The Eyes and Ears of the Community

Bad Weather

On Sunday morning, Mother Nature howled a bit and dumped eight inches of snow on the ground.  For awhile Marion County was under a Department of Homeland Security travel warning.  However, at the end of the storm, warmer air moved in.

Still, overnight the temperatures fell, leading to re-freezing on the roadways.  This led to another two-hour delay for Monday morning.  It's nice to get the day off slowly, but it does compress the rest of the day, making it feel hectic.

Eyes and Ears

One thing school bus drivers do for which they rarely get credit is to serve as spotters for first responders. On several occasions Monday, it was our school bus drivers who saw cars slide off the road on icy patches.  They would radio me, and I would then call the 911 Call Center to report it.

Our drivers are really good about knowing their territory, and they do not hesitate to let us know if they see something out of the ordinary.  Along these lines, the drivers have done something which has made me very proud, while at the same time taking a giant step forward in keeping our children, and our community, safe.

Several weeks back, I informed the drivers of The First Observer Program, through the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).  The First Observer™ Program provides knowledge to transportation professionals that allow them to observe, assess and report suspicious individuals, vehicles, packages, and objects.  It also teaches them to share security-related information with the proper authorities; andgives them the basics of terrorism planning and preparedness.

 

After watching three short videos, totaling 45 minutes, the driver receives a certificate of completion.  This is done entirely on the driver's own time, with no compensation.  When drivers let me know they had completed the training, I printed them a certificate which I then posted on the wall by the time clock.  As of Monday, well over half of my personnel had completed the training, including substitute drivers and bus aides.  To say I am proud would be an understatement!

I rest easier knowing that my fleet is crewed by alert, caring professionals. 

2 Students Wounded in After-School Shooting

After-School Shooting

Frederick High School and West Frederick Middle School in Maryland were closed February 5 following a February 4 shooting outside the high school gymnasium.  The shooting, which left 2 students injured, occurred during a basketball game. The high school went on lockdown for 3 hours after shots were fired and authorities continued to search for suspects.

The shooting occurred at 8pm during a junior varsity game between rivals Frederick High  School and Governor Thomas Johnson High School.   The game's attendees were evacuated to the schools's cafeteria while police officers cleared the school.  The police are reportedly looking into possible gang involvement.

After-School Events

After-school events are often overlooked by schools in their emergency management preparations.  These are special events that require special protocols.  At the heart of any protocol is the implementation of the Incident Command System (ICS).  Every event should have an Incident Commander, safe areas should be identified, and as with any protocols, first responders should be consulted when developing and exercising any protocols.

Managing a large group of kids and adults in an emergency is different than handling classrooms.  These differences should be reflected in the protocols.

Many Athletic Directors have ideas about how to handle these situations.  They just need to incorporate these ideas into effective protocols.

Which First Responder Agency do You Trust in School Safety Planning?

Brian Gard is a colleague of mine. He works up in Michigan, where he helps maintain the safety and security of the schools in his care.

He recently sent me a question he got from one of his teachers:
"On pg. 12 in our School Crisis Response Team Plan it says that staff should, “close all windows and doors in your area of responsibility.” In this case we took everyone into our boys/girls restrooms because that is the safeties place in our building with no windows. When we had the local police department here last year for a Tornado Drill they had shared with me that we should not close the restroom doors because the people inside may get trapped. What they had shared with me is that if they are opened the police department/fire department can get to them much quicker in the case that a fire had started and or there were items pushed up against the door. So my question is, is it safe to close our restroom doors with people in them during a tornado?"

Brian was asking for advice, and I was glad to give it, as it leads to an important point.

Point #1: When preparing your school for tornadoes, it is best to consult with those who have expertise in that area. I would not go to the NOAA's Storm Prediction Center to ask for their help with Active Shooter Incidents, and I would not recommend going to the police for tornado sheltering advice. The local EMA and/or fire department would be a better way to go in this circumstance.

Point #2: I was happy to see that the school was coordinating with law enforcement. Schools would benefit from more of this coordination, as long as they ask the right people about the right topic.

Point #3: Closed doors improve the stability of the wall. The closed door also provides a barrier to the countless missiles that are created during a tornado.

Make sure you are coordinating your school safety efforts with local first responders, and make sure you are coordinating with the right people. That's how you can Stay Alive in schools.

Keeping it Real

Reynoldsburg High School

First responders in Reynoldsburg County, Ohio conducted a full-scale exercise last week. The training exercise started with a bomb threat at a Reynoldsburg library.  Then, vapor was reported leaking from a suspicious vehicle near the high school. That was followed by an explosion in the parking lot. After that, a gunman forced his way into the school, shooting those in his path.

For several hours, first responders from about a dozen agencies in Reynoldsburg, Pickerington, Whitehall and Bexley, and Franklin, Fairfield and Licking counties cooperated to evacuate students, rescue victims and neutralize the threats.

Analysis
Students were present during the exercises, being exposed to the sights, sounds and chaos of the situation.  Whether students should be present or not is a topic for another debate.  What I would like to address is the exercise itself.

This blog is not about analyzing right or wrong in the above exercise, but to take a moment to share with schools what their exercise program should look like. 

FEMA and Homeland Security have established that a robust, progressive exercise program is best practice for emergency management, especially in schools.  Being progressive means that each type of exercise is preceded by another, with each exercise developing skills that build upon skills learned in earlier exercises.  There are various types beginning with the very simple, to the very complex, and increasingly hazardous.

For schools, any exercise program should begin with an orientation.  This is where all patrons are alerted to the various types of protocols their district has, and their role in those protocols.  This can be done in a classroom, using a lecture format.  Many schools do this at the beginning of the year.  Remember to document attendance, and to provide a similar orientation for substitute teachers.

Drills are used to practice a specific skill.  For example, an evacuation drill practices the act of getting students out of the building as safely and quickly as possible.  If you add additional skills to be practiced, it ceases to be a drill, and becomes an exercise.  Remember, drills focus on one skill.  What skill is being practiced requires assessment and planning.

Tabletop exercises are a low-stress way of practicing a developed protocol.  They can range from a formal type using multiple agencies, to scenario-based exercises that ask the important question, "What do I do when.....?" It is not necessary to hire someone to conduct a tabletop for you, as they are relatively simple to plan and execute.  If you do hire someone, make sure they are building internal capacity.  Take a hard look at vendors who insist on returning for "recertification".

Functional exercises are more complex, and introduce more stress through realistic messages.  For example, calling a school to deliver a bomb threat (Make sure they know it's coming!) and then having that person call 911 to report it trains the school personnel to react under simulated stress.  The scope is still relatively narrow, but operating correctly under stress increases confidence, and identifies issues with the protocol that may not have been identified otherwise.

Full-scale exercises should only be conducted after all protocols and procedures have been rigorously tested by prior exercises and drills.  They use full mobilization of resources, thus increasing the complexity and danger.  They are not something to just do to show everyone that you are doing something.  They require careful planning, preparation and communication with all stakeholders.

Information on Exercise Design can be found at FEMA's EMI Institute.  The courses are free, and well worth the time.