Local students trained in bus safety
As a part of Bus Safety Awareness Week, students and bus drivers were trained for emergency situations
Posted By Michael Di Massa News Staff
Posted 17 days ago
School bus safety week at Elk Island Public Schools (EIPS) and schools across North America was held recently, where students participated in bus evacuation drills.
Over the span of a week and a half, more than 40 schools in EIPS participated in the safety week, which included students watching age-appropriate safety videos and participating in a provincial poster contest.
Students also participated in drills showcasing how to evacuate a bus in the event of an emergency. Safety when the bus is in motion was also emphasized.
Lisa Weder, EIPS director of student transportation, said the district will continue to practice bus safety drills annually.
"It's something that EIPS did not do in the past and part of the reason is we contracted out our transportation, but just given the bus safety emphasis that's happened in the past couple of years … we felt that we need to do bus evacuations," she said.
EIPS employs buses that range from 24- to 84-passenger units. Larger buses are used to take students to and from school while the smaller buses are used for sporting events, field trips and other extra-curricular activities.
Bus drivers are also trained in evacuations, how to load students on and off a bus and what to do in the event of an emergency, but having students prepared can help control a situation when only one adult (the driver) is present and potentially unconscious, Weder explained.
"It was a real learning experience for the drivers because when they take (their own training) courses, they don't have a bus load of students to evacuate," she noted. "It was kind of a real awakening."
All EIPS buses are equipped with strobe lights that help them stand out when on the side of the road at night or during times of fog. Buses are also equipped with two-way radios in the event of an emergency.
According to the district, it transports 7,500 students on 191 buses that travel more than 20,000 km every school day.
mdimassa@sherwoodparknews.com
