Glossary of Terms & Concepts

Assembly Area

A pre-designated area where personnel and students are trained to gather following directives to evacuate buildings.  Sites chosen should minimize exposure to hazards, provide quick and accessible shelter for all and consider the needs of persons with disabilities.  Monitoring the safety and well-being of students and staff begins here.  Most experienced trained crisis interveners should be assigned here and begin the provision of on scene support. 

Briefing

An educational and informational presentation to groups following a crisis or critical incident.  Objectives would include; sharing the official nature and scope of the event to reduce and dispel rumors, provide details concerning the plan of action the school is taking to manage the crisis and mitigate its effects and group education in stress management within naturally occurring support systems. 

Communication

Plans should have established lines of internal communication (i.e., within the school), external communication (i.e., with the district office & community).  Plans should include provisions for after-hours communication (telephone tree), and alternate means if telephone lines are disabled. 

Community 

A group of persons who are closely affiliated.  Affiliation may be natural, such as a neighborhood, school, fire service, or other existing organizations or groups or they may be artificial such as passengers on a plane who are affiliated by the mutual experience of a crisis or critical incident.

Coping skills

A range of thoughts, feelings and behaviors utilized to decrease the negative effects of an experience or to master a threatening situation.   Individuals who have successfully worked through past traumatic events often develop strengths and coping skills that help them and others facing current traumatic events.  

Crisis

A state in which coping skills are overwhelmed leaving the individual feeling out of control, helpless and anxious.         

Crisis Intervention

The application of short term repeated interventions designed to support problem solving, reduce feelings of isolation, helplessness and anxiety and promote return to normal functioning.  Crisis intervention practice over the past 20 years has been multidisciplinary.  Paraprofessionals and volunteers have been primary caregivers (Caplan, 1964) 

Critical Incidents

Events that overwhelm an individual’s capacity to cope.  They are psychologically traumatic, cause emotional turmoil and cognitive problems and often result in behavioral changes.  These effects can be lasting, depending upon the quality of the experiences during and shortly after the incident.

Defusing

A group crisis intervention technique conducted by a trained facilitator.  It provides a supportive, safe interactive process among individuals in small groups, providing clarity and complete expression of the event and experiences.   

District Support Team

Initially, the Team directs the process of adapting this guide to reflect local conditions.  Ongoing, the District Support Team serves to assist the schools when an emergency occurs and the need exceeds the school’s resources.

Drop-in-room

A safe welcoming place for students to gather during the school day with their peers for group and one-on-one support from trained crisis intervention team members after a traumatic event, such as the death of a fellow student or teacher. 

Emergency Management Response Plan

A written document as a consolidated plan to prevent and/or mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies.  It is the modified version of this guide, tailored and fine-tuned to meet the unique needs and resources of a given school.  The plan includes Emergency Response Team assignments, emergency numbers, protocols, etc. 

Emergency Response Team

School-based teams of individuals with specific duties to perform in order to prepare for, and respond to, emergencies.  The Team develops the plan to meet individual school needs, and implements the plan should the need arise. 

Emergency Response Protocols

Emergency Response Protocols are the step-by-step procedures for schools to implement in the event of an emergency.

Grief

The normal, healthy, appropriate response to death or loss.  Each person grieves in his or her own way, learned by experience with loss over the years.  It is described as a journey through an intense range of emotions; including denial and isolation, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.  

Incident Command System

Is a nationally recognized organizational structure designed to handle: Management, Operations, Logistics, Planning, and Administration & Finance.  The ICS allows for appropriate utilization of facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures, and communications.  The Incident Commander is the highest-ranking official in charge of the emergency response operations accomplish stated objectives pertaining to an incident. 

Incident Commander

Highest ranking official in charge and responsible for the emergency/disaster operations.  The Incident Commander (in a school setting the IC is typically the Principal or his/her designee) directs from a command post set up in close proximity to the incident. 

Individual Consultation

A crisis intervention technique utilized by a trained peer counselor or mental health professional in a one-on-one confidential contact utilizing a structured model. 

Leadership

The importance of strong leadership cannot be overstated.  Leadership ensures that emergency preparedness will be a priority and that adequate resources will be allocated to create and implement district and school-based plans.  At the district level leadership should come directly from the superintendent, at the school level, from the principal. 

Mitigation

Mitigation refers to any action taken to reduce the adverse effects of an emergency.  These actions can be to eliminate existing hazards, to respond effectively when an emergency arises, or to assist in recovery in the aftermath of an emergency.  Mitigation is also any action taken to reduce the likelihood of loss of life or property.  Applies to pre-crisis steps, as well as crisis intervention techniques designed to reduce the psychological and emotional effects following a traumatic event. 

Peers

Emergency services and school personal trained as peer counselors who provide crisis intervention services following crises and disasters. 

Practice

Practicing the plan consists of drills, tabletop exercises, orientation for staff, etc.  It is generally recommended that schools start with basic orientation and tabletop exercises prior to engaging in full-scale simulations or drills. 

Preparedness

Preparedness is the process designed to prepare the school community for potential emergencies.  This is accomplished by coordinating with community partners through the development of policies and protocols, Incident Command Systems, training and exercises 

Public Information Officer (PIO)

The official spokesperson designated by an organization to coordinate internal and external communications.  This person handles  all requests for information and proactively provides consistent, accurate and timely information.  This person is responsible for establishing a staging area for the media.   This person or their assistant/designee is to maintain a log of all actions and communications given.  This person will also prepare press releases, will keep the Incident Commander appraised and keeps all documentation to support history of the event.   

Recovery

Recovery is the process of assisting with physical, psychological and emotional trauma associated with experiencing tragic events.  Recovery during an emergency can address immediate short-term needs, while ongoing recovery can last for months or years.  Depending upon the type of emergency the recovery phase may also include the Business Continuity Plan (BCP) and/or the Continuity Of Operations Plan (COOP). 

Referral

During individual and group crisis intervention sessions, trained peers and mental health professionals are actively assessing and monitoring the overall status of survivors.  Any indication of the need for medical supervision or the threat of harm to self or to others requires immediate transfer to appropriate level/provider of care.   

Response

Response is the implementation of Universal Emergency Procedures and/or Emergency Response Protocols to maximize the health, safety and well being of individuals in the school community. 

Shock

Psychological and emotional defense shield characterized by numbness, confusion and disorientation during which time the full impact of what has happened is not totally absorbed by the survivor. 

Shelter in Place

Procedure designed to protect individuals from an outside influence such as release of chemicals.  Usual procedures include: closing doors and windows; placing tape or wet towels around doors, windows and vents; and turning off pilot lights, air conditioning and exhaust fans.  No one leaves the room until further instructions are given.  

Social Support

A term utilized by social scientists to describe positive interactions among people.  These exchanges may involve passing along information, offering material help or providing emotional support. The health implications of these exchanges are especially important during times of stress, life transitions and crises.  One’s relationship with spouse, friends, family, co-workers and neighbors can buffer stress and have a positive effect on physical and mental health.   Research with disaster survivors demonstrates the importance of social support to their recovery.  Supportive relationships are equally important to emergency service workers in coping with stress and maintaining health.  

Student Release

This is a pre-planned process to assure the reunification of students with their families and significant others. May involve setting up separate request and release stations to insure accountability and crowd control. 

Training

Training is important on at least three levels: 1) Team Training for general emergency preparedness; 2) Training to address specific emergency response or recovery activities and 3) awareness training for all staff (i.e., Universal Emergency Procedures). 

Unified command

A unified team effort which allows all agencies with responsibility for the incident, either geographical or functional, to manage an incident by establishing a common set of incident objectives and strategies.  This is accomplished without losing or abdicating agency authority, responsibility or accountability. 

Universal Emergency Procedures

Universal Emergency Procedures are a set of clear directives that may be implemented across a number of emergency situations.  These procedures include Evacuation, Shelter in Place, Drop, Cover, and Hold, Reverse Evacuation, and Lockdown.