As a part of National School Bus Safety Week, Oct. 17-21, Chelsea Schools Transportation Director Rick Boham and his staff have been working with school bus drivers and students, practicing emergency bus evacuations.
Each day, 22 school buses are ridden by about 1,060 students says Boham, who adds that the buses travel about 2,800 miles round-trip, five days a week.
This week, 2-3 buses filled with children have taken part in evacuation drills at Beach Middle School, which is the transfer hub for the city’s four schools.
With an average of 40 children per bus, the goal is to evacuate all the occupants in less than a minute, Boham says.
The older children on the bus assist the younger ones and the students in the front half of the bus exit through the front door of the vehicle, while riders in the rear of the bus exit out the back emergency door and jump to the ground with the help of older riders.
Once the students are out of the bus, they line up in a designated gathering spot and the driver makes sure everyone that got on the bus is accounted for following the evacuation.
“The kids are told to calmly evacuate the bus and head to the gathering spot,” Boham says, adding that most times, it’s done in 45-55 seconds.
This week is also a great time to remind drivers that they must stop when they see red lights flashing on a school bus, Boham says.
He also notes that the district is looking for substitute bus drivers and bus monitors. In addition, there is also a part-time mechanic’s position that just opened up this week.
Anyone interested in these positions is asked to call Boham at 734-433-2274 or fill out an application on the district’s website.
“We’ll train people who are interested,” he says, adding it’s a great job for someone who is looking for flexible hours or someone who is retired.
