Download CRITIQUE OF THE JACKSON SCHOOL DISTRICT DISASTER AND

Emergency Plan Critique 1
Running head: CRITIQUE OF THE JACKSON SCHOOL DISTRICT DISASTER AND SAFETY
EMERGENCY PLAN AND PROCEDURE
Disaster and Safety Emergency Plan Critique
Sarah Pemble
Crisis Intervention CEDP 592
Professor Terry Rainwater
Eastern Washington University
June 2009
Emergency Plan Critique 2
Disaster and Safety Emergency Plan Critique
The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate competencies and familiarity with
emergency preparedness in the educational setting. To demonstrate these competencies the
Jackson School District’s Disaster and Safety Emergency Plan and Procedures have been
critiqued in three domains including (a) readiness, (b) response, and (c) review. This critique
has also been evaluated using Effective Elements of a Crisis Response Plan as identified by Dr.
Terry Rainwater. These elements include a representative set of planning scenarios, flexibility
in response planning, a clear connection between crisis and response plan, designated chain of
command, activation of protocols, backup resources, regular simulation exercises, and postcrisis review.
The Jackson School District’s Disaster and Safety Emergency Plan and Procedures were
board approved on 5/28/09. The plan consists of 37 pages of detailed responses to various
crisis situations, and there are ten forms attached for various tracking purposes. It should be
noted that several of the attachments are not referenced in the document. Specifically, the
Emergency Status Report (for school use only), the Student Emergency Directory Aeries Query,
and the Emergency Drill Log Sheet are not referenced. A procedure to use these documents
needs to be included.
The plan is difficult to read because the print is very small (approximate font size is 8),
and the document is single spaced. If this document was reformatted using size 12 font and 1.5
spacing, the document would be easier to read, however it would be approximately 80 pages in
length. The emergency plan is very thorough and detailed and although some of the
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information is crucial to emergency preparedness, there is some information that is excessive
and/or unnecessary altogether. For example, including commentaries on previous revisions to
the emergency plan causes the reader additional sorting (and possibly confusion), and when in
crisis this information is not important. Create a different document where staff can reference
this information.
The document needs a table of contents or cover page to organize its contents. It may
be useful to use color paper to indicate the different categories. For example, the section
pertaining to fire emergency is printed on orange paper, earthquake procedure is printed on
green paper, and suicide attempt on campus is printed on red paper, and so on. The table of
contents would identify the procedure and the corresponding color and page number to
reference.
Readiness
The readiness section of this critique examines team preparation specifically by
identifying preset signal for activating response plans, a clear chain of command, command
post and backup, communication channels, preplanned backup resources, and regular
rehearsals/drills.
Appendix F of the Disaster and Safety Emergency Plan is the Emergency Drill Log Sheet.
The Emergency Drill sheet tracks the date of the drill and the type of the drill, and this is a
needed form indeed.
This form however, does not indicate who participated in the drill. It
would be beneficial if staff trainings were tracked to ensure that everyone has had the
opportunity to participate in the drills and consequentially indicate those staff that requires the
training.
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The frequency of emergency drills should be specified. This information is not included
in the Disaster and Safety Emergency Plan and Procedures. It is recommended that both
students and staff participate in emergency drills once a quarter and to vary the type of drill.
For example, the earthquake action plan is very different from a lockdown-imminent danger
(drive-by shooting, weapon on campus…) plan.
The plan for aggressive, violent, and out of control students procedure states, “Is is
considered reasonable if staff intervene physically when they believe that such intervention
would keep students or staff from serious injury.” This is indeed reasonable, however staff
require special de-escalation and Least-Restrictive Restraint Training (or something similar) to
equip them with techniques and assist with intervening with confidence in such situations. No
such training is identified in the plan.
Appendix B is the “Do’s and Don’ts Related to Suicidal Threats” and this is particularly
useful information to know when working with youth expressing suicidal ideations. This form
is not likely to be used during such a crisis and therefore there needs to be some kind of annual
training that addresses intervention techniques. Although teachers are not Mental Health
Professionals, during a crisis they are expected (on some level) to ensure student safety.
Therefore, trainings on suicide and mock simulations should be available to staff.
Response
This response section examines the flow of communication and chain of command
when in crisis. When in crisis a quick centralized response team is crucial to an effective
dissemination of tasks and this plan does a decent job establishing such.
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The Disaster and Safety Emergency Plan and Procedures clearly identified the Incident
Command System (ICS) and the crisis team members. It is especially effective because out of
district support services are indicated such as the Jackson Police Department, Carlson County
Sheriff’s Office, and board members. Perhaps the Jackson Fire Department should be added to
the list as well?
The Action Plan Procedure identifies preset signals for activating the response plan. This
action plan does a particularly good job indicating action step to ensure the immediate safety of
students. It does not however, identify a need to communicate the emergency or warning signs
to the Incident Commander. Who would communicate this information? When would this
information be communicated, and how would information be communicated (i.e. radios,
telephone, flag system). These questions would assist in ensuring a clear chain of command and
flow of communication.
An emergency phone tree is in place, however there is no indication that an emergency
phone tree drill occurs. In addition, how frequent are the telephone numbers reviewed for
accuracy? Telephone numbers and personnel often change so having accurate information is
crucial for an effective phone tree.
Review
This review section will specifically focus on the plans to conduct post crisis reviews.
Your plan indicates that a debriefing meeting for staff should be held at the end of the day after
a crisis. Although this is ideal, it is not always practical. A back up plan should be in place to
debrief if an end of the day meeting is not available. Additionally, two different kinds of
debriefings may be appropriate. A psychological supportive debriefing would be appropriate in
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the event of a completed suicide, bomb explosion, or physical attack. A psychological
supportive debriefing may not be appropriate in other situations such as a minor earthquake.
However it is always best practice to provide supportive services to those who need it despite
severity of the situation. The implementation and effectiveness of the emergency plan should
be reviewed after every crisis. An improvement plan and/or modification to the Disaster and
Safety Emergency Plan and Procedures should be assessed. The debriefings should specifically
focus on what worked, what needs improvement, and areas for additional training and
preparation.
In addition to staff debriefings, students may require additional support after a crisis.
The plan does not identify student support procedures and it s recommended that such is
created. Student led groups, and counseling referrals are two means of support.