Smoke From the Dashboard
At 2:50 p.m. you are driving a 54-passenger bus with 34 students, including two students who use wheelchairs and are secured in the forward area. You are on the right shoulder of a four-lane divided highway; the speed limit is 55 mph and traffic is heavy. You smell smoke and see a thin gray plume coming from under the dashboard. The bus is still running. The nearest exit is about a quarter mile ahead, but the shoulder is narrow and there is a guardrail on the right. The two wheelchair students are calm; several other students are shouting. Your fire extinguisher is mounted by the driver's seat. The outside temperature is 35 degrees Fahrenheit.
1. Do you evacuate, and where do you put the students?
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Yes. Smoke from under the dashboard can be the start of an electrical or engine fire, and a moving bus on a narrow shoulder next to 55 mph traffic is not a safe place to troubleshoot. Stop, secure the bus, and evacuate. Move students away from the traffic side, behind the guardrail if it is safe to cross to it, and at least 100 feet from the bus if possible. Keep them together and upwind. Use the front door and emergency exits as conditions allow. For the two wheelchair users, follow your training and their emergency plans: use the lift only if it is safe and time permits; otherwise use an evacuation blanket or assisted carry with helpers. Do not let students stand in the traffic lanes.
2. What are your first actions after stopping?
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Set the parking brake, place the transmission in park or neutral as appropriate, shut off the engine if that does not lock the exits, and turn on the hazard lights. Open the door and direct students out in an orderly way, using the emergency exits if the front door is threatened. Call 911 with the highway location and tell them smoke is coming from the dashboard. Use the fire extinguisher only if the fire is small and you can keep an exit path; your first job is removing students, not saving the bus. Count the students at the assembly point and report missing students to responders.
3. How do you account for students, and what do you do if one runs back toward the bus?
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Use the seating chart and a head count at the assembly point; assign a responsible older student to help keep the group together, but verify the count yourself. If a student runs back toward the bus, do not chase into traffic. Give a loud, clear command to stop, and ask another adult or responder to intercept if one is present. Never re-enter a smoking bus for a phone or backpack. Tell responders which student is missing and where the student was last seen. After the evacuation, document the event and do not move the bus until the fire department clears it.