A. Evacuation Emergencies
At the sound of a fire alarm or in the event of an emergency requiring building evacuation, the following procedure is to be observed:
1. Use common sense – – do not panic.
2. All emergency exits are posted. Person in charge of group, class or dorm will ascertain the dangerous situation and determine the nearest safe evacuation route to be used.
3. In all emergencies, that individual will take a head count of the students under his/her supervision.
4. Where possible, one staff member will lead the group rapidly, but calmly, while another staff functions as rear escort.
5. The group is to be taken to a designated safe area away from the evacuated building.
6. Students are again counted and grouped.
7. The administrator on duty will be notified as soon as possible, the shift supervisor will contact Berkshire Communicators (499-3650) to inform them of the degree of emergency on campus.
8. A designated person goes through the building to ascertain that the building has been completely evacuated. This person must make it known to another staff what he/she is doing. It is the supervisor’s responsibility to ensure that someone does this.
9. A second designated person will be responsible for seeing that all students and staff have been accounted for. In the event that a student is missing, the Missing/Runaway Student Procedures will be instituted.
10. After the alarm(s) have been reactivated and the building(s) is safe to enter, the administrator on duty will signal for everyone to return.
11. IN ANY EMERGENCY, THE SAFETY OF THE STUDENTS IS PARAMOUNT.
B. Fire Drills
Floor plans are posted in every bedroom and classroom, and are posted in other activity areas. The plans indicate the evacuation route(s) to be followed to exit the building.
Each residential and overnight shift performs a fire drill quarterly in the dorm buildings. The academic shift conducts monthly fire drills in all areas used as classrooms. All drills are recorded on the HEC Fire Drill or Activity Report form (see section D.). The supervisor in charge of running the drill must vary the drill conditions to require students and staff to react to potentially dangerous situations, such as blocked hallways or heavy smoke.
Per recommendation of Lenox, Great Barrington, and Pittsfield Fire Departments, 911 will be called for any alarm activity, excluding drills.
All personnel on all shifts are trained to perform assigned tasks during drills, first during the orientation period, then quarterly thereafter. The training includes the use of firefighting equipment.
A Fire Drill Report is completed after every scheduled and unscheduled fire drill. (See below for Fire Drill Report Retention Policy.)
The supervisor prepares the report and comments on the effectiveness of the drill. Where deficiencies are noted, the supervisor must run a follow-up training session and document such training.
Special care is taken to ensure that students understand the nature of such drills. Drill practices, without the use of the school alarm system, are utilized when necessary for additional training.
Mobility-impaired students are carried if necessary, to the designated safe area. Students should not be carried or escorted against their will during a drill of any kind. However, during a genuine emergency, unwilling students will be moved or carried as carefully as possible in order to insure their safety.
The school keeps a written log of all evacuation drills in the Administrator’s office. Included in the log is date and time of drill, the affected building, elapsed time, numbers of staff and students involved and comments or recommendations on the drill.
C. Fire Drill Procedures
When you are ready to do the actual fire drill, first call Berkshire Communicators to ask them to put the building on test* for ½ hour. You will need to provide the alarm panel number. Ask them to confirm the address and building.
*Test – During the test period, Communicators will receive a signal but will not dispatch the fire department. They will have the time an alarm came in and status of the alarm when you call to take the alarm off test. This information must be written on the Fire Drill Activity Report form.
Wait approximately three (3) minutes, and then conduct the drill.
Call Berkshire Communicators, tell them the drill is over and take the alarm off test.
Once the alarm has been restored and normal activity resumes, complete the Fire Drill Activity Report.
When an alarm is activated for any reason other than a drill, 911 should be called as soon as possible to ensure the fire department is notified and to provide additional information. Just because an alarm goes off in a building does not guarantee that Berkshire Communicators receives the signal (weather conditions, etc., could affect the system), so by calling 911 you ensure the fire department is notified. Fire departments are required by law to respond in some manner to all fire alarms.
Example of when you would call and what you might say:
• If a student was seen pulling the fire alarm, you would call 911 and tell them it is a false alarm, and then they have the option of having the fire department send less vehicles.
You must never call Berkshire Communicators to cancel the fire departments response to an alarm.
D. Fire Drill or Activity Report form

E. Retention of Fire Drill Reports
Fire Drill reports are kept for two years, so that any given time, each program site has fire drill documentation for two complete years.

After two years the reports are thrown away or destroyed.
F. Power Outage / Fire Alarm Trouble
In the event of a power outage or a fire alarm panel indicating trouble in any Hillcrest building or location during the day shift, Monday – Friday (7 am-3 pm), please contact the maintenance person on your campus immediately.
Before 7 am or after 3 pm or on a weekend/holiday – if the power outage or alarm trouble lasts longer than 15 minutes, please call the maintenance emergency cell phone at 413-770-9425. Leave a voicemail if necessary.
Please also refer to the Maintenance On-Call Policy
in Section II, above.