CDL School Bus Evacuation and Emergencies Practice Test

Either condition alone is a reason to keep students aboard: moving a student with a possible neck, back or bone injury can make it worse, and sending students out near downed power lines or similar hazards exposes them to new danger. Evacuation is required in cases such as fire or a stall on railroad tracks, not in every emergency.

Students are generally better off staying aboard when moving them could aggravate injuries such as neck or back injuries, or when the area outside is dangerous because of downed power lines, fast-moving traffic or similar hazards. A fire or threat of fire, a stall on railroad tracks and an imminent collision, on the other hand, are situations in which the driver must evacuate.

If a radio is working, use it to report to dispatch your location, the conditions, and the help you require. If there is none, ask a passing driver or a nearby resident to place the call; only as a last resort should you send two older, responsible students to find help.

Agreeing on a prevention and emergency plan with your district, never letting an unauthorized person of any age board, and giving dispatch frequent location updates all lower the risk; the updates also tell dispatch your last position if contact is suddenly lost.

Evacuated students should be taken to a spot no less than 100 feet from the road, toward oncoming traffic, where approaching drivers can see them. That distance also keeps them clear of flying debris if another vehicle crashes into the bus.

Recognizing the hazard comes first, and when time permits the driver should call dispatch and describe the emergency before choosing to evacuate. Unloading students without weighing the actual danger can expose them to even greater risk.

A fire or the threat of one is among the conditions that make evacuation mandatory, along with a stall on or next to a railroad crossing, a bus position that could shift and increase the danger, an imminent collision, and a hazardous materials spill that calls for a fast exit. Running late or a misbehaving student is never a reason to evacuate.

During lightning or an earthquake, passengers are usually safest staying seated in the stopped bus. A tornado is different: a bus offers little protection from one, so passengers should get off and take cover in a sturdy building or a low spot such as a ditch.

Anything that could provoke the student into using the weapon, such as grabbing for it or arguing, puts everyone on board in danger, so cooperating is the least risky choice. While driving, talk calmly to ease the tension, and do not let the hijacker see you trying to contact dispatch or the police.

Someone who helps an injured person in good faith, such as a bus driver giving first aid, generally cannot be held civilly liable for that help. This protection does not extend to gross negligence or harm done on purpose.

Fear of being sued often makes people hesitate to give first aid. Good Samaritan laws ease that worry by protecting those who help in good faith from civil liability, and this is the rule most relevant to a bus driver who assists an injured student.

If lightning hits a school bus, its metal body carries the current around the passengers and into the ground, so students are usually safer staying inside during a thunderstorm. A fire, a stall on railroad tracks or an approaching tornado, on the other hand, calls for getting everyone off quickly.

A tornado cannot be outrun and its path is hard to predict, so students should leave the bus and take shelter in a sturdy building, or, if none is close, lie face down in a ditch with their hands over their heads, away from bridges and overpasses. In a lightning storm, by contrast, students are safer staying aboard, away from the sides of the bus.

Securing the bus comes right after you pick the evacuation method: shift into Park, or into Neutral if there is no Park position, set the parking brakes, shut off the engine, take out the key, and turn on the hazard flashers. Calling dispatch and hanging the microphone out the window come later.

Securing the bus comes right after choosing how to evacuate: shift into park (or neutral if there is no park position), set the parking brake, shut off the engine, remove the key and turn on the hazard flashers. Notifying dispatch if time allows and dangling the radio microphone outside the window for later use both come afterward.

When a weapon is involved, the goal is to avoid anything that could make the situation turn violent. Going along with the demands is the least dangerous response; trying to disarm the student or flatly refusing could provoke the hijacker into using the gun.

When there is time, the driver should notify dispatch of the conditions, the evacuation location and the type of help needed; if students must get off immediately, dispatch can be told afterward. Securing the bus includes shutting off the engine, and students should leave their belongings behind so the evacuation is not slowed down.

A fire means everyone must get off the bus at once, without spending time trying to put it out. Move the group at least 100 feet away on the upwind side so smoke and toxic fumes blow away from them, or at least 300 feet if hazardous materials are involved.

For most severe hazards, such as an earthquake or lightning, the bus itself is usually the safest place for students. A tornado is different, because no one can predict where it will go and the bus cannot outrun it, so students should be moved off the bus to shelter.

Your school district's first-aid policy defines the driver's role and duties, including when caring for students with disabilities. Drivers are still expected to have proper training and to report any medical problem that required first aid.