Fire module

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Lock.gif| Permissions required
to access this module:
Section:
Attendance
Permission(s):
Access the fire screen

The PARS fire module can be used to check pupils' attendance data if a fire happens. Attendance data is refreshed every 5 minutes and is cached in the web browser so that you still have access if the server is lost in the fire.

Attendance to extra classes and detentions is also displayed, so if you have a fire after the end of normal school hours, you will still be able to find out which pupils are onsite.

This page is accessed via:
PARS main menu > Attendance > Fire

Online vs Offline

You have two options when first accessing the Fire page:

Fire03.jpg

The first thing you should do is click to download the HTM file for later offline use. This will only be used as a backup and not the main tool in case of a fire. Once the download has completed, place the file on your desktop/homepage.

Once you have downloaded the offline file, click the link to go to the live data.

Please note that Apple products will not allow you to download and save the HTM file offline. For this reason they are not as safe as other devices, and you should not use Apple products with the Fire module where possible.

The Fire page

The fire page in PARS Connect will continuously refresh its data, so that the information you are looking at is no more than 5 minutes old (while the device you are using is connected to your network.)

At the top-right of the page you will see a number count down from 300 to 0, this is the number of seconds remaining before the next data refresh. You can stop the data refresh by clicking "Pause". You can also print this page by using the "Print" button.

Fire01.jpg

There is one column for each period of the day, so that you can see whether or not pupils were onsite at any given point in the day (provided registers have been taken). There are also extra columns on the far right of the page that show you whether or not pupils are onsite for extra classes and detentions. This page is colour coded, so any cells highlighted in red mean that the pupil was absent.

Filtering data

You can filter the data on the Fire page so that you are only viewing certain pupils at a time. Do this by clicking the drop-down options underneath any of the column headers - this will allow you to filter that column based on the classes that were taking place at the time.

Schools will commonly divide pupils into their form groups when taking a fire registers - to do this click underneath the "Reg" column to filter by registration group. Often schools will take paper registers in registration groups to find out which pupils are absent. This can then be cross-referenced with a member of staff who has access to the fire module to make sure that the pupil was not on school site.

Fire02.jpg

How to use the fire module

You should have downloaded the offline file to your homepage/desktop in advance. This will only be used as a backup. Apple products will not allow you to download this file, and therefore should not be used for fire procedures if possible.

Run the online version of the fire module. That will allow you to view attendance data as described above.

We recommend that you have more than one dedicated device to use in case of a fire. One device per year group would provide good coverage.

Internet Explorer will not allow you to open the offline HTM file. The simplest solution is to download and install another web browser and make this new browser the device's default. Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari will all work. Alternatively Internet Explorer will open the HTM file if the device has Mongoose installed and running, which can shim the HTM file.

Each device needs to be connected to a power supply so that it does not run out of battery. The devices should be set so that they never go to sleep or go on standby, as this would cause them to stop updating attendance data.

The devices should be set so that they never automatically clear their internet browser cache.

The devices should be somewhere easily accessible in the case of a fire, so that they can be picked up quickly by staff as they exit the building.

In a fire drill, students are typically organised into registration groups. Often schools will take paper registers in form groups to find out which pupils are absent. This can then be cross-referenced with a member of staff who has access to one of the devices running the fire module to make sure that the pupil was marked absent in their registers.

If staff have accidentally closed the internet browser that was running the fire module AND the school's server has gone offline in the fire, then they must tap / double-click on the HTM file that was downloaded to access the fire module again.