Disaster and emergency preparedness Sammie miser Valley view elementary

WHY BE INFORMED? Disasters and emergencies happen unexpectedly. Being prepared is highly important for everyone, especially adults in charge. Parents trust teachers and faculty to not only educate their children, but to protect them everyday as well. The more informed we are the more prepared we will be, and the more we can educate our children about being prepared.

TYPES OF DISASTERS THAT WE COULD FACE Tornadoes Earthquakes Fires Winter storms Terrorists

How to begin Planning is the first step to take for making sure you are prepared. Every school needs to have an organized, well thought out disaster plan. All faculty needs to be very familiar with all plans. Teachers need to teach their students about each plan Drills should be practiced throughout the year.

Make a plan Bring together a committee to make a disaster plan The committee should include teachers, staff members, people from the community, and disaster and emergency personal. The plan should be well known by everyone throughout the school. It should be reviewed often throughout the year in case there are changes that need to be made.

Communicating the plan Here are a few ways to communicate your plan Make sure the plan is well known to everyone School staff, parents, students, community, and first responders need to be familiar with the plan The community can hold a major part in helping by volunteering to practice drills and provide response materials. Hold special meetings Have meetings with local public safety representatives and an open meeting for the school community. Communicate the information visual, audio, written, demonstration, and through young students Parent Involvement Get all parents involved Make sure parents are knowledgeable on the plan, so they can trust their children are in good hands.

School disaster and emergency management committee Every school should put in place a School Disaster and Emergency Management Committee. This committee develops, adapts, implements, and updates the school disaster management plan. It will typically meet intensively at the beginning of each school year and monthly during the school year. School administration, teachers, parents, students, school neighbors, and etc. are important stakeholders in the committee.

Responsibilities of SDEMC The committee members need to have strong leadership encourage personal and organizational preparedness guide mitigation work assure two fire and building evacuation drills annually Lead one full simulation drill annually evaluate the results adjust the plan accordingly

STUDENT INVOLVEMENT There are plenty of ways to get students involved in the planning of being prepared for disasters. Informing students how important it is to be prepared is the first step.

School maps School and neighborhood maps are great ways to visually show students risks and resources. It is a good idea to show students maps at the beginning of the year. If you start teaching them about the maps at the beginning they will retain the information faster and efficiently. Have the map placed somewhere in the classroom that can be found easily, so students will be reminded about it daily.

What School mapS should include Some information needed on school maps Entrances and exits For both the classroom and school Visitor check in point Make sure this check ins are easy to find Emergency assemble area Make it a place that is known to everyone Gas, electricity, and water shut off locations Assign three people for this job Building dangers and building evacuation plans Make sure every classroom has a clear, printed off plan.

This is an example of a fire escape plan This is a simple plan that students can understand

Helpful websites https://www.ready.gov/school-emergency-plans http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/122/4/895 http://www.weather.gov https://www.usfa.fema.gov

References https://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/8b796b004970c0199a7ada336b93d75f/DisERHandbook.pdf?MOD=AJPERES