1. Smoke/fire/heat detection and alarm systems are inspected, tested and cleaned by an outside contractor at least every 12 months. However, alarms are pulled and communications with Berkshire Communicators are checked during each fire drill, which are conducted for each shift and each campus building.
2. At the residential campuses, student dormitories, and some other buildings at campuses are protected by automatic sprinkler systems which are inspected and tested by an outside contractor at least quarterly. Housatonic Academy is not equipped with automatic sprinkler systems.
3. Fire safety and emergency response training is provided to all new employees as part of New Staff Orientation and on a quarterly basis thereafter.
4. Fire Drills – Floor plans are posted in every dormitory common area, and 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.

Students whose mobility is temporarily or situationally impaired 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 program 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.

5. Fire extinguishers are inspected at least monthly, and they are maintained and tagged by an outside contractor at least every twelve months. Fire extinguishers are recharged and/or replaced as necessary and as indicated.
6. All campuses are equipped with hard wired, battery backup emergency lights that are tested monthly by maintenance staff and quarterly by the local Fire Department. Residential campuses also have emergency lights that are hard wired into the generator power supply and that are used during power failures. These lights are tested monthly as part of School Dude preventive maintenance when the power generators are tested.