Do you know the drill

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DRILL

• Is the emergency alert/announcement clearly communicated and understood
throughout the school facility?

• Are students and staff secure and following procedures and protocols
according to the school’s emergency procedures?

• Do teachers/classrooms have a means/method to communicate with the main
office/command post?

• Are procedures for students and staff in hallways, bathrooms and open areas
being followed?

• Are procedures for students and staff in the cafeteria, gym and outside the
building being followed?

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Post-Drill Evaluation

• Conduct a debriefing session to discuss lessons learned and/or measures for
improvement. Include key stakeholders:

• Emergency responders
• Teachers/Staff
• Students (if appropriate)
• Other(s)

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Post-Drill Evaluation

• Review the following

• How long did it take?
• Who designed the drill?
• What worked well?
• What needs to be improved?
• Do any other people need to be added to your team?
• What would the emergency response time be if this were not a drill?

• Prepare an After-Action Report (AAR) to share with key stakeholders

• The AAR captures observations of an exercise/drill and makes
recommendations for improvements.

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Improvement Plan

• Review and update plans, procedures as necessary per the After-Action
Report.

• An improvement plan identifies specific corrective actions, assigns them to
responsible parties, and establishes targets for their completion.

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Considerations for Drills

• Conditions
• Emergency situations may occur at any time during the day or year. It is
beneficial to conduct drills and have protocols in place for:

• Lunch period when cafeterias are occupied.
• During class changes.
• Recess or gym classes.
• Arrivals and dismissal time.
• After school hours (i.e. dances, theater, athletic events).

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No More Code Words

• Why no more code words?

• Platte Canyon High School, Bailey, CO

• September 27, 2006
• Duane Roger Morrison, 53, took 6 female students hostage and sexually assaulted them. He

later released four, but when the police SWAT Team enter he killed one, attempted to kill another
before taking his own life just as the police shot him at the same time.

• Sophomore Zack Barnes, 16, said his first indication that there was
something wrong at Platte Canyon HS was an announcement over the public
address system.

• “We were sitting there in math class and over the intercom they said, ‘Students and teachers we
have a CODE WHITE. REPEAT, CODE WHITE.’ and nobody really knew what a code white
was.”

• Zack said his teacher checked a sheet of paper from her desk and then said the class had to
move.

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Alternative Locations

• Student transportation plans should be clearly outlined for during and after an
incident.

• Students enroute when an incident occurs.
• Transportation needs for evacuation and reunification.

• Have an alternative evacuation location and an additional one that is only
known by the school administrator(s) and emergency responders.

• Designate an off-site location for reunification. This should not be the
same site as the evacuation location!

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Communication

• If you do not have good communication, you will not have command and control of an emergency
situation.
• Make sure your entire staff knows how to access your school intercom system using their cell
phones.
• Make sure you have all your staff members cell phone numbers!

• Schools need to have adequate means of rapid communication, striving for interoperability with
emergency personnel.

• Institute an incident command system.
• Train all faculty/staff in this communication system.

• Predetermine how you will communicate with:
• Emergency responders, Students, Staff, Parents, Others

• How will you communicate with those in a classroom?
• Telephone, Cellphone, Email, Loud speaker

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Diversify School Security Drills

• Conduct drills during lunch periods, in addition to before and after lunch.

• Block an exit (unannounced) and tell students and teachers they cannot use
that particular exit during an evacuation.

• Remove a student or two from their group during a drill to see how long it
would take for staff to notice or act.

• Remove a staff member (unannounced) from his/her group to see if anyone
notices or if students can follow procedures without the staff member present.

• Conduct drills as students arrive in the morning or around dismissal time.
Identify unique issues which arise in the effective management of drills during
these times.

• Are you keeping track of staff members?

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Parent Involvement

• Inform parents about their roles during a crisis.

• Know the value of a parent handbook that outlines emergency procedures in
advance. It is also listed on our district website; under the Security
Department.

• Implement a process for parents/guardians to report potential threats.

• Inform parents about the role of law enforcement at the school. Without
information, parents may assume that a law enforcement presence indicates
problems that are out of control, when in fact, police on campus can prevent
incidents of violence.

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Recovery

• Develop communication materials that may be needed including:

• Draft formats of letters informing parents/guardians of the specific incidents.
• Information, including possible reactions of their child, and ways to talk with them.
• How the program, school, and school district are handling the situation.

• Is your school prepared to provide mental health services ASAP?

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Important Dates to Remember

• November 2010:

• Law requires one (1) Fire Drill and one (1) Security Drill

• September 2011:

• Law requires one (1) Fire Drill within the first ten (10) days of
school and one (1) School Security Drill within the first fifteen (15)
days of school.

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Resources