Choosing evacuation drill illustrations by the actions they show

The illustration on an evacuation drill notice is read as a model, not as decoration. Children who skip the text still look at the picture. So if the action it shows differs from the action the school teaches, the picture is what stays with them. Here is how to choose by the action depicted rather than by the mood.

In an earthquake: get to a spot where nothing will fall, topple or slide

The guide for writing school disaster manuals (earthquakes and tsunamis) published by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) gives the basic action when an earthquake strikes as moving quickly to a spot where nothing will fall from above, nothing will topple over from the side, and nothing will slide towards you. It also calls for repeated drills so that children can judge for themselves and move without waiting for a teacher's instructions.

It gives three examples, by location:

Where there are desks, such as a classroom: get under a desk
Where there are no desks: get under something that protects against falling objects, such as a chair
Where there is nothing to shelter under: move to a spot where nothing will fall, topple or slide, keep low, and cover your head with a bag or something similar

For drills in the classroom, it lists the action "get under the desk and hold the desk legs firmly". It also says that rushing outside in a panic from a building that has been made earthquake-resistant is, if anything, more dangerous.

Check the action in the picture against these basics

When choosing a picture for an earthquake drill, look at these points in order.

Are they getting low? A picture of someone still sitting at a desk is no model for the drill
Is the head protected? Are they under the desk, or covering their head with their arms or a bag?
Is anyone running while the ground is shaking? Children dashing outside is exactly the action the MEXT guide calls dangerous
Where are the hands? At schools that teach children to hold the desk legs, this is where the picture most easily disagrees with the lesson

Illustration of a child under a desk, holding their head with both hands — Low under the desk, holding the head with both hands. It works as a model for “get low” and “protect your head”. The hands are not on the desk legs, so schools that teach holding the legs should add that in the text.Download this illustration →

Add what the picture lacks in the text

A picture that exactly matches the action your school teaches is hard to find. Rather than keep searching, it is more reliable to make the text fit. Describe the action shown in the picture first, then add what the picture lacks in the next sentence. Put the missing action in the first sentence instead, and children are left unsure whether to follow the words or the picture.

Illustration of a child under a desk holding their head — The first sentence says “hold the legs”, but the child in the picture is holding their head. The words and the picture point to different actions.

In a fire: cover your mouth and nose, and stay low

For fires, the disaster and crisis management e-learning site run by Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency advises staying as low as possible when escaping through smoke, covering your mouth with a towel or handkerchief so you do not breathe the smoke in, and using the evacuation stairs rather than the lift. The Tokyo Fire Department likewise explains that you should cover your mouth and nose with a handkerchief, towel or similar, and escape low, beneath the smoke.

In a fire drill picture, check whether mouths and noses are covered, whether the children are in a line, and — if the notice explains getting beneath the smoke — whether they are staying low.

Illustration of children covering their mouths and evacuating in a line, led by a teacher — Every child is covering their mouth with a hand or a handkerchief, walking in a line as the teacher leads them. It works as a model for “cover your mouth and nose” and “keep the line”. They are walking upright, though, so it does not suit a section teaching how to move low beneath the smoke.Download this illustration →

Do not make it "under the desk in the classroom" every time

The MEXT guide points out that drills tend to be held at the same time every year, and calls for varying when and where the simulated earthquake happens — during breaks, during cleaning time, on the way to and from school, and so on. It also says drills are needed that assume the class teacher's instructions cannot reach the children.

If every notice shows "under the desk in the classroom", that is where readers' expectations settle too. For a drill set during break or cleaning time, choose a picture close to that scene, or one that works anywhere — a picture showing nothing but the head-protecting posture.

For supplies and preparations, a picture of objects is enough

Topics that involve no human action, such as preparing emergency supplies or what to bring to a handover drill (where children are collected by their guardians), come across better in a picture of objects alone. With no people in it, there is no action to disagree with the text.

Illustration of emergency supplies: a backpack with a helmet on top, bottled water and canned food — Download this illustration →

Sources

Evacuation procedures vary with a school's location and the structure of its buildings. Match the content of your notice to your own school's disaster manual.