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Making an Emergency Plan

All schools plan for emergencies - but not all emergency plans are written and distributed to students.
International students are particularly vulnerable in the event of an emergency due to language barriers or lack of knowledge about local customs and safety systems - so it is important that they know what to do if the unexpected arises.

The purpose of this report is to:
1. draw attention to the need for formal emergency planning
2. emphasize that getting foreign students to understand emergency procedures may pose a special challenge
3. suggest a framework for writing/implementation of emergency plans for schools of all types and sizes.

This is one of a series of collaborative reports based upon the input of school administrators concerned with international education issues and is edited and revised periodically. Your suggestions for improvements are welcome.
 

12 DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS OF EMERGENCY PLANS

An emergency plan is a set of procedures which evolve from school policy, and result in awareness through printed materials and orientations designed to prevent bad things from happening or from getting worse. To be effective, they must be initiated and supported by top management. They are seldom used and yet they have a measurable impact on safety by focusing student and staff attention on potential hazards thereby encouraging safe behavior. In other words, the tangible benefit of most emergency plans is prevention rather than crisis management. Characteristics include:

  1. Maximize the safety of people (students and staff)
  2. Minimize the loss of physical assets (records, supplies, equipment)
  3. Designated Emergency Coordinators & Alternates with defined authority and responsibility
  4. Written guidelines for the designated Emergency Coordinators
  5. Written guidelines for students (and for staff as needed)
  6. Communication options (primary communication may be lost during emergencies)
  7. Designated spokesperson (coordinated communication to parents/media)
  8. Testing of Emergency Plan (when possible)
  9. Designated dates to review and update the plan
  10. Contingencies for WHEN emergency occurs:
    1. During school hours
    2. After school hours
  11. Contingency for WHERE emergency occurs (see #12 below)
  12. Contingency for WHERE the student is at time of emergency
    1. - at school
    2. - at student lodging
    3. - in town
    4. - while traveling out of town (school sponsored or independent)

16 TYPES OF EMERGENCIES THAT MAY NEED A PLAN

EVENT Focused Emergencies:

  1. Fire (may include down electric wires, explosion)
  2. Earth (earthquake, mud slides, avalanche)
  3. Flood (river, storms, tidal waves)
  4. Wind (hurricane, tornado, known wind hazard)
  5. Hazardous Material (gas, chemical, tank, truck, train, pipeline)
  6. Transportation (school vehicle, rental, pedestrian, bus, rail)
  7. Community based problem(known problem areas, clubs, high theft areas)
  8. Civil Unrest (demonstrations, protests)
  9. School Security (disruptive behavior, theft, unauthorized entry)
  10. Relocation (alternate classrooms if primary space unusable)

STUDENT Focused Emergencies:

  1. Medical Emergency (injury or serious sickness)
  2. Arrest-Incarceration
  3. Emotional trauma
  4. Death
  5. Inaccessible student (absent, missing, kidnap, hostage)
  6. Evacuation (including expulsion)

ORGANIZATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR EMERGENCY COORDINATORS

PHASE 1. Planning & Writing the Plan
- - write fact-sheets, train, design options, network community resources
PHASE 2. Execution During Emergencies
- - Follow checklist, rumor control, coordinate, cope with communications
PHASE 3. After the Emergency
- - Student advising/counseling, communication with families/sponsoring institutions, alternate planning, assessment

WRITING the EMERGENCY PLANS

For each type of emergency (LETTERS A-P), consider the defining characteristics (NUMBERS 1-12).
For example, an Emergency Plan for FIRE may assume a fire at the school during class hours and include characteristics 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, and 9. Does it also include:
- item 6 (coordinate communications with media, organizations which sent the student or parents)
- item 10 (after hours fire which may require relocating classes)
- items 11, 12 (fire at student lodging, in town, while traveling)

PREVENTION - THE MAJOR BENEFIT of EMERGENCY PLANS

Emergency planning anticipates negative events. Defining hazards, creating action plans, and sharing this information with students and staff raises their level of awareness. Heightened awareness leads to defensive behavior and suggestions for further improvement in emergency planning - which reduces the possibility of emergencies occurring.