Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Preparing for Emergencies

  • By Thom Jones
  • 11/01/17

Performing drills disrupts the flow of an already-full school day. Without adding more time to the drill, how can schools ensure they are getting the most value from these activities?

Teach staff to initiate the drill. The principal typically announces a drill. But the person most likely to encounter an emergency, like a strange odor or a student with a knife, is actually a staff member. Teaching staff to initiate drills gives them the means and responsibility to help keep students safe.

Use scenarios to put the drill in context. When a real emergency hits, emotion and adrenaline will significantly affect how successfully everyone responds. Scenarios put drills in context and incorporate a level of emotion and adrenaline. For example, the principal hands a 6th grade math teacher the following scenario printed on an index card, “You’re in the middle of teaching a class when you and several students notice smoke and flames coming through the ceiling tiles just over your head. Go!” Now, it’s up to the teacher to respond and alert the building.

Assess the fidelity of your safety plan. In addition to preparing for various emergencies, drills tell you if your safety plan works. We’ve all encountered situations where what looks good on paper doesn’t hold up in a real scenario. Documenting lessons and modifying your safety plan is critical to ensuring a safe learning environment.

Putting drills in context and empowering staff to initiate them improves staff engagement, better preparing everyone to respond effectively during a drill or emergency. It ensures the right safety plan is in place, which is valuable.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

About the Author

Thom Jones is the general manager of NaviGate Prepared. He can be reached at 740/963-3141.

Featured

  • Hawaii Elementary School Reopens Following $25M Campus Modernization

    Haʻaheo Elementary School in Hilo, Hawaii, has reopened to students following a three-year, $25-million campus modernization and expansion project that significantly increases the school's instructional space while preserving one of the island's oldest educational institutions, according to local news.

  • University of Pennsylvania Releases Design of Future Physical Sciences Building

    The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) in Philadelphia, Penn., recently released renderings of an upcoming 350,000-square-foot Physical Sciences Building, according to news release. The facility was designed by CO Architects and will unite the university’s departments of Physics and Astronomy, Mathematics, and Earth and Environmental Science.

  • Construction Begins on 100+ Acre K–12 Campus Designed for Lakota Culture

    The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe (CRST) and the Cheyenne-Eagle Butte School District in Eagle Butte, S.D., recently broke ground on a new K–12 campus that will cover more than 100 acres and serve students and families across 1,600 square miles, according to a news release.

  • UNH Marks Construction Milestone on Oceanic Exploration Facility

    The University of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H., recently celebrated a major construction milestone with a beam-signing ceremony for the new Center of Excellence for Operational Ocean and Great Lakes Mapping, according to a news release. The facility’s ultimate goal is to support research, training and technical assistance in ocean mapping.