Most schools conduct fire drills once or twice a year. These drills are common around the world, but some may question whether or not they are necessary.

Ehsdailyadvisor.com expresses, “Preparation is the key to effective response to workplace fires. Fire drills help students to respond quickly, calmly, and safely. This will help students know how to react to a real fire since they have already practiced at school. Doing drills help teachers identify weak spots when they practice and ensure that it doesn’t happen in real situations. For example, no matter how much you practice, there might be a corridor or a stair that might be blocked.” These drills may help students make sure they know which exit is the safest and which should be avoided. 

According to Dr. Weiss-Wright, “Yes, I believe that school fire drills are important [and] that the way we prepare students for fires is more than adequate. However, I think that it is also important to prepare students for all types of disasters and emergencies. Other drills are important too.” 

When practicing fire drills, schools have a chance to check that alarms are actually working. In the event of a drill, teachers can make sure that fire alarms are functioning and everyone can hear them. 

Andrew Choi, a seventh grader at McAuliffe Middle School, also shares,“I think that fire drills are important at schools because it prepares everyone for when a real fire comes. Fire drills can help students for a real scenario, just in case.”

Overall, fire drills help both the school and the students become more prepared. Even though fire drills may sound obnoxious, this alarm could help save lives if a fire were to occur.