Page 96 - School Bus Operators and Attendants Handbook

Rear Door Evacuation

 Selected student leader should take their position and guide passengers to a safe location (200
feet from danger)
 Passengers should remain in their seats until directed by the driver to leave the bus
 Begin with back seat on right side alternating right-left, until the last seat is empty.
 Driver walks the entire length of the bus to be sure everyone is out

Front and Rear Door Evacuation

 These are rare and when you will need more helpers and leaders
 Direct students to the proper exit
 If hazard is in the front of the bus, direct students toward the back
 If hazard is in the back of the bus, direct students toward the front
 If hazard is in the middle, direct students to both exits
 Students using the front door will follow front door evacuation procedures
 Students using the rear door will follow the rear door evacuation procedure

Many buses are equipped with push-out windows which may also be used during an emergency evacuation

Additional Guidelines to Remember

1. Remain calm
2. At any given moment you driver/attendant must know the exact student count
3. If evacuating, hang radio microphone outside of window, if possible
4. After all students have exited and everyone is in a safe place, make sure to account for all
students

Field/Activity Trip Evacuation Procedures

In order to ensure the safety of school bus passengers in an actual emergency, every school bus operator
assigned to transport students on field trips or activity trips, will assign an evacuation team prior to each
trip. The team may consist of teachers, coaches, students or any other passengers. A roster should be
provided to the driver accounting for all passengers by the senior person in charge of the group that is
being transported.

Passengers assigned to evacuation teams must be seated where they can effectively carry out their
responsibilities in an emergency.

The following is a procedure for all operators on managing the presentation of their evacuation procedure
for a field trip or activity trip.
A. After the bus is completely loaded and you have the attention of all your passengers,
announce that you are going to go over the Emergency Evacuation Procedure. If you have
very young passengers they may not understand “Evacuation”, so you may wish to use “we
need to understand how to get off the bus quickly and safely in case of an emergency.” Try
Page 96 of 149
Emergency Evacuation Planning