Services reminded to rehearse and document emergency procedures every three months

Early childhood education and care services are being encouraged to use a structured observer checklist to evaluate their emergency and evacuation rehearsals and identify opportunities to strengthen their response procedures.

Under regulation 97 of the Education and Care Services National Regulations, centre-based and family day care services must rehearse their emergency and evacuation procedures every three months and document each rehearsal.

The requirement includes both evacuation and shelter-in-place scenarios and continues to apply during periods when children may not be attending, including school holiday periods for some preschool services. 

The NSW Department of Education’s Emergency response exercise observer checklist is designed to help services document and gauge the effectiveness of an emergency rehearsal.

Services are encouraged to nominate an observer, such as a staff member, parent or representative of a relevant authority who has been consulted by the service.

Where possible, the observer should not take a direct role in the rehearsal, allowing them to assess the response more objectively. 

The Department notes that services may also wish to consult with relevant authorities and members of the wider community when selecting observers.

Alongside the observer checklist, the Department provides an Emergency response exercise debrief and report template.

The template can be used to guide a discussion with staff and other participants following the exercise, document what occurred and record any changes required to the service’s emergency and evacuation procedures.

The Department describes debriefing as an important form of critical reflection that enables services to consider what worked well, what could be improved and whether any changes are needed to better protect the health, safety and wellbeing of children. 

Both forms are generic and should be adapted to reflect the particular exercise, environment and needs of each service.

Regular rehearsals are intended to ensure children and staff understand what to do during an emergency.

The Department acknowledges that hurried movement and loud noises can be distressing for children, particularly when they do not understand what is happening. Familiarity with emergency procedures can help services prepare children without unnecessarily frightening them or diminishing the seriousness of the exercise. 

Rehearsals also allow services to test whether their procedures work in practice, clarify responsibilities and identify issues before an actual emergency occurs.

The Department has also published sample scenarios to help services test their procedures in different circumstances.

Current scenarios include bushfire and extreme weather exercises, with services encouraged to use the activities to reflect on their preparedness, identify areas for improvement and strengthen their emergency response arrangements. 

Services reviewing their emergency preparedness should ensure:

• rehearsals are conducted at least every three months
• both evacuation and shelter-in-place procedures are practised
• every rehearsal is documented
• an observer is appointed where possible
• staff participate in a structured debrief
• identified improvements are incorporated into procedures
• templates are customised to the service and the scenario being tested.

The observer checklist and debrief template are intended to supplement, rather than replace, a service’s own emergency and evacuation procedures. Responsibility remains with the approved provider to ensure rehearsals are completed and documented in line with regulatory requirements. 

Access further information here.