Earthquake Safety Manual

Distribution - Parents

BST Earthquake Safety Manual for Parents

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Contents

Contents

Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 2

BST preparations .................................................................................................................... 3

School Buildings & Structural Integrity ............................................................................. 3

Resources ............................................................................................................................ 3

Early warning ...................................................................................................................... 3

Earthquake Drills ..................................................................................................................... 5

What Students and Staff do during an Earthquake ......................................................... 5

BST Earthquake Procedures ................................................................................................. 6

Seismic hazard reduction ..................................................................................................... 8

Neighbourhood hazards .................................................................................................. 8

Individual checklists ............................................................................................................... 9

Students ............................................................................................................................... 9

Parent/guardians ............................................................................................................. 10

BST Earthquake Safety Manual for Parents

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Introduction

This manual has been put together for all parents to clarify emergency earthquake

procedures at BST if an earthquake were to occur during school time, including:

- What BST has done to prepare for a major earthquake

- What students should do in the event of an earthquake

- What parents should do in the event of an earthquake

Please take the time to read this entire manual. If you have any questions about

the contents or suggestions for additions or revisions, please contact the Head of

School, Head of Primary or Business Director.

Disclaimer

All earthquakes and the events before, during and afterwards are different. This

manual is not designed to be definitive list of what will happen or what to do in the

event of a major earthquake in Tokyo. The actions of the school, staff and parents

will need to be flexible, fluid and will need to adapt to the situation as it unfolds.

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BST preparations

School Buildings & Structural Integrity

- In summer 2008 all school buildings were subject to a structural integrity survey

by the structural engineers Ove Arup. The Ove Arup report concluded that :

All BST buildings meet current Japanese earthquake standards

No defects in the structures were identified

No BST building is likely to collapse even in a large earthquake

- After the earthquake on 11 March 2011, construction experts inspected all the

school buildings and found no structural defects

- In summer 2010, windows at all school buildings were replaced with the latest

shatter proof glass or covered with shatter proof film

- Cupboards, lockers and other heavy furniture in school buildings are fixed to

walls; items in cupboards at head height or above are secured with doors that

do not open outwards during earthquakes.

- The grand piano is fixed to the floor and upright pianos are fixed to walls; other

music equipment is kept in cupboards when not in use.

Resources

BST have ensured that the school is well resourced:

- Classroom Emergency Kits which are in all classrooms, offices and

administrative areas, provide for the needs of students and staff in the

immediate aftermath of an earthquake (food, water, protection, warmth,

first aid and sanitation).

- Emergency Resource Points contain additional provisions and resources to

provide for the whole school’s needs for up to 72 hours.

- Emergency Communication Kits include internet enabled smartphones and

2-way radios

- Search & Rescue Kits equip rescue teams with lifting and wreckage

clearance gear if required.

- Go Packs, for groups who are off-site when an earthquake hits, are taken on

every trip and contain first aid kits and other resources.

Early warning

BST has installed on both sites an earthquake early warning system called Home

Seismo. This device, linked to a national network, measures what is known as the P-

wave, the seismic wave that precedes an earthquake and can give an indication

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of the size, intensity and location of a seismic event. This can give up to 30 seconds

warning of an earthquake and the alarm will sound when it detects a coming

earthquake with an intensity of 3+ or higher (on the Japanese shindo scale).

This warning gives enough time for students and staff to duck-and-cover e.g. get

under a desk, the recommended action when an earthquake hits. The Home

Seismo alarms are used every time BST conducts an earthquake drill.

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Earthquake Drills

BST holds Earthquake drills once a term, as well as Fire Evacuation drills every term.

With the Earthquake drills we use the Home Seismo early warning system

mentioned above.

In term 1 we inform staff of the date and time of the drill; in term 2 we inform staff

of the date of the drill and in term 3 we give no warning at all.

What Students and Staff do during an Earthquake

When the warning alarm sounds all students immediately ‘duck & cover’ by

getting under the nearest desk and covering their heads with their arms. Teachers

open the classroom door if possible and then take cover themselves.

For students and staff not in ‘regular’ classrooms:

Students and staff who are walking in a corridor or on stairs when they hear

the alarm should move close to an interior wall, away from any windows or

anything that may fall down, crouch down with their backs to the wall and

cover their heads with their arms. Staff and students should not attempt to

walk or run to a different part of the school.

In the library students should move to the edges of the room, away from

windows, cover head with arms.

In science labs all burners should be extinguished before taking cover and

care should be taken to avoid hazardous chemicals that may spill.

In sports halls students should follow the directions for students in corridors

above; if no interior walls are available, students should crouch down with

their backs to an exterior wall away from any windows.

In music rooms move away from windows, crouch/sit and lean against the

wall, cover head with arms.

In the Showa DT room move under desks where possible, otherwise move to

the edge of the room, away from windows, crouch and cover head with

arms.

Students outside during break time or in a sports lesson should move to an

open area away from potential falling hazards. Special care should be

made to get away from glass which might shatter and fall.

Students on a school bus should assume the crash position whilst the driver

stops the bus in the safest place possible.

For other areas please see the extensive list in appendix 1.

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Each school building has an emergency command structure and staff assigned to

check the building. After an earthquake, staff will report back to the most senior

member of the command structure in that building at that time, who will either

give the all clear or will order an evacuation of the building.

Students remain under the desks and put on their earthquake hoods until they are

instructed by teachers that it is safe to come out. If an announcement is made to

evacuate the building, all students should line up ready to leave the classroom.

Teachers will pick up the Classroom Emergency Kit. When ready the class should

evacuate the building via the safest and quickest route. In a drill some routes may

be blocked to simulate the reality of an earthquake.

Staff and students should proceed quickly and quietly to the designated muster

point (Shibuya – car park opposite the tower; Showa – Astroturf in front of the BST

building). Once at the muster point a register will be taken to ensure all students

are present.

BST Earthquake Procedures

In the event of a major earthquake, the school will follow the procedures below:

All children will be kept at the school until collected

Children will be kept inside the school buildings unless there is a danger of

building collapse or fire or the buildings are considered unsafe for other

reasons; this is because at Shibuya the streets are likely to be more

dangerous than inside our building and at Showa the campus may become

very crowded as it is a public evacuation site

If evacuations of the buildings are necessary, children will be taken to the

evacuation sites; at Shibuya, the evacuation site is the large car park

opposite the school building; at Showa, the evacuation site is initially the

Astroturf in the centre of the campus and then the Cafeteria on the far side

of the Astroturf if that building is safe

The school bus between Showa and Shibuya will not run

All clubs and events will be cancelled

No children will be allowed to leave the school sites on their own, unless we

receive permission after the earthquake from parents

No children will be allowed to leave the school sites with the parents of other

children, unless we receive permission from parents after the earthquake

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Children will be kept at the school for as long as necessary, including

overnight or for several nights if required; we have blankets, emergency

equipment and sufficient emergency food and water for 6 days

Children on residential trips will stay at the residential centre, and children on

day trips from school will stay with staff at their location, until we are able to

communicate with parents

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Seismic hazard reduction

Neighbourhood hazards

The purpose of identifying neighbourhood hazards is to assist in the planning of

post-earthquake procedures such as evacuating buildings to emergency muster

points. It may not be possible to reduce such hazards, but to know what can

happen is the basis of a good safety programme.

It would be useful for you as a parent to walk around your neighbourhood,

especially the route from your house to your evacuation area, to identify potential

hazards. These may include:

Cars and other vehicles

Overhead cables

Telegraph poles

Walls and buildings next to the pavements

Water/gas/electricity mains under the road

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Individual checklists

Checklists have been prepared to show what each person in the school should do

before, during and after an earthquake.

Students

Before an earthquake

Learn what to expect and what to do during an earthquake

Identify hazards in the classroom, school and home

Participate in earthquake drills

Know the name, address and telephone number of your house, parents and

carer

During an earthquake

Duck & Cover as soon as you hear the earthquake detector warning or

there is an earthquake

If outside a classroom take cover near an internal wall or in a doorway; keep

away from windows or things that may fall

Follow your teacher’s instructions

Put on your earthquake hood when told to do so

Do not talk

After an earthquake

Follow your teacher’s instructions

If told to do so evacuate the building quickly and quietly, go to the

designated muster point

Wear shoes if you had taken them off

Do not use the elevator

Do not leave your class/group

Do not go home without being collected by you parent/carer

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Parent/guardians

Before

Be aware of the school’s earthquake policies and procedures

Make a family action plan – who will pick up the children? Are your

children on different BST sites? Where is your local evacuation centre?

Prepare evacuation kits e.g. http://www.housing4expat-

tokyo.com/emergencybackpack

During

Take cover, protect yourself, you cannot help children if you are injured

yourself so make sure you are safe

After

After an earthquake, look at the BST Facebook page, BST on Twitter, the BST

Website and/or your email to find out if the school considers this to be a

major earthquake and to obtain information on the current situation at the

school; as general guidance, the school will normally consider a major

earthquake to be one which is announced by Japanese media, such as

NHK, as Shindo 5 or above in Tokyo (see note below on Shindo Scale) or

where the Tokyo trains and subway stop and do not resume within one hour

If you are unable to access the internet or email, assume that the school will

be following the emergency procedures above; keep checking the internet

sites periodically as they may come back online

Come to collect your children when it is safe for you to do so; because of

fallen obstacles, fires, or dangerously crowded streets, it may not be safe for

you and your children to be on the streets; this is more likely in the case of an

earthquake which is announced as Shindo 6 or above; in this case, please

do not rush to the school; we will keep your children until it is safe for you to

collect them; this may be many hours later or the next day

If all communication fails, your children will be kept at the school (or at the

evacuation sites, if it is necessary to evacuate the school buildings), for

several days if necessary, until you collect them or are able to contact the

school with alternative arrangements

Do not telephone the school! Look at the website, Twitter feed or Facebook

No students will be released from school unless a parent or carer comes to

pick them up or we receive permission after the earthquake from parents.

We will release children to adults other than their parent/carer only if we

receive authorisation after an earthquake from parents.

Beware of aftershocks

Listen for information on the radio (Inter FM 76.1FM)

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Note on Shindo Scale: the Shindo scale is used in Japan to measure the effects of

an earthquake at specific locations, rather than its magnitude only at the

epicentre of the earthquake. It ranges from 1 to 7. The 9.0 magnitude North East

Japan earthquake measured 7 near the earthquake and 5 in Tokyo. NHK normally

gives Shindo measurements within a couple of minutes of a major earthquake on

TV, on its website www.nhk.or.jp/daily/english and its mobile phone site

http://k.nhk.jp/daily