WASHINGTON (7News) — D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) have made significant improvements in emergency preparedness following a 7News investigation that first exposed widespread fire safety lapses.
DCPS emergency preparedness documentation showed since at least 2017, fewer than half of the school district met fire code standards by skipping required monthly fire drills. Newly obtained emergency drill documents show not just improvement, but perfection since 7News’ reporting in 2022.
When the 7News I-Team uncovered these gaps in 2022, D.C. school leaders and the D.C. fire department promised to fix them. D.C. Fire Chief John Donnelly acknowledged the impact of the investigation and took action.
“For the schools, because of what you [7News I-Team] did, because of the report, we’ve issued notices of violations 31 times to schools that were lagging,” Donnelly said in May 2022.
Since then, every D.C. public school has conducted monthly fire drills, as required according to fire safety records obtained by the 7News I-Team. The improvements didn’t stop there. Emergency preparedness now extends beyond fire safety, with schools meeting other critical safety requirements.
Other school safety records obtained by the 7News I-Team show each school’s emergency plan approved by the fire marshal. The records also show evacuation, lockdown, and severe weather drills practiced regularly since 2022. Records show all schools conducted lockdown drills in both September and May of the 2023-2024 school year, and severe weather drills were practiced in January. In 2019, the 7News investigation found only 24 out of 114 D.C. schools had emergency plans approved by the fire marshal.
"D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) is committed to the safety of our school communities. In 2022, DCPS' Office of Operations implemented robust protocols to ensure compliance with emergency preparedness drills. Providing emergency response training and guidance to school staff is a district-wide operational priority, with each school responsible for completing combinations of fire, severe weather, lockdown, and other safety drills on a monthly basis. Schools use an internal emergency alert system to execute and document drills which are supported and verified by the appropriate teams within DCPS Central Services,” DCPS leadership said in a statement emailed to the 7News I-Team.
