Tip
Flag symbol (⚑)
A flag symbol (⚑) indicates a criterion that applies to services which include a home or homes that have children receiving out-of-school care (as defined in the glossary) in the home while the licensed home-based ECE service is being provided.
Criterion HS205
Educators are familiar with relevant emergency drills and carry out each type of drill with all children present in the home (as appropriate) on an, at least, 4-monthly basis.
Documentation required (written or digital)
A record of the emergency drills carried out and evidence of how evaluation of the drills has informed the annual review of the service's emergency plan.
⚑ For services providing out-of-school care the record must include evidence of drills performed with enrolled children and out-of-school care children at the same time.
Guidance
How to show you are complying
Each educator in the service should understand the home’s emergency plan and what do in an emergency.
The drills themselves must be run at least once every four months. The specific drills are based on the emergency plan for the home under HS204 – Emergency plan.
Children should participate in all drills, except lockdown drills. Lockdown drills are excluded because they could cause distress, confusion or fear in young children. Instead, educators are expected to hold these drills without children present.
It will be important for services in coastal areas to practise tsunami drills. Educators do not need to use vehicles during these drills, even if vehicle transport is required in the home’s plan. Instead, other aspects of the drill should be rehearsed.
All drills should be recorded. The record should include:
the time and date of each drill
the specific drill carried out
the duration of the drill
who participated in the drill, including children
any issues encountered
positive and negative outcomes during and after the drill
a determination about how effective the drill was, areas for improvement.
As there may be some overlap between different drills, you can count procedures from one drill as counting towards another in some situations. For example, if elements of multiple drills hold the same risks. If you count some procedures for multiple drills, then this should be clearly recorded.
When assessing whether you comply with HS205
Questions we are likely to ask
How do you prepare for and carry out emergency drills with children, and how often do these take place?
Can you walk me through what would happen if you needed to evacuate the home right now?
Are you providing out-of-school care? If so, then how are these children included in the evacuation drills?
How do you record emergency drills?
How do you make sure that drill records are looked at and used to help improve the home’s emergency plan?
We are likely to look at, measure or count
Look at the types of emergency procedures you have practised or considered and how often.
Check to see if drills are performed with enrolled children and out-of-school care children at the same time.
Count the frequency of drills to check drills have been carried out with children at least every four months.
An emergency drill might be observed in some situations.
We are likely to request
Records of each emergency drill carried out.
Records showing how these drills have helped you review your service’s emergency plan.
The tools below are here to support you, but you do not have to use them. You can use other tools or methods that work better for your service.
Template emergency drill
You may find this template useful to adapt for your emergency procedures.
Fire and Emergency example evacuation scheme document [PDF, 220KB]
Each educator in the service should know how to respond to an emergency to help keep them and children safe in an emergency. The best way to do this is to practise emergency drills with children, on a regular basis. The drills may also help older children understand protocols and expectations during an emergency.
Doing more than the minimum can shape better outcomes for children. Here are some ideas or examples you might like to consider.
Keeping records of emergency drills for 2 years will help you to complete annual reviews.