School’s Emergency Response Hook-Up with Authorities
In these times of uncertainty, emergency response is a very crucial aspect especially in public places and establishments like hospitals, public transport systems, banks and even in schools. An emergency response system must start with the officials of the school. They must coordinate with local authorities. In fact, this is where the emergency response relationships are established.
What is an emergency response system
An emergency response system or plan is a systematic arrangement of activities related to the preparation, responding, evacuation, first aid, survival strategies and other life saving activities in case of disasters and natural calamities such as earthquake, fire, blast, terrorist attack, gas explosion and others. An emergency response plan is a vital aspect of a school’s operation, particularly, because children are involved.
A top concern of the government
Schools are basically a top concern of the government when it comes to emergency response. The government will provide support, through facilities, preparation activities such as fire drills, training for security personnel and inspection of the physical structure. However, government agencies can not help schools if there are no emergency response plans that are submitted.
List of things to do
So for schools who wish to present emergency response plans to government authorities, here are some tips. First, you need to contact the officer in-charge of your local emergency unit. It is best to have a list of contacts to your psychological counselors, hospital units, medical emergency technicians, fire departments and police. Solicit advice and feedback from these agencies and ask how you can improve your school’s plan.
During this stage, you will now need to assign responsibilities of the different areas of emergency response. Questions like who will take care of the maintenance of fire safety systems, who will conduct fire drills and emergency exit route, who will manage health and medical aspect of emergency response must be answered by delegating tasks to an emergency response team in your school.
Ask for more assistance
Once you have completed forming the emergency response team for your school, have it reviewed by the said agencies. You can also contact local government officials for further assistance especially for public schools. But remember always to keep your emergency response plan updated. Emergency response preparation does not actually end in submitting the papers, you must maintain and keep your plans checked for revisions.
As you may know, emergency response agencies and units like police, fire departments, hospitals and medical technicians will be around to help during the actual incident. Preparation therefore lies in the hands of your school’s emergency response team.
