Course Title: Emergency Response and Crisis Management
Welcome Slide
Welcome to Emergency Response and Crisis Management Training. This course is designed to assist you in your role as a first responder to a crisis or emergency event at your school. The information provided in this course will enable you to effectively plan, practice, and execute a response.
According to policy KDE, Site Administrators and their E-Teams are required to complete this training each year to ensure familiarity and understanding of ERCM policies and procedures.
Course Objectives
In this course, you will learn about Emergency Response and Crisis Management (ERCM), and be able to identify the four key components of ERCM, which are:
· Prevention
· Preparedness
· Response, and
· Recovery
After you complete this course, you will be required to take a quiz to assess your level of knowledge and understanding of the material. A link to the quiz will be sent in an e-mail after we have received verification that you have taken this online course. All Emergency Team members must take the quiz and receive a passing score to meet the annual ERCM training requirements.
To ensure value for the learner, please allow minimal distractions for the duration of this course.
LESSON 1: ERCM OVERVIEW
Lesson Objective : By the end of this lesson, you will know about ERCM, and be able to define ERCM and identify the District ERCM team for Denver Public Schools.
Slide (1) <Quote>
Slide (2 ) – Understanding ERCM
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Slide (3 ) – Understanding ERCM (cont.)
Content: A school shooting, a bomb threat, a suicide attempt, a tornado, a sexual assault. Each of these events is traumatic and can severely disrupt the educational learning environment.
The Denver Public Schools (DPS) number one priority is to provide an environment where students and staff can interact safely and securely.
Crises can occur without warning. This is why it is imperative to have a solid foundation in preparation before a crisis occurs. To accomplish this goal, DPS is using a five hundred thousand dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Education to further develop and enhance its’ Emergency Response and Crisis Management plan.
Slide (4 ) – Defining ERCM
Content: Emergency Response and Crisis Management, referred to as ERCM, is a plan that is designed to provide school administrators and staff with information to prepare for emergency situations, and guidelines to follow during crises. The four components of ERCM are Prevention, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery.
When parents send their children to DPS schools each day to learn, develop relationships, and grow into mature achievers, they are entrusting school staff with the well-being of their most precious gift.
So ask yourself this important question, if something happens at your school that threatens safety and security, are you prepared?
Slide (5 ) – Identifying the District ERCM Team
Content: The District ERCM team is comprised of DPS staff members from three different departments: Safety and Security, Risk Management, and Psychological Services. This team is responsible for managing all aspects of ERCM, such as developing training material and training DPS staff in crisis procedures.
Please refer to this team if you have specific questions, needs, or concerns regarding Emergency Response and Crisis Management.
LESSON 2: PREVENTION
Lesson Objective: By the end of this lesson, you will know about Prevention, and be able to define an emergency, identify the types of emergencies, activate emergency response, and describe the Incident Command System.
Slide (1) – Understanding Prevention
Content: The first fifteen minutes of an emergency are critical. Fifteen minutes may not sound like a lot of time, but it can mean the difference between life and death. The first component of ERCM is Prevention. Prevention refers to measures and methods that you can set in place before an emergency occurs.
Slide (2) – Understanding Prevention (cont.)
Outlining response procedures and having a clear understanding of those procedures can determine the outcome of an emergency. DPS is committed to supplying all administrators and staff with the knowledge and tools to ensure that an emergency is managed safely.
So what is an emergency? Let’s take a look at April Sanchez for further explanation.
Slide (3) – Defining an Emergency
Content: April Sanchez is a student at AnyPlace Elementary. After falling from playground equipment, she notices her mouth is bleeding and notifies her teacher. April’s teacher escorts her to the nurses’ office for proper first aid.
On their way back to the playground, the school principal advises April’s teacher that a student has brought a weapon on campus. April’s teacher quickly returns her to their classroom. During an exam in the afternoon, April and her classmates evacuate the school premises after receiving notification of a chemical spill in the area.
Can you identify the emergency in this scenario?
Slide (4) – Defining an Emergency (cont.)
Content: An emergency is a sudden occurrence that requires immediate action. In the example of April Sanchez, the identifiable emergencies are April’s bleeding mouth, the weapon on campus, and the chemical spill.
ERCM uses three classifications for emergencies: Individual Emergencies, School Emergencies, and District and/or Community Emergencies. Each emergency classification is assigned an impact level that signifies the type and the extent of response needed.
Slide (5) – Identifying Types of Emergencies
Content: The scope of an Individual Emergency is limited and is relatively low impact to the district. This situation affects either one individual or a few individuals, and can include a fall from playground equipment, a suicidal student, or a report of child abuse.
Slide (6) – Identifying Types of Emergencies (cont.)
Content: School Emergencies affect a significant portion of the school or the entire school. These emergencies are of moderate impact. School emergencies can include a fire, a report of a weapon on campus, a bomb threat, or a bank robbery in the neighborhood.
Slide (7) – Identifying Types of Emergencies (cont.)
Content: District or community emergencies are large-scale events and can affect not only your school, but the community. These emergencies can include flooding, tornado damage, chemical spills, or the death of multiple staff or students. This type of emergency is high impact and requires not only assistance from District Emergency Responders, but also assistance from city agencies, such as the Denver Police department, the Denver Fire Department, and EMS.
Slide (8) – Activating Emergency Response
Content: For an emergency, it is essential to determine the appropriate level of impact. Ask yourself if the emergency is low, moderate, or high impact. Making the correct impact-level assessment dictates how you will activate emergency responders.
Slide (9) – Activating Emergency Response: DPS Calling Plan
Content: The main goal of the Site Administrator during an emergency is to focus on keeping students and staff safe. The DPS Emergency Calling Plan ensures that the Site Administrator can focus his or her efforts in the proper direction. DPS employs two ways to call for emergency response.
Slide (10) – Activating Emergency Response: Calling 911
Content: For serious emergencies, such as a medical trauma or fire, call 911 for immediate emergency response. Note that if you call 911, you must also call DPS Safety and Security. To call Safety and Security, dial extension 33911 for internal communication. Call (720)423-3911 for external communication.
Slide (11) – Activating Emergency Response: Calling DPS Safety and Security
Content: The second method to employ for emergency response is to call DPS Safety and Security. Use this method of response to assist with a fight on campus, or a highly agitated parent in a school office.
The DPS Emergency Calling Plan is designed so that a Site Administrator need only make one phone call to alert DPS Safety and Security. Safety and Security will then notify the necessary departments and personnel to respond.
Slide (12) – Describing the Incident Command System
Content: In an emergency, every role counts. Each role fits together to form an effective team that can respond in a timely manner. DPS uses a modified version of the Incident Command System (ICS) developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to assign roles, responsibilities, and lines of communication to be used by responders during an emergency.
So who comprises the ICS?
District-level and School-based personnel, referred to as Emergency Response Teams, or E-Teams, comprise the DPS ICS.
Slide (13) – Describing the Incident Command System: District E-Team
Content: The District has an E-Team that is similar to the School E-Team. The District E-Team is comprised of members from the following departments: Safety and Security, Risk Management, Transportation, Enterprise Management, Facility Management, Department of Technological Services (DoTS), Purchasing, and Communications. Depending upon the nature of the emergency, a representative from each of these departments will respond to provide assistance.
Slide (14) – Describing the Incident Command System: District E-Team (cont.)
Content: For example, if a tornado damages a portion of a school building, Safety and Security will respond as the Incident Commander, Transportation may be notified to relocate students and staff to a safe location, Facility Management may respond to provide damage mitigation, Communications will respond to all media inquires, and Risk Management will respond to assist with restoring the building. Other members of the District E-Team will respond as required.
Slide (15 ) – Describing the Incident Command System: Selecting Site-Based E- Teams
Content: The Site Administrator (or Principal) selects E-Team coordinators prior to the start of each school year. Selections are based on staff members with a strong skill-set in a particular area, and a desire to perform the assigned duties.
Schools that have a Campus Security Officer and/or Security Resource Specialist are encouraged to include these personnel in their E-Team.
Slide (1 6 ) – Describing the Incident Command System: School -Based E-Teams
Content: Five school-based E-Team Coordinators assume roles during an emergency. Each E-Team coordinator is a DPS staff member that can perform essential tasks to save life, provide for student safety, secure the facility, communicate with parents, and address the emotional impact of a crisis. The five E-Team coordinators are: First Aid, Student Supervision, Facility and Materials, Student-Parent Reunion, and School Crisis Recovery Team.
Depending upon resources at your school, staff members may fulfill more than one E-Team role.
Slide (1 7 ) – Describing the Incident Command System: First Aid Coordinator
Content: Typically, the school nurse (or an additional staff member trained in first aid) functions as the First Aid Coordinator, and triages all health-related matters during an emergency. The First Aid Coordinator is responsible for accounting for victims, determining their level of care, and providing emergency treatment to the extent of their ability. This includes performing first aid, such as CPR or bandaging wounds.
Slide (1 8 ) – Describing the Incident Command System: Student Supervision Coordinator
Content: During an emergency, all teachers are required to account for each of their students. It is the responsibility of the Student Supervision Coordinator to collect attendance sheets from all teachers, and monitor their needs so they can be addressed by the appropriate personnel.
Slide (1 9 ) – Describing the Incident Command System: Facility and Materials Coordinator
Content: The responsibility of the Facility and Materials Coordinator is to secure the building by locking doors, move equipment and supplies to needed areas, and provide material support to the Site IC.
Slide ( 20 ) – Describing the Incident Command System: Student-Parent Reunion Coordinator
Content: In an emergency, bus schedules may be disrupted or students may be evacuated to a new location. The Student-Parent Reunion Coordinator is responsible for accounting for all students, and reuniting them with their parent or legal guardian.
Slide ( 2 1 ) – Describing the Incident Command System: School Crisis Recovery Team Coordinator
Content: The School Crisis Recovery Team Coordinator is responsible for assessing the emotional impact of an emergency on students and staff, and providing the necessary resources to facilitate constructive coping. If resources do not permit you to have a School Crisis Recovery Team Coordinator, then the District Crisis Recovery Team will be called to provide assistance.
It is important to remember, that in addition to task-specific duties, each E-Team coordinator is responsible for providing updates on student welfare to the IC, and documenting all activities that occur during an emergency.
Slide (2 2 ) – Describing the Incident Command System: T he Incident Commander
Content: Whether at the district level or school level, each emergency response team, or E-Team, is assigned an Incident Commander (IC) who has full authority to make critical decisions that preserve life and property.
Slide (2 3 ) – Describing the Incident Command System: Levels of Command
Content: The District IC is the Chief of DPS Safety and Security.
The Site IC is the Administrator of the school, and is typically the first responder to an emergency. The Site IC is responsible for activating the school E-Team.
The city of Denver also has an IC. In the event of a crime, the Denver Police Department assumes the role of IC. In the event of a fire, the Denver Fire Department assumes the role of IC.
Slide (2 4 ) – Describing the Incident Command System: Authority
Content: As with any command structure, there is a hierarchy of authority. Each IC assumes responsibility of managing the emergency until additional response teams are notified and arrive on scene.
For example, once the Denver Police Department arrives to a school to assist with an emergency, the Site Administrator is free to assess the needs of students and staff. However, the Site Administrator must provide ongoing support and communication to the IC from the Denver Police Department.
Slide (2 5 ) – Describing the Incident Command System: Additional Staff Responsibilities
Content: Teachers and school Secretaries also play critical roles during an emergency. Teachers have the responsibility of providing supervision and direction to the students in their care.
School Secretaries are responsible for knowing how to notify the Site Administrator, operate systems, such as intercoms, phones and bells, and having all emergency contact information prepared for each student.