Campus administrators must conduct regular fire drills. Along with fire drills, public, private, and parochial school administrators are encouraged to teach fire safety skills to students (see ”Fire safety for Texans” school curriculum).
Mandatory fire drill rules and definitions for schools are in the Texas Administrative Code.
If the local authority has an adopted code for fire drills, the school must follow those requirements. Find out if there’s an adopted fire code by contacting your local fire marshal or fire department.
If the local authority has not adopted a fire code, the school must follow these requirements:
- A full fire evacuation drill must be conducted during each of the following time periods:
- Within 10 school days after the start of the new school year.
- Between November and the start of winter break.
- Within 10 school days after returning from winter break.
- Between spring break and the end of the school year.
- All full fire evacuation drills and classroom exercises must be logged on a form created by the school district.
- Completed forms must be accessible at the school for three years.
- The forms must be made available to the fire marshal upon request.
- Copies do not need to be submitted to the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
Documented participation in fire drills may reduce community fire insurance rates per the Texas Addendum to the Fire Suppression Rating Schedule.