Emergency Operations Planning

1
Emergency Operations Planning

• Drills

2
Exercises and Drills

• Assure predictable response in an actual
  emergency
• Identify problems/weaknesses in plans and
  procedures
• Staff and students practice and experience what
  is expected of them during an emergency

3
Exercises and Drills

• Just like other learning objectives in school,
  these must be taught and practiced!
• Evacuation
• Building
• Site
• Reverse evacuation
• Lock-down
• Shelter-in-place
• Drop and cover

4
Drill Lessons for students

• It is recommended that students be taught each
  type of emergency drill and the reasons and
  conditions that would activate the drill, in an
  age-appropriate manner.
• Lesson plans for teaching the drills are
  available on the Texas School Safety Center
  website for download and use by schools.
• http//www.txssc.txstate.edu/txssc.htm

5
Drills

• Drills should be named and announced using plain
  language instead of code words in accordance with
  Incident Command Systems and NIMS
• NO MORE CODES!
• Drill should be taught to students before they
  are practiced including an explanation of why
  they are important

6
Why no more codes?

• BAILEY, COLO. 9/27/06 Foxnews.com
• Police School gunman sexually assaulted girl
  hostages
• SOPHOMORE ZACK BARNES, 16, SAID HIS FIRST
  INDICATION THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG AT HIS
  SCHOOL WAS AN ANNOUNCEMENT OVER THE PUBLIC
  ADDRESS SYSTEM.
• "WE WERE SITTING THERE IN MATH CLASS AND
  OVER THE INTERCOM THEY SAID 'STUDENTS AND
  TEACHERS WE HAVE A CODE WHITE. REPEAT, CODE
  WHITE. 'AND NOBODY REALLY KNEW WHAT A CODE WHITE
  WAS,
• HE SAID HIS TEACHER CHECKED A SHEET OF PAPER
  FROM HER DESK AND THEN SAID THE CLASS HAD TO
  MOVE.

7
Emergency Procedures Exercised by Drills

• Fires and bomb threats
• Evacuation
• Tornadoes
• Drop and Cover
• Intruders
• Reverse Evacuation and Lock Down
• Hazardous Materials Release
• Reverse Evacuation and Shelter-in-place

8
Preparing for Emergency Drills

• Staff
• Provide staff members with written instructions
  on drilling procedures.
• Discuss the importance of emergency drills
  during staff meetings.
• Allow staff feedback on drill procedures.
• Assess the staffs response to emergency
  drills.
• Include emergency drill procedures in
  information packets for substitutes and new staff
  members.
• Involve the schools support staff in all
  emergency practice drills librarians, office
  staff, custodians, bus drivers, frequent
  volunteers, etc.

9
Preparing for Emergency Drills

• Students
• Encourage staff to review the importance of
  emergency drills with students, as well as their
  role during drills.
• Provide students with specific instructions
  on each drill and include the objective of the
  drill.
• Allow student feedback concerning emergency
  drills.
• Provide emergency drill information to all
  new students.
• Include special provisions during drills for
  special needs students.

10
Student MovementLockdown Drills vs. Evacuation
Drills

• Evacuation
• Can students safely exit the building without
  moving toward the threat?
• School officials will need to quickly assess
  whether or not student evacuation can be
  accomplished safely.
• Lockdown
• Can students remain safely in their current
  location without the threat moving toward them?
• School administrators have a duty to protect and
  ensure that students are not remaining in a
  threatening situation when their safe removal is
  possible.

11
Lockdown Drills

• Everyone reports to the assigned classroom, or
  lockdown location as quickly as possible.
• Teachers should quickly check the hallway to
  locate any students in the hallway before locking
  the door. Window blinds or drapes should be
  closed or paper can be used to cover windows.
• Once door is locked, the door should not be
  opened for knocks or other reasons. The door or
  window should only be opened by the prearranged
  all clear signal.

12
Evacuation Drills

• Students and staff members should be familiar
  with exit routes diagrams of these should be
  posted in rooms. Primary and alternative routes
  should be selected. Make sure each room and other
  areas of the building have easy-to-find posters
  displayed near doorways of each classroom.
• Students, faculty, and others in the building
  should evacuate the building immediately upon
  hearing the fire alarm or evacuation command
• Students should not be permitted to stop for
  coats, books, or other belongings. Evacuation
  drills should be orderly, and students should
  walk quietly, with faculty supervision at all
  times.

13
Evacuation Drills

• Teachers should stand at their classroom doors
  until pupils have filed out. They should check to
  see that windows and doors are closed but not
  locked, and follow pupils out of the building.
  They should take their class roll books with
  them.
• When students reach assembly areas, implement
  some form of student accountability (head count
  or buddy system should be implemented). Any
  discrepancy should be reported immediately to the
  principal.
• When students reach designated assembly areas,
  they should remain there until further
  instructions are given.
• Evacuation times should be recorded.

14
Tornado Drills

• Occupants of each room should be assigned to a
  designated area that is closest and safest.
• All second story students must move to the first
  floor.
• The best area is a basement or underground
  facility.
• If no basement exists, choose an area that has
  the smallest roof span area.
• Safer areas are where the walls are thickest and
  at least 30 feet away from exterior glass
  windows.
• Hallways with lockers are traditionally used
  areas, but small interior rooms can also work
  well.
• Students should drop and cover their heads with
  the arms.

15
Reverse Evacuation

• Used when students are not in class and must be
  brought into the classroom quickly.
• Procedures will vary depending on school.
• Students all get inside a classroom quickly
• Students stay calm and quiet so they can
  hear the teachers instructions
• Students pay attention and follow the
  instructions given
• Students quickly move to an area where they
  will be safe
• Students remain calm and quiet until the all
  clear is given

16
Common Sense

• Always communicate plans with parents
• Letter home at start of school year
• Information on school website
• Periodic updates in school newletter
• When doing drills, keep parents informed about
  procedures
• Inform in advance of any full-scale drills

17
Why?

• SCHOOL SAFETY DRILL DRAWS IRE
• Tuesday, October 31, 2006 - FreeMarketNews.comA
  recent school safety drill in Michigan has upset
  some parents of the children involved. According
  to wire service reports, the drill in the town of
  Wyoming involved police officers in riot gear
  with weapons, who entered two classrooms at Lee
  Middle and High School on Thursday and announced
  a threat to the school. Students were unaware
  that a drill was being conducted, but were taken
  from their classrooms into the hall, patted down
  by officers and asked what they had in their
  pockets, according to local news reports. One
  angry parent reportedly put it this way "Some of
  these kids were so scared, they just about wet
  their pants. I think it's wrong that the students
  and parents were not informed of this."
  Officers reportedly wore protective gear,
  including vests and helmets, and carried unloaded
  rifles (marked with colored tape to indicate they
  were not live weapons). Principal David Britten
  reportedly said students weren't told ahead of
  time "to make the drill as realistic as
  possible," although teachers were given notice
  just before it took place.

18
Drill Reporting

• To report school drills
• A web-form will be available at
• http//www.txssc.txstate.edu/txssc.htm

19
Texas School Safety Center Website

• http//www.txssc.txstate.edu/txssc.htm