupils, and even office personnel are drilled on the
  proper course of action during emergency situations.

  3.       The following safety precautions about earthquakes should
  be discussed in classes or offices before an earthquake drill is
  conducted:

       a.   Keep calm.  Don't panic.  The worst danger is over after
  the first minute of a major earthquake.

       b.   If you are in a building, seek cover near or under a
  large piece of strong furniture; in a very high floor of a
  building, go to the rooftop; on a street, watch out for falling
  debris, billboards, tumbling walls, loosened slabs, and electric
  wires.

       c.   Keep away from narrow alleys between buildings, tall
  structures or walls as well as from banks and precipices.

       d.   After the main earthquake, stay away from unstable
  objects or structures, like damaged walls and ceilings. 
  Aftershocks could cause them to fall.

       e.   At the seashore, guard against tidal waves.

  4.       In case of a fire drill, the following instructions
  should, likewise, be discussed before conducting building
  evacuation in schools/offices:

       a.   There must be an alarm system in the building, such as
  bells, whistles, gongs, and other sound-producing instruments which
  can be distinctly heard all over the school premises.

       b.   A diagram of each floor of the building should be
  prepared to show the sequence of emptying various classrooms and
  offices and taking the stairways in an orderly manner, giving
  priority to those occupying the upper floors of the building and
  small children, to prevent them from being trapped.

       c.   Information on the location of fire exists, fire ladders,
  and fire extinguishers in the building should be widely
  disseminated and the school population and teachers should be
  familiar with their use.

       d.   Teachers should make a careful check of the rooms as soon
  as they are emptied, and they should call the roll as soon as their
  pupils are out in the yard, to see that no one is left behind in
  the building.

       e.   Fire drills should be conducted with the help of the
  local firemen if possible once a month, to familiarize the school
  population with their corresponding parts in a fire drill and in
  order to perfect a systematic evacuation of the students/pupils.

       f.   Attempt should be made to eliminate defects which might
  have been noticed in previous drills, with the end in view of
  insuring smooth and clockwork precision in subsequent fire drills.

       g.   As soon as "pre-announced" fire drills are perfected,
  attempt should be made to conduct totally unannounced or "surprise"
  drills, to approach as much as possible the actual condition
  obtaining in case of real fire.