Disaster Preparedness, Practices and Compliance with Unannounced Emergency Drills Among Public School Teachers

This study assessed public school teachers’ awareness of protocols and procedural requirements for unannounced earthquake and fire drills, evaluated institutional compliance with disaster preparedness measures, and developed a strategic intervention to address operational gaps. Using a descriptive-correlational design, data were gathered from 80 public school teachers, predominantly female and mid-career, with 15% reporting no formal disaster management training. Findings showed Very High Awareness of safety protocols (WM = 4.30), particularly “Duck, Cover, and Hold” (WM = 4.66), while familiarity with the administrative legality of unannounced drills was comparatively lower (WM = 3.93). Schools were Fully Compliant in drill frequency, documentation, and physical execution, although challenges persisted in surprise simulations and crowd control. Inferential results showed highly significant positive correlations between teachers’ awareness and school compliance in drill frequency (r = .733), documentation (r = .759), and execution (r = .719), all at p = .000 < .01. No significant differences were found across age, gender, years of service, or training history (p > .05). Qualitative findings identified student panic and playfulness, communication difficulties, overcrowding and bottlenecks, and limited protocols for learners with special needs as key vulnerabilities. In response, the Comprehensive Disaster Readiness Enhancement Program (CDREP) was developed to promote 100% faculty basic life support certification, shock-ready simulations, redundant communication systems, tactical crowd-management routes, and inclusive peer-buddy systems, thereby strengthening proactive and equitable disaster preparedness.