Emergency Management Resource Guide

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Emergency Guide
  (Printable Full VersionPDF)
Phases of Emergency
  Mitigation
  ∙ Preparedness
  ∙ Response
  ∙ Recovery

  ∙ Communications
Incident Com System
Emergency Management
  Universal Procedures
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Emergency Protocols
School Plan
District Plan
Recovery
References/Resources
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Using the Guide

Using the Guide

This Emergency Response Guide template is designed to assist schools and districts in the creation and use of custom-made Emergency Response Plans.  As mentioned previously, this template is organized around four distinct planning venues or phases of emergency management; they are:

 1.  Mitigation/ Prevention
2. 
Preparedness
3. 
Response
4. 
Recovery.
 

This planning protocol allows the school district and individual schools to customize their plans to address the unique needs of their specific location.  This template, however, allows this planning to be done in a consistent manner (planning format) district wide.

New “best practices” for handling emergency situations become available on an ongoing basis, and  new emergency situations emerge over time.  Therefore, this guide should always be a “working document,” and after initial completion, should be updated on a regular basis. This should become a real “Living/Working Document”.

District Preparedness – District Support Team

Consistency of the school and district plans is of utmost importance. District preparedness should begin with the superintendent and School Board making a firm decision to update the district’s Emergency Response Plan, and communicating that decision to staff.  The next step is forming a District Support Team to begin the planning process (superintendent, building and grounds, security, transportation, student support, mental health, social work, maintenance, administrators located in the school setting, etc.).

Next, the district should identify local community agencies that can be invited to the planning process (police, fire department, emergency medical, hospitals, mental health, public health, local/regional emergency management agency, etc.).  The superintendent should delegate one person (a district employee with at least one back up) to have primary responsibility for overseeing the process of adapting this guide to local needs.  There is no “cookie cutter” approach that will fit all districts or schools. Schools and districts should use this document as a basis from which a local plan can be derived. This individual (and his/her back-up) will serve as a liaison between district employees, community representatives and will have responsibility to convene and lead meetings, to set a timeline for plan development and to direct changes to be made in the district’s emergency response plan.                                   

The District Support Team should review the contents of this Emergency Management Resource Guide and conduct a review of area hazards (i.e., areas of potential flooding, factories with dangerous chemicals, mines, areas prone to severe weather conditions, etc.).  It would be helpful to check with the local Office of Emergency Management, Office of Homeland Security and other local response partners to see what type of hazard assessment they have already conducted in and around your schools.  The Team should then review and modify each emergency protocol to reflect local needs and circumstances in order to prevent and/or mitigate the impact of an emergency should one arise.

Since job titles in different districts may have very different meanings, throughout the guide the district team will need to update local school district job titles using appropriate local terms (some schools and districts have found it constructive to follow the titles utilized within the Incident Command System (ICS) National Incident Management System (NIMS). Each of these titles has a specific role during an emergency and is directed by the Incident Commander (typically the building principal until he/she transfers this responsibility to someone else depending upon the nature of the emergency).

It is important to note that at the present time the only school districts that are required to fully comply with the NIMS requirements are those districts that are receiving funding under the Emergency Response and Crisis Management Grant program (Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools) through the U.S. Department of Education.  Regardless of the grant funding status, serious consideration should be given to using this structure in as much that it will provide consistency and will be aligned with local responders who are required to use this planning and response configuration.  For more specific information on NIMS for schools go to http://www.training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/IS100SC.asp 

Upon completing the revision of this guide, the District Support Team’s role changes to that of support and leadership.  The District Support Team functions to assist schools in the coordination and allocation of needed resources when the need imposed by the current situation exceeds the school’s normal resources. 

School-Centered Planning

After the District Support Team has completed its revision of the guide, each school and support building should create a site-specific Emergency Response Plan.  To do this, the school will need to establish an Emergency Management Response Team to review their site’s existing emergency plan, or to develop a new plan using this guide as a model.  Using the outline, sample forms, and protocols provided in the district’s updated guide, schools can create an emergency plan which includes a designated chain of command, specific roles for team members, and school specific procedures to implement in the event of an emergency.

Each school district will need to determine how best to conduct the training and implementation process in individual schools.  For smaller districts, the district team may be able to assist on a school-by-school basis.  Larger districts will need a more coordinated and systematic way to conduct training for school-centered teams to better prepare them to adapt the district plan to their individual school needs.

Communication and Practice

The final step in the emergency response planning process is to communicate and practice the plan.  The District Support Team holds the responsibility to assist each school in conducting awareness trainings and in practicing various elements of emergency protocols.  While most schools are adept at practicing techniques such as fire drills and severe weather, most are not well rehearsed in planning for such events as a chemical release, threats to self or others, intruders and other possible emergencies,

This Guide represents an effort to bring together elements of an all-hazards approach to emergency management for natural, technological, climate and culture, infrastructure, non-structural, biological, physical well being and man made incidents.

Summary

In summary, the process of using this guide involves the following three steps.  Suggestions will be provided throughout this template to assist districts in adapting the guide for local use.

A District Support Team, in collaboration with community partners creates a district model emergency response plan.  It is important to base the plan(s) upon this template, but tailored to local needs.

The District coordinates training for School-Centered Emergency Response Teams to adapt the district guide for school-specific needs.


Emergency Management Resource Guide
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