Schools serious about quake preparedness

  Yuma is fortunate that it is not directly on top of an earthquake fault line but it is sometimes rattled by serious shaking.

  So area schools prepare students by making them take part regular emergency drills.

  And they have drills for other disasters as well.

  Earthquakes are among 15 potential disasters for which the Crane School District has emergency plans in place, said Chris Weigel, Crane communications director.

  "Crane makes every effort to make safety a priority," Weigel said. "Learning cannot take place if students don't feel safe."

  Although Yuma has not experienced damage from a quake recently, it is only 35 miles from the Cerro Prieto fault line, a branch of the San Andreas fault, which is on the west side of the Mexicali Valley, noted Earl Burnett, a geology instructor at Arizona Western College.

  Even though Yuma has dodged the bullet so far, it did register a 7.1 tremor that struck May 18,1940, Burnett said. "There's no way of knowing where or when the 'big one' will strike but it's likely to happen where it occurred in the past."

  A 4.6 quake on Sept. 5 occurred along the Cerro Prieto fault, as did a series of quakes that shook the city awake in February. The more residents know about quakes and practice safety precautions, the less they will overreact, Burnett said.

  At the Mesquite Elementary School, students periodically practice drills when ordered to "take cover" and they crouch beneath their desks, Principal Laura Hurt noted.

  "We know from research they don't last longer than a minute so children count out loud for 60 seconds as a calming effect," Hurt said. "It's something all the schools are doing."

  In addition, schools are required to practice monthly fire drills in accordance with the state's 2003 Uniform Fire Code, Kent Thompson, Yuma Fire Department fire marshal, explained.

  "We inspect schools once a year but we try to make two whenever possible," Thompson said.

  Upon activation of a fire alarm, everyone in a school must evacuate buildings and meet at a designated area. The aim is to make sure everyone is accounted for and not have to conduct a search so firefighters can focus on fire suppression, Thompson noted.

  "The schools built in Yuma all exceed national fire codes," Thompson said. "There is no shortage of life saving provisions: fire alarms, sprinklers and good exiting."

  Michael Lundy, emergency crisis response manager of District 1 schools, acknowledged their schools are also required to practice monthly fire drills along with other emergency responses.

  Making an annual review of Pueblo Elementary School recently was YFD fire inspector Tony Brinson. One of the first things Brinson checks are the logs each school keeps to record when their last drill took place.

  Brinson must also check on the red and white horn and strobe alarms scattered throughout the buildings that provide both a sight and sound signals to make certain everyone, even those with disabilities are aware of the fire alarm.

  "We check classrooms for extension cord violations, make sure exits are unobstructed and evacuation maps with arrows indicating the closest exits are posted," Brinson said.

  All the exits must also have emergency lighting above the transom that turns on automatically in case of a fire. He also noted that all water heaters in the buildings have seismic straps to keep them upright in the event of a quake.

  One place that can be a challenge is the cafeteria. The kitchen stove is equipped with a hood suppression system to funnel smoke, as well as sprinkler nozzles over the stove that once they are activated will also trip the horn and strobe alarms that also alert an off-site monitoring system that notifies the YFD.

  Pueblo Principal Lynn O'Connor said emergency planning is of utmost importance, and teachers are regularly coached on all aspects of safety.

  O'Connor added since implementation of last year's PBIS (Positive Behavioral Intervention and Service) program, a specific protocol to be followed, students adhere to procedures much better than in years prior.

  "They understand what's expected of them and realize it's in their best interest. We have outstanding kids here and they know their actions makes a difference for everybody. They are delighted to be an instrumental part of our emergency preparedness." 

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William Roller can be reached at
wroller@yumasun.com or 539-6858.