Tornado and Fire Drill Information for Schools
Ohio Revised Code Section 3737.73 Prohibition against failure to instruct pupils in fire drills and tornado safety precautions.
- (A) No principal or person in charge of a
public or private school or educational institution having an average daily
attendance of 20 or more pupils, and no person in charge of any children’s home
or orphanage housing 20 or more minor persons, shall willfully neglect to
instruct and train such children by means of drills or rapid dismissals, so
that such children in a sudden emergency may leave the building in the shortest
possible time without confusion. The principal or person in charge of a school
or educational institution shall conduct drills or rapid dismissals at least
nine times during the school year, which shall be at the times and frequency
prescribed in rules adopted by the fire marshal. However, no drill or rapid
dismissal under this division need be conducted in any month that a school
safety drill required under division (D) of this section is conducted as long
as a total of nine drills or rapid dismissals under this division are conducted
in the school year. The principal or person in charge of a children’s home or
orphanage shall conduct drills or rapid dismissals at least once each month
while the home is in operation. In the case of schools, no principal or person
in charge of a school shall willfully neglect to keep the doors and exits of
such building unlocked during school hours. The fire marshal may order the
immediate installation of necessary fire gongs or signals in such schools,
institutions, or children’s homes and enforce this division and divisions (B)
and (C)(3) of this section.
- (B) In conjunction with the drills or rapid
dismissals required by division (A) of this section, principals or persons in
charge of public or private primary and secondary schools or educational
institutions shall instruct pupils in safety precautions to be taken in case of
a tornado alert or warning. Such principals or persons in charge of such
schools or institutions shall designate, in accordance with standards prescribe
by the fire marshal, appropriate locations to be used to shelter pupils in case
of a tornado, tornado alert or warning.
- (C)(1) The fire marshal or the fire marshal’s
designee shall annually inspected each school, institution, home or orphanage
subject to division (A) of this section to determine compliance with that
division, and each school or institution subject to division (B) of this
section to ascertain whether the locations comply with the standards prescribed
under that division. Nothing in this section shall require a school or
institution to construct or improve a facility or location for use as a shelter
area.
- (C)(2) The fire marshal or the fire marshal’s
designee shall issue a warning to any person found in violation of division (A)
or (B) of this section. The warning shall indicate the specific violation and a
date by which such violation shall be corrected.
- (C)(3) No person shall fail to correct
violations by the date indicated on a warning issued under division (C)(2) of
this section.
- (D)(1) On or before April 1, 2007, and on or
before each first day of December thereafter, the principal or person in charge
of each public or private school or educational institution shall conduct a
school safety drill to provide pupils with instruction in the procedures to
follow in situations where pupil must be secured in the school building, such
as a threat to the school involving an act of terrorism; a person possessing a
deadly weapon or dangerous ordinance, as defined in section 2923.11 of the
Revised Code, on school property; or other act of violence.
- (D)(2)(a) The principal or person in charge of
each public or private school or educational institution shall provide to the
police chief or other similar chief law enforcement officer of the municipal
corporation, township or township police district in which the school or
institution is located, or, in absence of any such person, the county sheriff
of the county in which the school or institution is located advance written
notice of each school safety drill required under division (D)(1) of this
section and shall keep a written record of the date and time of each drill
conducted. The advance notice shall be provided not later than 72 hours prior
to the date the drill will be conducted and shall include the date and time the
drill will be conducted and the address of the school or educational
institution. The notice shall be provided by mail, facsimile or electronic
submission.
- (D)(2)(b) Not later than April 5, 2007, and not
later than the fifth day of December each year thereafter, the principal or
person in charge of each public or private school or educational institution
shall provide written certification by mail of the date and time each school
safety drill required under division (D)(1) of this section was conducted to
the police chief or other similar chief law enforcement officer of the
municipal corporation, township or township police district in which the school
or institution is located, or in the absence of any such person, the county
sheriff of the county in which the school or institution is located. If such
certification is not provided, the principal or person in charge of the school
or institution shall be considered to have failed to conduct the drill and
shall be subject to division (D)(4) of this section.
- (D)(3) The principal or person in charge of
each public or private school or educational institution shall hold annual
training sessions for employees of the school or institution regarding the
conduct or school safety drills.
- (D)(4) The police chief or other similar chief law
enforcement officer of a municipal corporation, township or township police
district, or, in the absence of any such person, the county sheriff shall issue
a warning to any person found in violation of division (D)(1) of this section.
Each warning issued for a violation of division (D)(1) of this section shall
require the principal or person in charge of the school or institution to
correct the violation by conducting the school safety drill not later than the
13th day after the date the warning is issued. The violation shall not be
considered corrected unless, not later than 40 days after the date the warning
is issued, the principal or person in charge of the school or institution
provides written certification of the date and time the drill was conducted to
the police chief or other similar chief law enforcement officer or county
sheriff who issued the warning.
- (D)(5) No personal shall fail to correct
violations by the date indicated on a warning issued under division (D)(4) of
this section.
- § 3737.99 Penalties.
(F) Whoever violates division (C)(3) or (D)(5) of section 3737.73 of the
Revised Code shall be fined one thousand dollars ($1,000).
Effective Date: 07-01-1979; 09-28-2006
