School Emergency Management: An Overview

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School Emergency Management An Overview

• Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools
  (REMS) Technical Assistance (TA) Center
• Office of Safe and Healthy Students (OSHS)
• Office of Elementary and Secondary Education
  (OESE)
• U.S. Department of Education (ED)

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Section 1 IntroductionSchool Emergency
Management Overview
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Four Phases of SchoolEmergency Management
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School Emergency Management Plan

• A school emergency management plan
• Is the first step to securing our schools
• Addresses a wide range of events (e.g., natural,
  man-made) that can disrupt teaching and learning
  and
• Addresses events that occur in and outside of the
  school day.

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Key Elements of School Emergency Management Plans

• Framed by the four phases
• Uses an all-hazards approach
• Tailored to the unique school
• Developed with community partners
• Incorporates the Incident Command System (ICS)
• Communicated as appropriate
• Practiced consistently
• Continually reviewed and revised

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Section 1- Introduction Summary

• What you can do
• Review your plan to ensure it includes key
  elements
• Contact community partnerships and schedule a
  meeting
• Assess and prioritize hazards and risks
• Plan an exercise or drill aimed at revising your
  plan

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Section 2PreventionMitigation Phase
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Prevention-Mitigation PhaseObjectives

• Define Prevention and Mitigation
• Demonstrate how Prevention-Mitigation measures
  emerge from an assessment
• Provide sample strategies

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PreventionMitigation Phase

• Prevention is the action schools and districts
  take to decrease the likelihood that an event or
  crisis will occur.
• Mitigation actions are steps that eliminate or
  reduce the loss of life or property damage for
  events that cannot be prevented.
• Many hazards have both and components.

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Prevention Mitigation Phase

• Designed to assess and address
• Safety and integrity of facilities
• Security
• Culture and climate of schools
• Uses an all-hazards approach
• Builds on what schools are already doing
• Reliant on community partnerships and leadership
• Is an ongoing process
• Directly linked to the other three phases

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Prevention and Mitigation Examples

• Fencing hazardous areas
• Anchoring outdoor equipment
• Installing building access control measures
• Conducting school vulnerability assessments
• Establishing wellness programs
• Establishing policies promoting health, safety,
  and security

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Assessment Prioritization
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Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design
(CPTED)

• CPTED is a multi-disciplinary four-strategy
  approach to deterring criminal behavior and
  supporting a safe school environment
• Natural Surveillance
• Territorial Reinforcement
• Natural Access Control
• Target Hardening

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Example Building Accessand Exits

• Know who is entering school buildings
• Lock doors when practical
• Access cards or coded entry locks
• Anticipate exit routes during an emergency

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Example Building Materialsand Structures

• Roofing structurally sound? Materials fastened
  securely?
• Awnings will they hold up in a storm?
• Outdoor utility connections protected?

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Prevention-MitigationSchool Grounds

• School grounds - buffer between school buildings
  and the outside world
• Campus entry points
• Trees and shrubs around buildings and hidden
  areas
• Emergency vehicle access
• Unsafe equipment

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Preventing ViolenceSchool Culture and Climate

• Positive culture climate Less likelihood of
  violence

• Welcoming
• Connectedness
• Respect
• Cooperation

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Culture and Climate Assessment

• Useful for violence prevention and other
  important objectives
• Culture and climate improvement requires a
  long-term strategy
• Includes program-based solutions, e.g.
  anti-bullying program

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PreventionMitigation Phase Summary

• What you can do
• Work with community partners to conduct an
  assessment of school buildings, grounds, and
  surrounding community
• Develop customized plans and procedures related
  to assessment outcome
• Work to improve school culture/climate and
  implement violence prevention programs

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Section 3 Preparedness Phases
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What is the Preparedness Phase?

• The Preparedness phase is designed to strengthen
  the school community by coordinating with
  community partners through
• Developing an emergency plan, policies and
  protocols
• Adopting the Incident Command System (ICS)
• Conducting staff training and drills
• Goal is to facilitate a rapid, coordinated, and
  effective response in the event of an emergency

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Steps for Developing an Emergency Management Plan

• Step 1 Collect existing resources
• Step 2 Conduct assessments
• Step 3 Identify gaps and weaknesses
• Step 4 Assemble plan

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Steps for Developing an Emergency Management Plan

• Step 5 Incorporate vulnerability data
• Step 6 Conduct trainings and exercises
• Step 7 Revise plans based on outcomes of
  trainings and exercises
• Step 8 Disseminate plan to stakeholders
• Step 9 Establish accountability measures

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Elements to be Addressed in an Emergency
Management Plan

• All-hazards emergency procedures
• Emergency supplies
• Incident Command System (ICS)
• Communication plans
• Family reunification plans
• Training and exercises
• Recovery planning
• Annual review and revision

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Persons with Disabilities and Other Access and
Functional Needs

• Include district special needs experts on your
  planning team to address needs
• Visual and hearing
• Mobility
• Cognitive
• Attentional
• Emotional
• Medical
• Communication

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NIMS ICS

• The National Incident Management System (NIMS)
• Used by all first responders, at all levels
• Creates a common operating picture and mutual
  goals
• Puts forth the Incident Command System (ICS)
• The Incident Command System (ICS)
• Put forth by NIMS
• Uses a single management system
• Facilitates effective response

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Key NIMS and ICS Principles

• Emergencies require certain tasks or functions to
  be performed ICS provides structure
• Nature of the incident determines level of ICS
  activation ICS is expandable and collapsible
• Incident command - one incident commander
• May vary for different types of incidents
• May change during incident response
• Clear, pre-determined responsibilities and
  reporting lines
• Uses common terminology and plain language

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Emergency Management Drills

• Define frequency, responsibilities and procedures
  for
• Fire evacuation drills
• Severe weather drills
• Lockdown drills
• Include students and staff
• Use Curve ball contingencies
• Conduct after-action reporting

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Tabletop Exercises

• Informal gathering of partners to orally review
  and practice the emergency plans elements
• Provides an opportunity to
• Clarify roles of involved parties during an
  emergency
• Identify resources needed in an emergency
• Identify and address gaps that may exist in
  current plan
• Build relationships

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Full-Scale Exercises

• Requires extensive planning and a planning team
• Conducted in collaboration with community
  partners including law enforcement and fire
  personnel
• Focuses on specific elements of an emergency
  scenario
• Used to help identify and address gaps that may
  exist in current plan and identify training needs

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Take Precautions

• Ensure everyone involved understands the event is
  a drill and not an actual incident. 
• Use Website, community announcements, school
  communications,
• Use signs and other notices for observers and
  passersby or observers
• Discuss with students before

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Communication with the Media and Parents/Guardians

• Public Information Officer reports directly to
  the Incident Commander responsible for
  communications during an emergency
• Template media statements
• Prior communications with parents/guardians
• Staff and students

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Student Accountability Procedure

• Define in advance how students will be accounted
  for
• Before classes
• During classes
• In between classes
• After classes, and
• In the case of an emergency

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Parent/GuardianReunification Procedure

• Need for accurate contact information
• Define notification procedures
• Need for clear instructions to parents/guardians
  photo identification

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Preparedness Phase Summary

• What you can do
• Integrate the Incident Command System
• Define Response protocols and procedures
• Address the needs of persons with disabilities
• Develop communications procedures and templates
• Develop student accountability procedures
• Develop reunification procedures
• Practice tabletops, drills, and full-scale
  exercises

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Section 4 Response Phase
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What is the Response Phase?

• When emergency management plans are activated to
  effectively contain and resolve an emergency
• Activate the Plan
• Deploy Resources
• Activate Communications Plan
• Work with Community Partners/First Responders
• Account for Students and Staff
• Make Informed Decisions

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Key Elements of Response

• Activate the plan and the ICS
• Work with first responders and other community
  partners
• Assess of the problem and determine response
• Deploy resources and make informed decisions
• Account for students, faculty, and staff
• Reunify parents/guardians with students
• Initiate transition to the Recovery Phase
• Conduct an after-action assessment as a tool for
  learning and improvement

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Response Actions

• During an emergency, there are three primary
  responses
• Evacuation
• Lockdown
• Shelter-in-place
• Each response decision will depend on the
  specifics and the severity of the situation

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Response Actions Evacuation

• Use when locations outside the school are safer
  than inside the school
• Identify multiple evacuation routes in
  coordination with community partners
• Determine how teachers will account for students
• Ensure teachers, staff members, and
  administrators have appropriate Go-kits

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Response Actions Lockdown

• Use when there is an immediate threat of violence
  in, or immediately around, the school.
• Lock all exterior doors, if safe to do so
• Ensure public safety officials can enter the
  building
• Follow predetermined policy about closing blinds,
  turning off lights, and using status cards
• Move all staff and students to an area not
  visible from windows or doors

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Response Actions Shelter-in-Place

• Use when students and staff must remain indoors
  during an extended period of time
• Close all windows and turn off all heating and
  air conditioning systems
• Plan for interrupted class schedules with
  substitute activities
• Provide accommodations for eating, sleeping and
  personal hygiene
• Have staff activate family emergency plans

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Response Communications

• Messages to students and staff (plain language
  vs. codes, use of placards)
• Messages to parents
• Discourage external cellular communications by
  students and staff during emergencies

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Post-Incident Review

• Hot wash vs. After-action reviews
• Hot wash A brief meeting shortly after an event
  intended to capture immediate impressions or
  explanations of actions.
• After-action review A thorough debrief and
  evaluation approximately a week following an
  event to capture key lessons learned from
  emergency response and make recommendations for
  improvements.

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Response Phase Summary

• What you need to do during Response
• Activate the ICS
• Coordinate with first responders
• Adapt to an evolving situation
• Decide on Response strategies
• Account for students reunify with
  parents/guardians
• Communicate with parents/guardians and the media

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Section 5 Recovery Phase
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Recovery Phase

• Designed to assist students, staff, and their
  families in the healing process and to restore
  educational operations in schools.
• Has four primary components
• Physical/structural recovery
• Business/fiscal recovery
• Restoration of the learning environment
• Psychological/emotional recovery
• Connected to other phases
• Uses an all-hazards approach
• Supported with community partners

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Physical and Structural Recovery

• Physical/structural recovery addresses
• Assessment and repair of facilities
• Possible need for alternative sites or buildings
  due to extensive damage
• Business and fiscal recovery addresses
• Payroll and financial systems
• Student registration systems
• Record Management

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Academic Recovery

• Academics the primary purpose of schools
• Important in restoring normalcy in the school
  environment
• Close link to Physical and Structural Recovery
  Strategies
• Doubling up classes
• Utilizing portable classrooms and community
  buildings
• Distance learning
• Emotional recovery can also greatly impact
  academic recovery

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What is Psychological/Emotional Recovery?

• Purpose Promote coping and support resiliency
  for students and staff following an emergency
• Key steps to take with community partners
• Recognize factors that may impact recovery
• Provide Psychological First Aid
• Establish a system for identifying and monitoring
  children and staff who may need additional
  support
• Develop short- and long-term interventions as
  needed

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Adjustment Over Time in Crisis
A baseline functioning B event C vulnerable
state D usual coping mechanisms fail E
helplessness, hopelessness F improved
functioning
G continued impairment (PTS) H return to
baseline I post-traumatic growth
I
B
A
H
C
G
F
E
D
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Spectrum of Mental Health Interventions
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Why Psychological First Aid?

• When bad things happen children and adolescents
  are the most vulnerable victims.
• The day before I started high school my mom
  found my brother and his wife, dead.
• There was a man who had a gun and ran into our
  school. We had to put the school on lockdown.
• The water came through the house and I was
  drowning, and I didnt see my parents nowhere.

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How Do Some Adults Deal with Child Trauma?

• I dont know what to say and Im afraid Ill
  make it worse
• Resulting Student Perceptions
• I had a couple teachers that did not get the
  point at all.
• I dont really talk to them because they dont
  know where Im coming from, like nobody
  understands my pain.

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How Do Students Deal with Trauma?

• Sometimes I talk to some of my teachers because
  I have my favorites, they ones I feel comfortable
  talking to.

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With Psychological First Aid?

• Every Adult On Campus
• Plays an Important Role

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The Responsibility of Caring Adults
Psychological First Aid after School Crises

• Listen
• Protect
• Connect
• Model
• Teach

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Recovery Phase Summary

• What you can do
• Inventory assets and estimate replacement values
• Assess damages using a damage assessment team
  effectively manage reparations
• Partner with mental health resources in the
  community make counseling available
• Identify/implement creative alternatives to
  continue learning

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REMS TA Center

• For additional information, resources and
  technical assistance, please contact the
  Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools
  (REMS) Technical Assistance (TA) Center
• Phone [phone] (REMS)
• Email remstacenter_at_seiservices.com
• Website http//rems.ed.gov