Preparedness
Preparedness is the process of
deciding what you will do in the event of an
emergency, before
the emergency actually occurs. The activities
under this heading ready schools and school
districts to rapidly respond in a coordinated
manner. Preparedness involves the coordination
of efforts between the local school district,
individual schools and the community at large.
Some
examples of “Preparedness” activities are:
·
Identify and incorporate procedures
for individuals with special needs
·
Identify and acquire emergency
supplies – “go kits” (administration and classroom)
·
Identifying weaknesses in the current
emergency management plan
·
Interpreting the data collected from
the vulnerability assessments conducted during the
mitigation/prevention phase
·
Creating and strengthening
relationships with community partners, including
members of law enforcement, fire safety, local
government, public health and mental health agencies
and the media.
·
Establishing an Incident Command
System (ICS)
·
Implementing functional training
exercises for faculty and staff with first
responders
·
Implementing evacuation, lockdown and
shelter-in-place drills
·
Coordinating emergency management
plans with those of state and local agencies to
avoid unnecessary duplication
(These
examples were taken from The Emergency Response
Technical Assistance Center, ERCM Express,
Volume 2, Issue 8.)
School Plans
Individual school safety plans should be
preventative in nature. This would include
addressing proactive solutions to eliminate or
mitigate identified safety concerns found as a
result of a
school safety assessment and/or a vulnerability
assessment process. Emergency
Management Response Plans should include: Incident
Command Structure, roles and responsibilities of
Emergency Management Team Members, and emergency
protocols to follow for emergency situations.
Each school’s plan should reflect the school’s
unique characteristics and needs and should take
those local areas of concern surrounding the school
into consideration.
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