Our first evacuation drill for the year was held. It started with pretending that a big earthquake had occurred and a fire had broken out in the science lab. The children remained calm and hid under their desks, listening to the announcements on the school’s internal broadcasting system.
They made an announcement to “evacuate to the schoolyard”, and the students calmly evacuated. It was completed in 2 minutes and 47 seconds, almost the same time as last year.
From GM Nango:
“Everyone is important. We want to protect lives. Adults run around the school to protect children. Teachers and parents shouldn’t leave unless they are sure that no one was left behind, and make sure everyone has evacuated. During the earthquake, there were cases where children had evacuated, but parents who went back to look for them died. To protect your loved ones, you must evacuate yourself first. This will help protect the lives of your family.”
We learned about the “O-Ka-Shi-Mo-Chi” method from the firefighters at Tomioka Fire Station. “Don’t push, don’t run, don’t talk, don’t go back, don’t get close.”
“If you talk, people won’t be able to hear others. If you forget something and go back, you might get stuck inside. If there’s a fire, smoke will come out. If you inhale smoke, you might get sick and be unable to move.”
“When an earthquake occurs, it may not be possible to make calm decisions. Even if adults are not around, it is important to protect your own life. The pillbug pose is a pose in which you hold your head to protect it if an earthquake occurs and you cannot get under a desk. The monkey pose is a pose in which, once you have got under the desk, you grab the legs of the desk with your hands to stop it from moving. Protect your head.”
We learned the importance of protecting your head. It is also important to prepare for earthquakes and create an environment that will not collapse shelves. In the second half of the lecture, we changed location and listened to an explanation of how to use a fire extinguisher. We observed the teachers in action and ended the class with a reflection session for each grade.
~Looking back~
・I realized it was important to stay quiet and listen.
・I learned that it’s important to act quickly without talking.
・After listening to Mr. Nango’s talk, I realized it’s important to evacuate.
・I’m glad we were able to act quickly when we evacuated. “Okashimochi” is easy to understand. If you remember it, you’ll know what to do. I think it was good that the time it takes to complete evacuation doesn’t change even if there are a lot of people.
・I thought it was cool to see adults carrying heavy fire extinguishers and putting out fires.
・I had never seen someone use a fire extinguisher before. It was a great opportunity to see it today.
・I thought it was strange to only have adults practice using fire extinguishers, but the reality is that children are never alone at school without a teacher. I thought it would be better for the teacher to practice. The instructions on how to use it were easy to understand. We remembered the pin, hose, and lever. It would be better to remember where the fire extinguisher is.
・I heard that water is sprayed toward the base of the fire. I learned that it is important to be aware of the direction of the hose in order to put out a fire.
