District of Columbia school drill requirements
What the District of Columbia requires: which school drills, how often, and who must hold them.
In the District of Columbia, the school drill duty comes from the fire code DC adopted, not a school law: under the 2015 International Fire Code, school buildings must hold an evacuation drill every month, and the Deputy Mayor for Education's Playbook sets out a fuller drill schedule as guidance, not law.
Every fact checked against the official source by an independent reviewer · Last verified October 26, 2026
Where does DC's drill duty come from?
DC's Fire Code is the 2015 International Fire Code (IFC) as amended by DC's fire code supplement, 12-H DCMR; that is how the IFC's drill rules apply in DC. DC's fire code regulations say the IFC is copyrighted by the ICC and is not reprinted there, so its drill rules do not appear in DC's own text. DC's fire code supplement, 12-H DCMR, lists no Chapter 4 amendment: its chapter list goes from Chapter 3 to Chapter 5. 12-H DCMR § 101 comes from a final rulemaking published May 29, 2020, the same date the 2017 DC Construction Codes took effect. The DC Fire Code applies to all premises in the District, including those owned or run by the DC government. It does not apply to premises owned by the United States.
What does the fire code require?
| Drill | How often (fire code) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Fire/evacuation | Monthly, all students and staff taking part; first within 10 days of the start of classes | 2015 IFC Table 405.2, § 403.5.1 |
| Lockdown | No count; the school's lockdown plan sets training frequency | 2015 IFC § 404.2.3.2 |
Under the 2015 IFC that DC adopts, school (Group E) buildings must hold evacuation drills monthly, with all students and staff in the building taking part. Drills must be held at those intervals, or more often where needed so everyone knows the procedure. A school's first evacuation drill of each school year must be held within 10 days of the start of classes. Evacuation drills must be held at different times, such as class changes, assemblies and recess, so drills can't be told apart from real fires. Drills must be designed in cooperation with the local authorities. An evacuation caused by a real alarm or emergency does not count as a required drill. The fire code sets no lockdown drill count: it leaves training frequency to the school's lockdown plan and says lockdown drills cannot replace required fire drills. Its lockdown plan rules apply where a school develops a lockdown plan; they do not themselves require one.
What drill schedule does the Playbook set?
The Deputy Mayor for Education's 2025 School Emergency Preparedness and Response Playbook is a guidance document, and it says its drill table follows DC Fire Code 405.1 and the School Emergency Response Plan and Management Guide.
| Drill | How often (Playbook) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Fire/evacuation | Weekly in the first month of school, then every 30 calendar days; 12 in total | DME Playbook, Table 5 |
| Lockdown/intruder | 2 a year, listed as required | DME Playbook, Table 5 |
| 500-foot evacuation | 2 a year, listed as required | DME Playbook, Table 5 |
| Severe weather / duck and cover | 1 a year, listed as required; drill log says at least one in March | DME Playbook, Table 5 and Appendix A |
| Earthquake | 1 a year, with the Great ShakeOut | DME Playbook, Table 5 |
| Shelter-in-place, reverse evacuation, alert status | At least 1 a year each, recommended | DME Playbook, Table 5 |
The Playbook says fire drills should not take place during periods of mandatory testing. It says a full evacuation and parent reunification drill should be held at the district level each year.
Do drills need to be logged?
Under the fire code, schools must keep records of required evacuation drills, starting with who ran the drill and its date and time. Where the fire code official requires it, advance notice of an evacuation drill must be given to that official. The Playbook says schools must list drill information in their Emergency Response Plan (ERP) and in the CORE DC web application's drill log. It also says schools must submit their drill schedule with the ERP and update the ERP with problems found during drills.
Must parents be told about drills?
The Playbook recommends that parents get information about the ERP at the start of each year, with updates before and after exercises. This is a recommendation, not a requirement.
What about students with disabilities?
The Playbook says students with disabilities take part in all drills unless a consultation with the parent, medical provider, school nurse or staff decides otherwise. It recommends deciding each student's participation case by case.
What role do first responders play?
By statute, DCPS must create and carry out school building security and emergency operations plans in consultation with MPD (the Metropolitan Police Department) and the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency. The Playbook recommends that each school safety team hold a reunification tabletop exercise that includes first responders.
What about cardiac emergency drills?
By statute, each school must adopt and carry out a Cardiac Emergency Response Plan (CERP) by the start of School Year 2025-2026. The model plan must include practicing CERP protocols through drills. The Playbook's CERP template says a school must complete at least two successful cardiac emergency response drills each school year.
Who is covered?
The DC Fire Code applies to all premises in the District, including those owned or run by the DC government, except premises owned by the United States. The fire code's school category (Group E) covers any building used for education through 12th grade by six or more occupants at a time, so it turns on how the building is used, not on whether the school is public, charter or private. The Playbook's scope covers DC Public Schools, DC public charter schools and private school facilities.
How can QuickSecure help?
Drill management runs each drill through the same workflow as a real Alert, so in a real emergency every step is already familiar. A drill never sends a real Dispatch.
A drill planner schedules each drill your state requires across the school year.
Each finished drill becomes a record you can turn into a compliance report.
Staff get a short prep brief before a drill, so they know their role.
Schools can run Lockdown, Fire, Weather and Earthquake drills, plus AED drills.
This is not a statement that any product satisfies District of Columbia's requirements; that reading belongs to your district and its counsel.