Smoke From the Rear Engine Compartment on a Field Trip
At 2:15 p.m., bus #19 is returning from a field trip with 36 students, two teachers, and one student who uses a wheelchair. The driver smells a strong burning-rubber odor and sees gray smoke coming from the rear engine compartment into the passenger area. The bus is on the right shoulder of a two-lane US highway with a 55 mph limit; the shoulder is only about 4 feet wide. The driver has stopped, set the parking brake, and turned off the engine. The front door is clear. The rear emergency door is at the back, near the smoke. The wheelchair lift is at the side door and may still have power. The school is 2 miles away, and the driver's radio works.
1. Should the driver evacuate, and if so, how should the students be moved?
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Yes. Smoke entering the passenger compartment is an immediate reason to evacuate; the driver should not wait to see flames or try to drive the 2 miles to school. With the engine off and parking brake set, the driver and teachers should lead ambulatory students out the front door, away from the rear smoke, and move them at least 100 feet upwind and away from the 55 mph traffic. Use the rear door only if the front door is blocked; here the smoke source is at the rear, so the front door is the better primary exit. The driver should call 911 and dispatch, then count students against the trip roster. No one re-boards for belongings.
2. What about the student in the wheelchair?
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The student's evacuation needs must be planned before an emergency, but at the scene the driver should use the front-door area if it is clear and the lift is operable without delaying the other students. If the lift fails or smoke threatens the front, the driver and teachers should use the district's trained carry or evacuation method for the student, with enough helpers, and move the student to the same upwind assembly point. The driver should tell 911 that a wheelchair user is aboard and where the group is located. The driver should not leave the student on the bus while everyone else evacuates, and should not use the lift in a way that traps the student if power fails.
3. What should happen after the students are at the assembly point?
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Count all students and adults immediately, using the roster, and report any missing person to 911. Keep the group together, upwind, and away from traffic and the bus. Treat minor injuries and keep students calm; do not let them return to the bus for phones or bags. Meet the fire department and tell them what was burning or smoking, where the fuel shut-off and battery disconnect are if known, and that a wheelchair user was evacuated. Notify the school and transportation supervisor, document the incident, and do not move the bus until released by maintenance or fire officials.