Elementary school students across Fairfax County spent this summer evacuating smoke-filled buses and climbing out of overturned ones, all to prepare for the job of keeping 130,000 riders safe when classes start Monday, Aug. 24.

The annual Safety Patrol Training Camp, hosted by the FCPS Office of Transportation Services at the West Ox Garage, puts student volunteers through hands-on emergency drills that go far beyond classroom instruction. About 141 FCPS elementary schools participate in the patrol program, according to FCPS. Local schools in the program include McLean-pyramid feeders such as Chesterbrook Elementary and Langley-pyramid Churchill Road Elementary, both in McLean.

Bus drivers lead the training. They start with lessons at students' schools, then load the kids onto a bus and drive them to the garage for the real thing.

Students learn FREEFA, an acronym covering fire extinguishers, radio, emergency exits, emergency brake, first aid and air door release. They practice locating emergency equipment on both diesel and electric buses, opening exits and directing classmates to "Sit and Scoot" during evacuations.

The camp's two marquee stations test what the acronym can't teach. In one, students enter a bus pumped full of simulated smoke. Safety patrols stationed at four points direct peers to exits and confirm no one is left behind. In the other, students face a bus lying on its side.

Renessa Roten, who drove for FCPS for nearly 37 years before retiring and returning as a substitute and activity driver, runs the overturned-bus station. She told students to imagine a realistic scenario: "You want to calm people. You want to make them feel that everything is going to be okay. [If a bus actually flipped on its side,] there will be a lot of screaming and crying, and people are going to be really hurt."

Roten added a touch of humor to make the lesson stick, telling students that if their driver is unconscious, they won't be able to lift them. "Say, 'I'm sorry, bus driver, for your bad day, but I got to go!'"

John McCracken, a senior manager at the Office of Transportation Services, said the patrols fill a critical gap because drivers can't check on students while focused on the road. He called the student volunteers helpful and said they contribute directly to FCPS safety.

FCPS operates more than 1,600 buses serving roughly 45,000 active stops daily. The safety patrols act as peer-to-peer leaders, modeling safe behavior for younger students and serving as extra eyes and ears on every route.

The first day of the 2026-27 school year is Monday, Aug. 24, when trained patrols will take their positions on buses across the county.