Emergency Procedures and Crash Response
Breakdown versus evacuation
A breakdown is not automatically an evacuation. Pull as far off the road as you can, set the parking brake, turn on hazard lights, and place reflective triangles behind the bus - on a divided highway at roughly 10, 100, and 200 feet. Unless there is fire or another immediate danger, passengers are usually safer aboard than standing beside a highway.
Fire
Fire reverses that logic instantly. Stop, evacuate immediately, and move passengers at least 100 feet away and upwind. Do not re-board, and do not try to fight anything beyond a small, incipient fire. Call 911. Use doors first, then emergency exits, roof hatches, and windows; assign able passengers to help others; assist passengers with disabilities; and count heads at the assembly point.
Crash
Protect the scene, warn traffic, and care for the injured - but do not move a seriously injured person unless staying put is more dangerous, such as fire or an imminent secondary collision. Call 911, exchange information, notify your employer, and complete the required reports.
Traps
- "Move all injured passengers out of the bus quickly." Only when there is immediate danger.
- "Stay with the vehicle and wait for help." Not when there is fire.
- "Use the extinguisher first, evacuate second." Evacuation comes first.
Rule of thumb: evacuate, count, upwind, 100 feet.