Nearly 10,000 Lansing students are practicing fire evacuations, tornado responses and lockdown procedures as the Lansing School District runs its first coordinated Safety Week from Sept. 14 through Friday, Sept. 18.

Fire drills launched the initiative Monday, Sept. 14, at Lyons Elementary and Everett High School. Superintendent Jessica Benavides and Lansing Fire Chief Carrie Edwards-Clemons were both on site to watch students file out of buildings.

That had never happened before. Benavides told WILX the district has always conducted drills but had never organized them into a single dedicated week.

"In Lansing School District, we've always done drills, but we've never organized it in a weeklong safety week," Benavides said. "And I think that was really critical for us to do this year."

Tornado drills are scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 15, and lockdown rehearsals of varying levels are planned for the remaining days, according to WILX. The week wraps up Friday, Sept. 18, according to WLNS.

Edwards-Clemons said keeping students calm is the whole point of repeated practice.

She said panic during a real emergency leads to pushing, shoving and a lost sense of direction. Benavides described the district's approach as "prepared, not scared," focused on teaching students to follow instructions and reach a safe location in an orderly way.

Free smoke alarms for Lansing households

Edwards-Clemons used the week to remind families about their own preparedness. She said many households neglect basic steps like identifying exits and choosing a meeting place in case of fire.

"Ask your mom, hey, do we have a meeting place? If so, where is it?" Edwards-Clemons said. "Ask your mom to test those smoke alarms to make sure that they work."

The Lansing Fire Department will provide and install smoke alarms at no cost for any household that needs them, Edwards-Clemons said. Details on how to request an installation were not included in the WILX report.

Benavides said she hopes the drills spark dinner-table conversations about fire safety at home. The district serves roughly 9,950 students across 26 schools. Safety Week is the first time all of those buildings have followed the same drill schedule in a single week.