Perth School Emergency Drill Bylaws - Western Australia

Education Western Australia 3 Minutes Read · published February 11, 2026 Flag of Western Australia

Intro

Perth, Western Australia schools must plan and practice emergency drills for fires, lockdowns and other critical incidents. Responsibility for policy and school-level emergency management is shared: the Western Australian Department of Education sets sector guidance and each school must maintain a School Emergency Management Plan coordinated with local emergency services and building safety rules. Planning should cover frequency, roles, parental notification, recordkeeping and post-drill review to meet safety and community expectations.

Start each school year by confirming the emergency contacts and the exercise schedule.

What schools must cover

School emergency plans normally include: roles and responsibilities, evacuation and lockdown procedures, assembly areas, communication to parents and local responders, and records of exercises. Local building safety (fire exits, alarms, sprinkler systems) must be maintained to the relevant building and fire safety standards.

Penalties & Enforcement

Specific monetary fines, escalation and continuing-offence amounts for failure to run or maintain emergency drills are not specified on the cited page[1]. Where rules or sanctions apply, enforcement and oversight are typically divided between the Department of Education (policy, school compliance) and state emergency or building regulators for fire-safety compliance.

  • Enforcer: Department of Education for school policy and registration issues.
  • Enforcer: Department of Fire and Emergency Services or building regulator for fire-safety and life-safety systems.
  • Inspection and complaint pathways: contact the school, the Department of Education regional office, or state regulators for building/fire safety.
  • Appeals and review: administrative review through Department of Education processes or merit/ judicial review in courts where applicable; time limits are not specified on the cited page.
  • Defences and discretion: mitigation, evidence of reasonable steps, documented emergency plans and recent drill records are commonly relied on in reviews.
If a specific fine is needed for a case, request the enforcement agency’s written decision or policy reference.

Common violations

  • Failure to maintain an up-to-date School Emergency Management Plan.
  • Failure to run scheduled evacuation or lockdown exercises or to keep exercise records.
  • Poor maintenance of fire exits, alarms or escape routes contrary to building safety rules.

Applications & Forms

There is no single, statewide application form for emergency drill compliance published centrally; schools document drills in their local School Emergency Management Plan and incident registers. For building or fire-system compliance, use forms or applications provided by the relevant regulator where required, or contact your Department of Education regional office for record templates.

Planning drills and records

Best practice includes a written schedule (term-based), an annually reviewed plan, clear staff allocations, parent notification templates, and a secure record of each exercise with date, duration, scope and lessons learned. Coordinate major exercises with local emergency services when realistic multi-agency response is required.

Keep a short after-action note after every drill to show continuous improvement.

Action steps for schools

  • Adopt or review your School Emergency Management Plan at the start of each term.
  • Schedule and document at least one full evacuation drill and one lockdown practice per year, or more often if the school risk assessment requires it.
  • Keep drill records for inspection and include corrective actions and responsible staff.
  • Report any building or life-safety defects immediately to facilities management and the regulator where required.

FAQ

How often must schools run emergency drills?
Frequency is set by school risk assessments and Department of Education guidance; many schools run termly or at least annual evacuation and lockdown drills.
Who enforces drill and safety requirements?
Policy compliance is overseen by the Department of Education; fire-safety systems and building compliance are enforced by state emergency or building regulators.
How do parents get notified about a drill?
Schools should publish a communication policy — typical practice is advance notice for non-surprise drills and post-drill messages summarising outcomes.

How-To

  1. Review your School Emergency Management Plan and confirm roles and assembly areas.
  2. Set a drill schedule for the term and notify staff and emergency services as appropriate.
  3. Run the exercise, record attendance and timings, and note any failures in procedures or equipment.
  4. Complete an after-action report, assign corrective actions and update the plan.
  5. File records centrally and use them in the next risk assessment cycle.

Key Takeaways

  • Schools must maintain documented emergency plans and regularly practice drills.
  • Records and after-action reviews are essential evidence of compliance and improvement.
  • Department of Education and state emergency/building regulators share oversight roles.

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