Contributed by Mr. Edward Tagliaferro, Health and Safety teacher
As required by the Health and Safety unit, the school is obliged to organise an emergency drill every term. The drill could be a fire drill or a bomb threat drill. Both students and staff are briefed on the procedure prior to each event organised by the Health and Safety representatives of the school.
In a fire drill, no lifts are to be used just in case there is a sudden power cut or power needs to be cut because the source of ignition is electric. However, this causes a problem to wheelchair users who can neither use the lift nor the stairs. In this situation, an evacuation chair may be used. This device allows a seated smooth descent of a stairway.
Quotations of the said chairs were obtained and the school rose to the occasion to invest in this useful facility. Two fund-raising activities were held by the student council to cover the expense. The collected money was a gift from the students to the school as they understood the need of having the evacuation chairs for their own peers.
The two chairs were purchased and delivered to the school in the summer of 2019. Upon the first opportunity, the Health and Safety team organised a demonstration and trial for our two students who would make use of them in the event of an emergency. This involved the students, LSE’s and an extra LSE to help with the transfer from one chair to another and the actual descent. We were pleased that this newly acquired equipment performed well and with ease. The students themselves described it as a positive and professional experience.
