At NIS, we are every bit as committed to the safety and well-being of our students as we are to their learning. One key part of our efforts to improve our practices is to have regular announced and unannounced emergency drills. While the students and staff know the dates and times of the drills during the first semester, all of the drills in the second semester are unannounced, so if there are any parents or guests on campus during these drills, you will need to participate as well!
Our first drill of the year with students was a fire drill on August 22, and students did a very good job of staying quiet while staff assessed the situation (or…practice situation!). It took less than four minutes for the entire school to evacuate, and seven minutes to verify the identity and safety of all of the people on campus.
We take these drills very seriously, as it is important that all staff and students know exactly what to do and where to go in case of a fire, earthquake, medical incident, or any other sort of emergency situation. Doing these drills allows for staff and student feedback as well, in order to help us further develop our capacity to deal with unexpected, but possible emergency events. We are also grateful that we are able to regularly consult with outside agencies such as the Nagoya City Fire Department and the US State Department to provide guidance and training that may be available.
Of course, prior to school opening, all new staff are given training during their orientation, and learn the various exit routes through campus facilities, as well as the whereabouts of the AED devices and stretchers. All staff also engage in ongoing training at various times during the year, including first aid and CPR training sessions, and sessions covering other situations such as using an epi-pen.
Our ability to ensure the safety of everyone on campus in the event of an emergency relies on the school knowing who is on campus at all times! Therefore, it is essential that all parents wear their parent lanyard AND check-in (and out) at reception for us to be able to support all members of our community who are on campus at all times. This is another reason why we have implemented a new sticker identification system for our parents to put on their vehicles.
In addition to the work behind the scenes for the school to help keep our campus safe and our community ready for emergency situations, there are also many other procedures and policies in place that support the health and safety of our students. For example, the school nurse monitors the heat and air quality index ratings daily to ensure that students are kept inside whenever the situation calls for it. The Wing Building gym AC couldn't have come at a sooner time!
A Shared Commitment
For parents who wish to support the school in our efforts to maintain and promote safety and wellbeing on campus, we invite you to consider joining our "Community Health and Safety Committee". The Community Health and Safety Committee is made up of members representing the student body, parents, faculty, and administration. It gathers three to four times a year to raise issues from varying perspectives related to school safety and health, including emergency response and accident prevention. From this feedback, appropriate responses, solutions and actions will be sought. Contact operations@nis.ac.jp if you are interested in joining this committee!
We thank everyone in our community for their contributions to help keep everyone safe and well while at NIS!
