Email correspondence regarding school fire alarm activations

Summary

A request was made for email correspondence regarding school fire alarm activations during the 2024/25 academic year, to which the Department of Education, Sport and Culture responded that some information was held and disclosed while other requested data was not available.

Key Facts

• The request covered fire alarm activations at schools between September 2024 and July 2025.
• The authority disclosed documentation regarding an unplanned fire evacuation at Castle Rushen High School (CRHS) on 25 April 2025.
• The disclosed records include a timeline of the evacuation and a follow-up email to staff regarding updated protocols.
• The outcome was classified as 'Some information sent but not all held'.
• The response included 17 pages across 3 documents.

Data Disclosed

• 2024/25 academic year
• September 2024
• July 2025
• 25 April 2025
• 10:09
• 10:10
• 10:13
• 10:19
• 10:25
• 10:29
• 10:31
• 28 April 2025
• 17 pages
• 3 documents
• 4967798

Original Request

Dear Sir/Madam Please provide copies of email correspondence held by the Department of Education, Sport and Culture relating to fire alarm activations at schools during the 2024/25 academic year (September 2024 - July 2025). Such as redacted emails between headteachers/school staff, DOI Estates and IOMFRS if possible. Many thanks

Data Tables (8)

Full Response Text

1 From: Sent: 25 April 2025 11:00 To: DESC, Admin Cc: Subject: Fire Evacuation- CRHS- Friday 25th April 2025 Attachments: Fire Evacuation CRHS- 25-04-25.docx Good morning,

Please find attached the documentation from our unplanned fire evacuation at CRHS this morning.

Thanks,

Assistant Headteacher & Designated Safeguarding Lead Castle Rushen High School | Arbory Road | Castletown |IM9 1RE Tel: 01624693273 | Email: CRHSEnquiries@sch.im | Web: www.crhs.sch.im Opportunity | Care | Quality

WARNING: This email message and any files transmitted with it are confidential and may be subject to legal privilege. You must not copy or deliver it to any other person or use the contents in any unauthorised manner without the express permission of the sender. If you are not the intended addressee of this e-mail, please delete it and notify the sender as soon as possible.

Page 1 of 1

Appendix 9 Castle Rushen High School
Fire Alarm and Evacuation

Date: 25/04/2025 Practice OR Unplanned Evacuation

Notes and Action Points

Add to the staff list as a new member of staff. Update tick sheets for next fire evacuation.

Signed:

Designated Fire Officer

Hr Min Sec 1 Alarm sounded 10 09

2 Emergency services contacted by DFO 10 10

3 All out 10 13

4 Role completed 10 19

5 Emergency Services arrive 10 25

6 All clear given (Headteacher)
10 29

7 Returned to the building 10 31

Person responsible Role complete Time Missing Staff Missing Students

Year 13
✓ 10:17

Year 12 ✓ 10:17

Year 11 ✓ 10:19

Year 10 ✓ 10:19

Year 9 ✓ 10:17

(Later registered)

Year 8 ✓ 10:18

Found with SESO

Year 7 ✓ 10:18

✓ 10:16

✓ 10:15

✓ 10:15

✓ __

✓ 10:16

✓ 10:16

✓ 10:16

✓ 10:15

✓ 10:15

✓ 10:18

1 From: Sent: 28 April 2025 17:02 To: CRHS All Staff Cc: Subject: Fire Evacuation protocals- Please ignore previous one due to error Attachments: Fire Evacuation- Roles- Updated 28-04-25.pdf Dear all,

Following our unplanned Fire Evacuation on Friday morning, I wanted to take the opportunity to remind staff and inform new staff or our procedures for a planned or unplanned evacuation.

All members of staff have specific responsibilities when it comes to an evacuation of the school site, and it is important for us all to be aware of the roles and responsibilities that other members of staff have during a potential critical incident. As part of the continued upgrading of the evacuation procedure in the event of a fire, we are required to ensure all staff and students have evacuated the building safely. In order to achieve this within an acceptable time limit, it is necessary to have the support of all staff to move quickly and quietly to the designated safe area on the tennis courts via your nearest evacuation point. A role call will then be taken of students and staff and any missing persons reported to the Designated Fire Officer and Deputy Fire Office ccurately, and as quickly as possible.

Please check through the document attached. Please can you check that you are listed in the right area (either year group, or to the correct reporting officer for your area). If you are not listed or incorrectly listed, please let me know asap.

Please could I draw your attention to the following:

1. As soon as the alarm sounds, students and visitors need to be directed to leave all personal belongings behind and to evacuate the building in a safe and calm manner. Members of staff should ensure that they are the last to leave their room or area in the event of an evacuation. 2) In an evacuation, it is vital that you ensure you register directly with your reporting officer. Reporting officers need to be able to acknowledge that you are out of the building safely before confirming this with myself and 3) Reporting officers- please collect your registers from Heads of Year- please distribute these to your tutors to complete. Please ensure that as soon as your roll call is complete you report this to either myself or who will be positioned centrally on the tennis courts. 4) Form Tutors- Please ensure that students are lined up in alphabetical order at their designated place on the tennis court and remain like this for the duration of the evacuation. This process should ensure that registers are taken promptly and all marks are recorded accurately.
   5) If you share a tutor with someone (whether this be on a part time basis), please also go to that tutor if you are in school at the time of a fire evacuation. 6) If you are a part time or full time member of staff and do not have a tutor group, you will report to along with any other visitors and peripatetic staff. 7) Once the all clear has been given by the Headteacher or Designated Fire Office, please calmly dismiss students when directed to by their respective Head of Year.

Any operation like this is a team effort and it is vital that all colleagues are aware of their roles and responsibilities to ensure that this runs as smoothly and as safely as possible.

2 If staff have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Thanks,

Assistant Headteacher & Designated Safeguarding Lead Castle Rushen High School | Arbory Road | Castletown |IM9 1RE Tel: 01624693273 | Email: CRHSEnquiries@sch.im | Web: www.crhs.sch.im Opportunity | Care | Quality

WARNING: This email message and any files transmitted with it are confidential and may be subject to legal privilege. You must not copy or deliver it to any other person or use the contents in any unauthorised manner without the express permission of the sender. If you are not the intended addressee of this e-mail, please delete it and notify the sender as soon as possible.

1 From: Sent: 26 May 2025 11:33 To: CRHS All Staff Cc: Subject: Evacuation & Invacuation procedures Attachments: CRHS Invacuation Procedure.pdf Hi everyone,

On Friday of last week, the fire alarm was accidentally sounded during the school day. The alarm was being assessed by electrical technicians and was accidentally triggered for a very brief amount of time.

This did cause some confusion as to what happens in this situation, particularly when we have external examinations taking place.

Just a quick reminder for all staff

If the Fire alarm rings continually, please evacuate the school site and assemble on the tennis courts.

Thanks,

Assistant Headteacher & Designated Safeguarding Lead Castle Rushen High School | Arbory Road | Castletown |IM9 1RE Tel: 01624693273 | Email: CRHSEnquiries@sch.im | Web: www.crhs.sch.im Opportunity | Care | Quality

WARNING: This email message and any files transmitted with it are confidential and may be subject to legal privilege. You must not copy or deliver it to any other person or use the contents in any unauthorised manner without the express permission of the sender. If you are not the intended addressee of this e-mail, please delete it and notify the sender as soon as possible.

1 From: Sent: 25 June 2025 20:21 To: DESC, Admin Cc: Subject: Fire Evacuation- CRHS- Wednesday 25th June 2025 Attachments: Fire Evacuation CRHS-25-06-25.pdf Good evening,

Please find attached the documentation from our unplanned fire evacuation at CRHS this morning.

Thanks,

Assistant Headteacher & Designated Safeguarding Lead Castle Rushen High School | Arbory Road | Castletown |IM9 1RE Tel: 01624693273 | Email: CRHSEnquiries@sch.im | Web: www.crhs.sch.im Opportunity | Care | Quality

WARNING: This email message and any files transmitted with it are confidential and may be subject to legal privilege. You must not copy or deliver it to any other person or use the contents in any unauthorised manner without the express permission of the sender. If you are not the intended addressee of this e-mail, please delete it and notify the sender as soon as possible.

Page 1 of 1

Appendix 9 Castle Rushen High School
Fire Alarm and Evacuation

Date: 25/06/2025 Unplanned Evacuation - Caused by a sensor

    being activated in a boys toilet.

Notes and Action Points

-Use blank tutor registers prior to the first registration in order ascertain who is on site. -Check the sensor in the toilets opposite H10 to ensure that it is appropriately set.

Signed:

Designated Fire Officer

Hr Min Sec 1 Alarm sounded 08 54 00 2 Emergency services contacted by DFO 08 54 00 3 All out 08 59 00 4 Role completed - -

5 Emergency Services arrive 09 10 00 6 All clear given (Headteacher)
09 16 00 7 Returned to the building 09 19 00 Person responsible Role complete Time Missing Staff Missing Students

Year 13

Due to the fire evacuation being before the first registration point, a role call could not be taken as we had no formal registration in order to check this against.

Many students were arriving to school as the fire alarm sounded.

Once the fire evacuation was complete, students were registered in their period 1 lessons.

Sweepers checked the building to ensure that all areas were clear of staff and students.

Year 12

Year 11

Year 10

Year 9

Year 8

Year 7

✔ 09:03

✔ 09:02

✔ 08:59

✔ 09:02

✔ 09:02

✔ 09:00

✔ 09:00

✔ 09:00

✔ 09:03

✔ 09:04

From: To: Cc: Subject: Fire Drill Attachments: Fire Drill 22Jan25.pdf Hello, I know we don’t have to send these to you now but we thought we should due to the amount of time it took to clear the building and also the issues we encountered. I have logged the date of the fire drill on teams as normal. Kind regards Please note my hours of work: Mon – Fri 8.30am – 3.00pm Braddan Primary School Braddan Isle of Man IM4 4TQ T: 01624 661087 WARNING: This email message and any files transmitted with it are confidential and may be subject to legal privilege. You must not copy or deliver it to any other person or use the contents in any unauthorised manner without the express permission of the sender. If you are not the intended addressee of this e-mail, please delete it and notify the sender as soon as possible. Thank you. From: To: Braddan All Staff Subject: Fire Drill Hi all, Little reminder to SIGN IN please we had three people that we wouldn’t have looked for – Thank you Please note my hours of work: Mon – Fri 8.30am – 3.00pm Braddan Primary School Braddan Isle of Man IM4 4TQ T: 01624 661087 WARNING: This email message and any files transmitted with it are confidential and may be subject to legal privilege. You must not copy or deliver it to any other person or use the contents in any unauthorised manner without the express permission of the sender. If you are not the intended addressee of this e-mail, please delete it and notify the sender as soon as possible. Thank you. From: To: Braddan All Staff Subject: Fire Drill Hi all, Forgot to say that EVERYONE had signed in on the day of the fire drill last week – YAY!! Please note my hours of work: Mon – Fri 8.30am – 3.00pm Braddan Primary School Braddan Isle of Man IM4 4TQ T: 01624 661087 WARNING: This email message and any files transmitted with it are confidential and may be subject to legal privilege. You must not copy or deliver it to any other person or use the contents in any unauthorised manner without the express permission of the sender. If you are not the intended addressee of this e-mail, please delete it and notify the sender as soon as possible. Thank you.

Policy, Strategy and Governance Division Department of Education, Sport and Culture Thie Slieau Whallian Foxdale Road St Johns IM4 3AS

Telephone: (01624) 685808 Website: www.gov.im/dec Email: dec@foi.gov.im

Our ref: 4967798 29 October 2025

Dear ###

We write further to your request, received 30 September 2025, which states:

"Dear Sir/Madam

Please provide copies of email correspondence held by the Department of Education, Sport and Culture relating to fire alarm activations at schools during the 2024/25 academic year (September 2024 - July 2025). Such as redacted emails between headteachers/school staff, DOI Estates and IOMFRS if possible. Many thanks"

Clarification was sought on the 1st October which states:
“In order to identify and locate the information that you have asked for we need some further information from you. In particular, it would be helpful to know if you are looking for the information in relation to certain schools on the Island? “

Response to the clarification was received on the 2nd October which states: “Could I please have emails from the following schools: St Ninians High School (Upper and Lower) Ballakermeen High School QE2 High School Ramsey Grammar School Castle Rushen High School UCM Braddan Primary Cronk Y Berry Primary School”

Clarification was sought on the 2nd October which states:
“In order to identify and locate the information that you have asked for we need some further information from you. In particular, it would be helpful to know if you refer to activations outside of planned drills?”

Response to the clarification was received on the 2nd October which states:“Thank you for your email, yes I refer to activations outside of planned drills such as fires or false alarms.”

Our response to your request is:
Ballakermeen High School Cronk Y Berry Primary School QE2 High School Ramsey Grammar School St Ninians High School
UCM While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the public authority does not hold or cannot, after taking reasonable steps to do so, find the information that you have requested.
I have enclosed copies of the information that is held for the below schools:
Appendix One - Castle Rushen High School
Appendix Two – Braddan Primary School

Redacted Content

s25(b)(i)&(ii) – Absolutely exempt personal information

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information included within the enclosed information because it is absolutely exempt under section 25 of the Act (absolutely exempt personal information).

The reasons why that exemption applies are that:
• The Department of Education, Sport and Culture is satisfied that the information amounts to personal data of which you are not the data subject; and; • The Department of Education, Sport and Culture is satisfied that disclosure of the information would contravene one of the data protection principles as set out at Article 5 of the General Dat

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