MSAD #4 Safety and Emergency Preparedness
November 5, 2008
Dear SAD #4 Parents, Students, and Staff:
-Drills
Every year each of our schools conduct emergency drills beyond our routine “fire” or evacuation drills. Examples of these drills any given year might include:
“Extended” evacuation drills - where we might gather the children on site following evacuation and then actually load them on buses for transport, or pretend to block an exit to see if alternate exit routes are used
First Aid drills – where we practice procedures in case of an injured student or staff member
“Lock Down” Drills – where we practice “sheltering in place” in case of an intruder or other disaster
Parents will be notified via normal school communications if extended evacuation and lockdown drills will be conducted. We will not deploy our emergency calling system for these drills. Our goal is to make the drills realistic, while interfering as little as possible with academic time. These “extended” evacuation drills give us an opportunity to practice our “Emergency Event Security” procedures that are outlined below.
- Emergency Event Security
Full sized emergency gear bags have been provided for each school office. These bags contain several items but three are of particular importance. One item is an electronic bullhorn to aid in communicating effectively with large groups of people. A second item is an identification vest so that the school official in charge on site is readily identifiable. A third critical piece of equipment is a green flag. This green flag will indicate the information center at the emergency evacuation site. Parents and guardians arriving on site to check on the welfare of their children must report to this area. If students are being released to parents, it will be from the “green flag area.” Releasing students from school in a chaotic situation with emotions running high is a logistical challenge. Parents are extremely anxious and want to see that their children are safe, but on the other hand teachers and school officials feel a similar urgency to assure that everyone is safe and accounted for – most staff members are moms and dads too! I sincerely hope that these green flags are never removed from the emergency bags; but if we ever need to use them, or in a drill situation, I would ask that you remember the protocol and share that knowledge with others that may forget. Thank you in advance for understanding. SAD #4 has adopted the National Incident Management System as a standard for our emergency procedures.
- Emergency Calling System
SAD #4 uses an emergency telephone call system to contact everyone within a few minutes in the event of an extreme emergency. We also use a modified version of this list to notify people when school is called off for the day or when schools will unexpectedly be closed early. This will be done on snow days as a convenience, but more importantly, as a method of practicing for a more serious event. You should have received information on how to be certain that the appropriate phone numbers are on the call list. If you wish to have your number deleted from the “snow day” list, please let the secretary in your child’s school know. Please do not totally depend entirely on this service to replace your existing system of receiving cancellation information, as the technology can sometimes have glitches. Communication is essential in times of emergency, and this new technology gives school officials the ability to send one message to as many as three thousand people at once.
- Routine Building Security
We ask that everyone enter and exit from one point in each of our facilities. All other entrances are locked. Visitors, including parents, are required to check in at the main office, where they will be given an identification badge should they be allowed further into the school building. Staff members are asked to question visitors that they do not readily recognize. Thank you in advance for understanding the necessity of this precaution. We do not wish to appear to be “unfriendly”-but safety of children has to be a priority.
Thank you in advance for your continued cooperation in helping to make SAD #4 a safe place for all to work, play, and learn. These are challenging times in a rapidly changing world. By far the most important component of our safety plan is the constant vigilance of the entire SAD #4 community as we look after our students and each other.
Sincerely,
Paul A. Stearns
Superintendent of Schools