In schools, what are the right actions to be safe in the event of a nuclear attack or industrial disaster? The prefecture of Seine-Maritime wants the 1,400 establishments in the department to be up to date on these questions.
In Déville-les-Rouen, near Rouen, an exercise took place this Thursday, March 3 at the Jules Verne college, in the presence of the sub-prefect Clément Vivès who oversees the system. The purpose of this exercise is to make students aware of the “risk culture”a clearly topical exercise given the situation in Ukraine.
When the 400 college students hear the famous alarm on the first Wednesday of the monththe first thing to do: “Well, you have to get out of class and get into the hallways!”
You have to confine yourself to one of the four corridors of the college, in the cellar, on the ground floor, on the 1st or on the 2nd floor because these are the most airtight areas of the establishment. Finally, you still have to caulk the doors, reminds Perrine, in 5th grade: “By placing tea towels at the bottom of the doors, to prevent the gas from passing underneath!”
Regularly practice using a walkie-talkie
Dishcloths and other mops are stored in “emergency cases” scattered in the containment areas, there are at least two per corridor. Inside, there are also walkie-talkies that allow communication with the crisis unit. In all, the college has ten walkie-talkies. The crisis unit, which must be confined to a meeting room, is led by director Pierre Sossou.
The idea for the director, it’s not to scare children, but to empower them : “The idea is to pass on to them a certain culture of safety, to learn to have the right behavior, not to run everywhere, to control themselves, to help their comrades in difficulty, like a comrade on crutches, so as not to create another accident and disrupt relief operations.”
– Olivia Cohen
Together with the deputy director, they check that all the students are safe. Using walkie-talkies, they ensure that all students are safe in the confinement spaces but there are sometimes some hiccups, especially on the handling of walkie-talkies. “That’s why practicing these exercises regularly is necessary, it makes it possible to realize malfunctions such as the batteries of the talkie which are missing or the water points which are too far from the confinement spaces”recalls Clément Vivès, the sub-prefect.
And what do the students think?
And what do the students think? The feeling is mixed for Éline, Selma and Anaïs : “I think it’s useless!” “Yes, it’s useful”retorts one of them, “especially at the moment with Ukraine being attacked by Russia!” “Besides, it was good that we did this exercise! Because of the Covid, it’s been a long time since we did it!”
Nevertheless, students have retained the essentials : above all, stay seated in the hallway and do not put your nose in the courtyard.