• Emergency Drills and Exercises

    Reference Guide 5803.6 Emergency Procedures Drills and Districtwide Emergency Exercises  is available on the LAUSD Emergency Documents page of the OEM website.

    Fall 2023 Districtwide Emergency Drills - Please Calendar:

    •  The 2023 Fall Semester Districtwide Lockdown Drill may take place at a date/time of the school's choosing within the first 30 days of instruction. The date range (for most schools) for Fall 2023 is August 15, 2023 - September 28, 2023.  
    • The 2023 Fall Semester Radio Test will take place on  Tuesday, October 17, 2023. Updates to the Emergency Radio Communication Tree will be available shortly before the test. Please download and review a fresh copy of the Radio Communications Tree a few days before every radio test.
    • The 2023 Districtwide Shakeout Earthquake Exercise will take place at all schools on Thursday, October 19, 2023 at 10:15 A.M. All emergency teams are activated and practice their roles during this exercise. Schools may select an alternate time and/or date during that same week to best suit their instructional program.
    • A Districtwide Communications Test ("all-call") of all employee and parent/guardian phone numbers is conducted each semester via Blackboard Connect. Schools do not conduct this drill themselves as it is managed centrally, but should be prepared to assist parents with updating their contact information following the test. The 2023 Fall Semester Communications Test will take place the week of October 16 - October 20, 2023.

    Complete an Emergency Drill Evaluation at emergencydrills.lausd.net after each emergency drill and radio test. For best results, complete the emergency drill evaluation online using a cell phone. Responses may also be documented on the Emergency Drill Evaluation Worksheet and then entered onto the online drill evaluation system after the drill using a desktop computer, tablet, or cell phone.

    Schools should maintain a record on site of all their emergency drills. Both the Fire Department and the Office of Environmental Health and Safety audit and issue citations to schools for failure to comply with the mandated drill schedule. Schools can consult Reference Guide 5803.6 Emergency Procedures, Drills, and Districtwide Emergency Exercises. Check the Emergency Drill Frequency Chart below for the types of required drills and how often each must be conducted at each school type to meet requirements.
     
    Emergency Activities Table:
     
      At-a-Glance Emergency Drill Frequency Chart
     
    Please note: Take Cover drills are no longer required because the actions are covered under other drill procedures. REF 5803 is in the process of being updated.
     
    Letter templates informing parents of a Districtwide emergency drill:
    Triage Kit for School Drills
    Use the  Emergency Drill Triage Kit to make your disaster drills a bit more challenging. The kit includes 40 numbered tags have different injuries printed on them and other materials, so that your Search and Rescue and Triage teams can practice their skills. Hand out the tags to selected students before the drill, and then during the drill check to see if the "victims" are found, identified, and taken to the appropriate location. By exercising the system, teachers will learn and practice the skills that will help them in a real disaster. The victim tags fit into a standard-size plastic name badge.