preparedness planning how to respond when an emergency or disaster occurs

Preparedness

Planning how to respond when an

emergency or disaster occurs

What is Currently Being Done? US Department of Education website for emergency

preparedness www.ed.gov/emergency plan Federal funds to help school districts improve and

strengthen emergency response FY 2004 $30 million “Practical Information on Crisis Planning: a Guide for

Schools and Communities” May 2003 CDC funds education and health agencies FEMA: The Multi-Hazard Emergency Planning for

Schools Independent Study Course FEMA for Kids, www.fema.gov/kids

What are the Gaps?

No coordination between preparedness activities

Few activities are designed to foster collaboration between education, public health, and other emergency responders at the state or local level

School plans are often treated as a separate plan rather than as part of the community plan

School plans tend not to be practiced as part of larger community preparedness exercises.

Oklahoma City -- Lessons Learned

Contingency planning contributes to an effective response

Lessons learned also apply to natural disasters, industrial accidents and other catastrophes

If disaster planning is part of the rhythm of a community, lives will be saved.

Planning for the Unthinkable… Have a Plan Test Your Plan Share Your Plan Repeat Exercises... and Then Do It Again If You Can’t Afford Repeated Exercises, At

Least Review Your Plans Forge Relationships Prepare Lists of Vendors and Service Providers

Communications Communication technology—the physical ability to send

and receive a message Disasters Overwhelm Telephone Networks Provide Alternate Communication Methods Use the Internet Consider Interoperability of Radio Equipment Use Mass Media as an Alternate Means

Social communication—the content of the message Avoid Jargon Keep Your Workers Informed Communicate Among Agencies Have Up-to-date Contact Information

Media Use them to inform and educate You cannot over-plan for dealing with the Media Plan for a credentialing system Who says what? Set a schedule Use Media to your advantage Use the Media to make public announcements

The Media will get their story…

Sample School Personnel Roles

School Role Possible Role in Terrorism Planning

School Safety Specialist and School Security Staff

Link to county emergency management agency.

School Nurse(s) Link to local health department (LHD

Chemistry/Physics Teachers

Link to nearest HazMat Team

Student Services Personnel such as Counselors, Social Workers, Psychologists

Recognize the psychological impact of terrorism

The America Prepared Campaign

Preparedness in America’s Schools: A Comprehensive

Look at Terrorism Preparedness in America’s Twenty Largest

School Districts

The America Prepared Campaign

Non-profit, non-partisan initiative Began in 2003 Board of Directors and 14 national

experts in emergency preparedness, media, marketing, government, and business

Funded by Alfred P. Sloan and John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundations

The Standard US Department of Education Practical

Information on Crisis Planning: A Guide For Schools and Communities

America Prepared rated the largest 20 school districts in US in relation to their Preparedness Planning Drilling Communicating

Best/Good/Needs Improvement/Failing

Preparedness

Planning: comprehensive response to a terrorist attack or major natural disaster

Drills: conduct monthly drills of that plan Communication: communicate to parents the

pertinent details of the plan; parents should know procedure for reuniting with children

The Results “BEST” (3): has comprehensive and sensible

emergency plan that deals directly with terrorist threats; has necessary supplies on hand

“GOOD” (7): has made significant progress toward the goal of preparedness while still needing some significant improvements

“NEEDS IMPROVEMENT” (7):needs serious action in one or more areas

“FAILING” (2):has performed unsatisfactorily in all three areas: planning, drilling and communication

Fairfax County, Virginia Number of Schools: 241 Students: 166,601 the most prepared district exhaustive emergency plan have some of the supplies:

kits with flashlights and first aid kits

Model for DOE templates for schools communication templates for

teachers and principals plan defines key roles

planned response actions for terrorist emergencies

continually perform drills (table-tops once a year with police; fire and tornado drills; walkthroughs of shelter-in-place and lockdowns)

information on website in seven languages -- specific information about what parents should do in an emergency

Montgomery County, Maryland Number of Schools: 190 Number of Students: 139,203 model of preparedness exemplary multi-hazard crisis

plan comprehensive checklist for

schools communicate details of the

parent/child reunification process to parents

emergency codes used in Montgomery: Code Red, Code Blue, and Code Blue Shelter-in-Place

guidance on suspected chemical, biological, and radiological incidents

two code red and two code blue drills a year, in addition to 10 fire drills

www.schoolsout.com

Chicago, Illinois Number of Schools: 613 Students: 434,419 Failing grade 25 percent of schools do not

have an emergency plan of any kind

Another 50 percent of plans are inadequate

School district, Police and Fire departments do not work together in planning

No back-up communication system

Parents are poorly informed No special supplies in the

school Drills only include fire drills No guidance on suspected

chemical, biological, and radiological incidents

Response

Providing emergency assistance immediately

following a disaster

What is Currently Being Done?

CDC’s Public Health Preparedness and Response for Bioterrorism

The Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS)

Dept of ED program to certify teachers and other school staff in first aid.

What are the Gaps? Lack of coordination and communication between

public health, education, and other first responders State and local education agencies are not included

on terrorism response planning committees Little attention has been given to the possibility that

students might need to be quarantined at school. Schools and other first responders must be able to immediately address parent concerns about their children’s health and safety.

Incident Command System Assures uniformity of command structure used by

various responding parties Provides for common, easily understood language Promotes a manageable span of command

(typically no more than seven individuals reporting to one supervisor)

Coordinates use of resources Arranges for safety of responders Coordinates messages to the public and the media

September 11, 2001

“I learned an important lesson on that day…that I could only run as fast as my slowest child.”

Teacher, P.S. 234 New York City

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.



Uncommon Sense, Uncommon Courage

How the New York City School System, Its

Teachers, Leadership, and Students Responded to

the Terror of September 11



The Report Decision Making Transportation Facilities and Support Food Services Communication Curriculum Mental Health FiscalStudent Safety Key Findings



Timeline 8:46 am Plane hits Tower #1

WTC 9:02 Plane hits Tower #2 WTC;

schools in immediate area evacuate

9:21 subways and busses are disrupted; bridges and tunnels closed

9:59 South tower #2 collapses 10:29 North tower #1 collapses;

airspace shut down 9:57 pm closed schools next day 1:00 am (9/12) all students

accounted for



The scene…… 8 public schools within 1/4 mile of Ground Zero; 5 were

in immediate danger 9,000 students ages 3 - 18; ALL were evacuated

without injury ALL 1.1 million students in every part of the city got

home safety 2,800 people died in the towers, including 343 FDNY

and 60 NYPD personnel 1,493 students lost someone in their family Many of the 9,000 witnessed the collapse of the towers

Disaster planning was key… Effective decision making is critical Emergency response plans must be dynamic The safety and well-being of responders must

be a priority Communications will be compromised Resources will be stressed The recovery phase usually lasts longer than

once can predict

Decision Making

Safe evacuation of all accomplished through on-the-ground decision making

Responding to the “unthinkable” requires intelligence, creativity, and courage

Fire drills were key Follow plans Change plans

More decisions……

How students reached safety Fears that children were in danger, injured or

dead Terrorism promotes a particular kind of chaos Consider geography in plans

Communication Technological interruptions/failures Keep communication flowing Communication into the BOE Communication from the BOE

Keeping children safe and getting them reunited with their families was the underlying message that drove all communication on 9/11.

Communication Recommendations

Communicate safety plans with parents Share with other emergency responders the

complete safety plans Have three redundant systems of

communication Coordinate these systems with emergency

response agencies Plan process to communicate with the media Have single and approved source of information

“No one is ready for something like this.” Harold O. Levy, Chancellor



High School of Leadership and Public Service ~Ada Dolch, Principal

A leader who saw a situation, assessed it and engaged in on-the-ground decision making

A thorough knowledge of the physical layout Tools of communication - walkie-talkies A well informed and talented professional staff Well developed evacuation plan that had been practiced A disciplined group of students who knew how to follow

directives A leader who advocated on behalf of her community

Table - top Exercise Form into groups of participants. You are the school crisis team for Anywhere Elementary

School (grades K - 5; 400 students) in a district of 25,000 students. The principal has called you together as the crisis team one evening at 7:00PM. The principal tells you that one of your 3rd grade students, Emily, has been found murdered in the park one block from your school. The news will be reported on the 11:00 PM news broadcast. The family has been notified.

Who will be impacted? What emotions will you probably see?

What will you do to support the students and staff the next day?

Exercise, part 2 Additional news: it is now 2 weeks after the murder. No

suspect has been arrested though there has been extensive media coverage.

A second elementary age student, from a different school in the area, is found murdered. There are no witnesses and no leads to the suspect. The next day a third student (from a third school) is found murdered.

At this time the superintendent receives a note that says, “Your children are not safe anywhere at anytime.”

What additional steps does your crisis team take to ensure the safety of your students?

How do these additional murders impact the students and staff at your school?

Recovery

Restoring people to physical and mental

health; restoring vital systems

What is Currently Being Done? Project School Emergency Response to

Violence (Project SERV) Guide for Intermediate and Long-Term Mental

Health Services after School-Related Violent Events

Coping with Traumatic Events, Tips for Teachers

National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN)

Trauma Information Pamphlet for Teachers

What are the Gaps? Only a small percentage of children in the

United States receive the mental health treatment they need

Lack of information on baseline mental health of children in the absence of a terrorist event.

Anxious or ill children do not learn well Little information is available to help school

officials understand what remediation actions are needed after a terrorist event

Emotional Responses to Terror/Trauma

Fear Loss of control Anger Loss of stability Confusion

National Association of School Psychologists: www.nasponline.org



9/11: A long road to recovery Occurred during regular

school hours thus causing immediate and severe psychological trauma - students and staff

1600 students and 900 staff members lost family members

Great potential for post traumatic stress disorder syndrome



The Partnership for the Recovery in New York City Schools

Within 24 hours, recommendations given on: how to explain the factual details of the disaster how to reassure children of their and their families’

safety how to connect children’s individual grief and feelings

of loss with the grief and feelings of loss of their communities

Resource guides provided to both parents and teachers on how to deal with and recognize the effects of trauma

Personal letters of condolence

Expanded mental health services

FEMA’s 60-day grant included: grief counseling, individual and group interventions, and the development of multi-disciplinary approaches to treatment

Direct services to children and families provided via a tier system: school-based services referred people to community-based organizations and to hospitals

Many mental health professionals offered their services pro bono

$5 million US Dept. of Ed Project SERV grant Quality control considerations

Additional mental health support

debriefing session with Board of Education personnel

mental health assessment comprised of a sample of 10,000 children PTSD symptoms: major depression, general

anxiety, agoraphobia, separation anxiety, and conduct disorder

Curriculum To foster a deeper comprehension about the

events of 9/11, in terms of grief and loss, and ward off violence toward those who were Muslim or appeared to be Muslim.

Goals: help students handle the grief and anger work with concepts of conflict resolution to develop a context of learning around the issues

NYC: Two Years Later

“Keep kids safe and they will be able to learn”

~Ada Dolch, Principal

High School of Leadership and Public Service at Ground Zero



We need to be better prepared… much better prepared than we are now.”~ Gregory Thomas, Director, National Center for Disaster Preparedness

Deeper and more professional ties with emergency management officials.

The allocation of appropriate budgets to safety departments. A moratorium on budget cuts for a 2-3 year period.

The development of training materials tailored for: principals, assistant principals, teachers, staff and children.

~ Gregory Thomas, Director, National Center for Disaster Preparedness

Sharing of knowledge on a coordinated basis by those individuals directly involved in 9/11 as well as in other school based disasters, like school shootings.

The engagement of parents, and community in planning and preparedness with specific reference to their role in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the students.

What we’ve learned……. While we may not be able to

prevent every major crisis, we can take actions to minimize the effects.

Major crises ~ natural and manmade ~ have a significant impact on schools, even when not directed at schools.

Dealing with mental health issues of students and staff is essential to the recovery process.

Every school must have a “multi-hazard” safety plan.



What we’ve learned…….

Schools need to foster linkages with communities: fire, police, mental health, victim services.

Practice makes perfect. Make schools a part of larger community drills.

Plan ahead. Things can be done today that will help you tomorrow.

Keeping schools safe is hard work!



Our Challenge

“We have to go after this with an attitude that terrorism will happen again. It is not the question of if anymore, but the question of what the next event is going to be. By preparing for the “imaginable” we prepare for the“unimaginable”.

~ Gregory Thomas, Director, National Center for Disaster Preparedness (2004)



National Association of School PsychologistsTerrorism Workgroup:

Cathy Kennedy Paine, Chair. Special Services Coordinator, Springfield School District, Springfield, Oregon

Craig Apperson, Program Supervisor, School Safety & Security Programs, Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, Olympia, Washington

Jenny Wildy, School Psychology Graduate Student, Eastern Kentucky University

Ralph E. (Gene) Cash, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Nova Southeastern University, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Sources used in this presentation: Apperson, C.D. OSPI Learning and Teaching Support. http://www.k12.wa.us/Safetycenter/ Brill, Steven, and Phinney, Allison. (2004) Preparedness in America’s Schools: A Comprehensive Look

at Terrorism Preparedness in America’s Largest School Districts. America Preparedness Campaign, Inc.

Brock, S.E., Sandoval, J., and Lewis, S. (2001) Preparing for Crises in the Schools, second edition. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Degnan, A. N. , (2004) Uncommon Sense, Uncommon Courage: How the New York City School System, Its Teacher, Leadership, and Students Responded to the Terror of September 11 . New York: Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

Diaz, A. (2003) National Advisory Committee on Children and Terrorism: Recommendations to the Secretary. Atlanta, Georgia: Centers for Disease Control.

Ingraham, L.M. (2003) Terrorism Supplement to the Checklist for a Safe and Secure School Environment. Indiana Department of Education.

International Meeting on Helping Schools Prepare for and respond to Terrorist Attacks. February 13-14, 2002. Washington, D.C.

Murphy, G.R., Davies, H.J., and Plotkin, M. (2004) Managing a Multijurisdictional Case: Identifying the Lessons Learned from the Sniper Investigation. Washington D.C: Police Executive Research Forum.

Practical Information of Crisis Planning: A Guide for Schools and Commuinities. (2003) U.S. Department of Education. www.ed.gov/emergencyplan

Schools and Terrorism. (2003) A Supplement to the National Advisory Committee on Children and Terrorism: Recommendations to the Secretary. Atlanta, Georgia: Centers for Disease Control.

preparedness planning how to respond when an emergency or disaster occurs

Documents

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emergency preparedness

media plan

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plan communication

plan parents

sensible emergency plan

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