ERIC ED495925: Updating and Maintaining School Emergency Management Plans. Helpful Hints for School Emergency Management. Volume 2, Issue 3, 2007

2007·0.28 MB·English

by  ERIC

U.S. Department of Education Emergency Response and Crisis Management Technical Assistance Center
HELPFULHINTS
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FOR SCHOOL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
Vol. 2, Issue 3, 2007
UPDATING AND MAINTAINING SCHOOL
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLANS
New Webcast:
School Safety Developing and implementing
In the wake of recent comprehensive, multi-hazard
school shootings and emergency management plans
President Bush’s White is an ongoing process that must
House Conference on
be consistently reinforced and
School Safety, the U.S.
strengthened. School and school
Department of Education’s
district crisis response teams must
Office of Safe and Drug-
continually work with community
Free Schools presented
a one-hour webcast on partners to develop districtwide and
Nov. 15, 2006, to provide school-based plans that effectively
parents, educators, school ensure the safety and security of the
administrators and local
entire school community, including
law enforcement personnel
faculty, staff, students and visitors,
with an opportunity to
as well as the continuity of daily
review the key components
and carefully planned, it needs to be
business operations in the face of
of school emergency
regularly reviewed and updated for
management planning. natural and man-made disasters and
a variety of reasons. Modifications
OSDFS staff shared other emergencies. In addition, routine
based on building depreciation,
successful strategies so testing of the plans’ components,
that those responsible resource allocation changes,
which are based on the four phases of
for ensuring the safety of population changes, staff changes,
emergency management—prevention-
students, faculty and staff school-based policy changes, policy
mitigation, preparedness, response
could learn more about
changes from first responders and
and recovery—will enhance each
what schools can do to help
the lessons learned from after-action
mitigate, prevent, prepare component’s effectiveness, build
reports can all impact an emergency
for, respond to and recover broader support for preparedness
management plan. Opportunities for
from a crisis. efforts, and assist with sustaining the
reviewing, strengthening and updating
The archived webcast is plan over time.
emergency management plans can be
accessible at http://www.
ConnectLive.com/events/ Although an emergency management found in the implementation of the
edschoolsafety. Software plan may have been well-thought out following elements.
to enable viewing of the
webcast is available at
The contents of this document are not prescriptive best practices for every school
no charge and may be
or school district, but rather suggestions to consider in a school or district’s
downloaded directly from
emergency management efforts.
the site.

Conducting Emergency  Assess needed
Exercises resources, including
emergency equipment
A powerful strategy for assessing
and supplies;
a school’s level of emergency
 Assess facilities
preparedness is to test its
plans, tools and
emergency management plan operations;
by conducting routine exercises,
 Test communications
such as orientation scenarios, plans with community
seminars, tabletop exercises, partners, school
drills, functional simulations and staff, students, the
full-scale exercises. All exercises media and parents or
should be conducted in close guardians;  Ensure first responders
collaboration with community  Activate the student-parent have met key school-based
reunification plan; emergency management
partners (e.g., fire, police,
staff, such as members of
 Identify strengths and
emergency services, and public
the district’s crisis response
weaknesses in the current
and mental health personnel).
team, and are familiar with
emergency management plan
Full-scale exercises provide a
school facilities, policies
and ensure they are clearly
realistic environment in which and procedures;
outlined in the after-action
school- and community-based
reports;  Convene regular districtwide
participants may practice their emergency management
 Modify the plan based on
roles and responsibilities, and planning meetings with all
lessons learned; and
offer valuable opportunities to: community partners;
 Support the use of the National
 Share the components of
 Activate the Incident Incident Management System
school and school district
Command System (ICS); (NIMS).
emergency management
 Activate appropriate response
Collaborating With plans as well as relevant
protocols;
Community Partners information at community
fairs, awareness days and
School districts should promote PTA meetings;
ongoing collaboration with
 Participate in local television
community partners and the and radio programs, or
media to establish and maintain contribute articles on
strong relationships before a crisis school and school district
occurs. To maintain community preparedness efforts to local
newspapers; and
support, districts may:
 Give advance notice to the
 Develop memoranda of
public of drills so that the
understanding with key
community can prepare for
community partners for
inconveniences such as
services—such as mental
traffic congestion.
health—that may be needed
during or following a crisis;

 Seek resources  Determine what changes
and support need to be made to ensure the
from community emergency management plan is
businesses by current and comprehensive.
working directly
with the businesses Although developing an emergency
or the media; and management plan is a complex
 Support the annual critical task for crisis response
NIMS compliance teams, updating and maintaining
activities of the plan is equally as critical.
local community
Ongoing efforts and activities
partners.
framed by the four phases of
Focusing on Sustainability Conducting emergency management, coupled
with NIMS compliance, will
Evaluations Consistently
The most effective emergency
allow schools and school districts
management plans provide direction Continuously assessing the to continually strengthen their
and support to the entire school procedures in the emergency capacities to effectively maintain
community and are continuously management plan will add the safety and security of the
reviewed and enhanced through credibility and public trust to the school and local community.
activities that build a school plan, and in those who implement
or school district’s capacity to the plan. Crisis
prevent and mitigate emergencies, response teams
prepare for incidents and respond should continually
to and recover from crises. To evaluate school and
increase a school’s capacity to school district’s
maintain its focus on preparedness, emergency
administrators, faculty and staff can: management
activities to:
 Center training sessions around
key issues such as emergency  Document
management for students and performance
staff with disabilities and and growth in
creating a school-based ICS; preparedness;
 Regularly meet with community  Demonstrate
partners and the entire school the usefulness
community throughout the year; of planned procedures in
 Ensure that primary and responding to actual and
secondary backup staff are simulated crisis events;
identified for each key position  Track resources and training
within the ICS; over time; and

RESOURCES
Multi-Hazard Emergency ERCM Webcast The COPS Collaboration
Planning for Schools Tool Kit: How to Build,
On June 28, 2005, the U.S. Fix and Sustain
This short, Web-based course is Department of Education’s Office Productive Partnerships
part of FEMA’s Independent Study of Safe and Drug-Free Schools
The U.S. Department of
Program, a componenent of its hosted the Emergency Response
Justice’s Office of Community
Emergency Management Institute. and Crisis Management webcast.
Oriented Policing Services
The one-day class specifically The webcast featured an overview
(COPS) produces a variety of
addresses hazard assessment, of the four phases of crisis
resources that support school
plan development, emergency planning (prevention-mitigation,
and community policing and
management operations and the preparedness, response and
prevention efforts. As schools
roles and responsibilities of school recovery) and the roles that
and school districts develop,
crisis team members. School-based personnel from school districts,
implement and enhance their
professionals with emergency schools and other public agencies
emergency management plans,
management responsibilities, play in developing, implementing,
they will work closely with
as well as individuals with an evaluating and sustaining
community first responders.
interest in school preparedness, are emergency management plans.
As a result of recognizing
encouraged to take the course.
A copy of the webcast, along with that community partnerships
Additional information is all supporting materials, is now present unique challenges for
accessible at http://training.fema. accessible online at every community, COPS has
gov/EMIWeb/IS/is362.asp. http://www.kidzonline.org/ercm. created a free tool kit to address
those challenges, and provide
community leaders with tips,
strategies and models for success.
The tool kit is accessible at
http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/
Default.asp?Item=344.
The Emergency Response and Crisis Management (ERCM) Technical Assistance (TA) Center was established in October 2004 by the U.S.
Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (OSDFS). The center supports schools and school districts in developing
and implementing comprehensive emergency and crisis response plans by providing technical assistance via trainings, publications and
individualized responses to requests. Helpful Hints provides a quick overview of school emergency preparedness topics that are frequently the
subject of inquiries. For additional information about the National Incident Management System (NIMS) or any other emergency management-
related topic, visit the ERCM TA Center at http://www.ercm.org or call 1-888-991-3726.
For information about the Emergency Response and Crisis Management grant program, contact Tara Hill ([email protected]), Michelle Sinkgraven
([email protected]) or Sara Strizzi ([email protected]).
This publication was funded by the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools at the U.S. Department of Education under contract number
GS23F8062H with Caliber Associates, Inc. The contracting officer’s representative was Tara Hill. The content of this publication does not
necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Education, nor does the mention of trade names, commercial products or
organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. government. This publication also contains hyperlinks and URLs for information created and
maintained by private organizations. This information is provided for the reader’s convenience. The U.S. Department of Education is not
responsible for controlling or guaranteeing the accuracy, relevance, timeliness or completeness of this outside information. Further, the inclusion
of information or a hyperlink or URL does not reflect the importance of the organization, nor is it intended to endorse any views expressed, or
products or services offered. All hyperlinks and URLs were accessed on Jan. 4, 2007.