Fire Drill

Before arriving at the Château all school party leaders could be asked to complete lists of their groups using forms sent to them in the Château teachers pack. The forms will detail the group letter, the number of children in each group, their names and the name of the dormitories in which they are staying.

Upon arriving at the Château these lists will be copied and filed in the Château fire drill logbook that will be located at a central accessible point. This book will also contain check sheets to be completed by the senior member of Château staff responsible for co-ordinating the fire drill.

Before children are allowed to settle in their dormitories they should be made aware of what group they are in and an explanation of what we expect them to do, should the fire alarm go off, ought to be given. This explanation should be given in ENGLISH and contain the following details:

Children should be asked to remain calm, ensure all others in their dormitories are awake and have heard the alarm, to put their shoes on, leave all other belongings and walk quietly to the fire assembly point. Once at this point they should line up in straight lines, silently, behind their group letter. When this has been done members of Château staff will conduct a check of groups to ensure all persons are accounted for. Once this has been completed the children should wait in line until asked to return to their dormitories in a calm, slow and quite manner.

A fire drill should be conducted as soon as possible after the schools arrival, preferably on the first night but considering the length of their journey to the Château and the lateness of their arrival it may be better to run the drill the next morning. However, a full and detailed explanation of what they should do in the event of the alarm going off should still be given as suggested above.

Château staff could carry out the following procedures when the fire alarm goes off:

Staff guests & visitors should be notified of where to assemble for fire

1. All Château staff should head for the assembly point. The senior member of Château staff who is on duty should co-ordinate the fire drill. The teacher, who is the Fire Officer, should pick up the fire list from the red box on route.
2. Once at the assembly point the Duty Manager will ask members of Château staff to check, clear and secure all accommodation blocks and workshop areas. Whilst this is being carried out the teachers are to check each group and account for all persons. When the lists have been checked they should be returned to the duty manager to file.
3. Once the buildings have been checked and cleared the Château staff conducting these checks should report back to the Duty Manager. These staff can then help with fire list checks and/or ensure all groups are calm and quiet.
4. Once all persons are accounted for and or the source of the alarm has been dealt with, if not a drill, Château staff will be asked by the Duty Manager to switch off the alarm. When this has been done the Duty Manager will give a brief explanation of events to the groups and teachers then ask them to return to their dormitories calmly and quietly, only allowing one group to leave at one time.
5. After the drill has been completed the Duty Manager will complete a Fire Drill Record sheet and return it to the file, and the file in turn will be returned to the central point.
6. IF THE FIRE ALARM GOES OFF AND IT IS NOT A DRILL, THE FIRE BRIGADE SHOULD BE CONTACTED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD CHÂTEAU STAFF RISK INJURY TO THEMSELVES OR OTHERS IF THEY ARE DEALING WITH THE FIRE.
7. Should the alarm go off when groups are on activities, any groups using the Château buildings for sessions should still participate in the drill as normal. All other groups should be contacted by walkie-talkie via the animateurs to ensure all their group is accounted for. If there is a real fire and the fire brigade is called all groups should return to fire assembly point.

Fire Evacuation Procedures for ‘Designated fire officer/officers’

In the interests of enhancing your children’s safety in relation to the efficient evacuation of your dormitory blocks in the event of the Château fire alarm sounding, we respectfully request that the following procedures are followed:

1. Each school is advised to designate a supervising adult or adults from your party as a fire officer or officers for each of your dormitory blocks throughout your visit.
2. The designated officer or officers should ensure that the children staying in their dormitory block are aware of the situation of fire exits and of how to correctly evacuate their building should a fire alarm sound. Fire officers should also familiarise themselves with the location of ‘break glass’ alarm points and extinguishers.
3. On hearing the fire alarm sound the designated officer or officers should ensure that their building is evacuated in the correct manner establishing as quickly as possible that no one is left behind.
4. Once the designated fire officer or officers is sure that their building is clear, he/she should report this to the Château Duty Manager at the central fire assembly point and assist by keeping their groups quite and calm.
   We thank you in advance for your cooperation in helping us ensure your stay with us is safe as well as enjoyable.