Excell lockdown workshop master
Download as PPTX, PDF1 like425 views
The document discusses emergency lockdown, shelter-in-place, and communication procedures for schools. It emphasizes the importance of having plans in place to ensure student and staff safety during immediate threats. It provides examples of real emergency situations schools have faced and considerations for lockdown and shelter-in-place protocols, supplies, and communication with parents, staff and media. The objective is for schools to assess their current readiness and identify steps to improve emergency response procedures.
![Why is this important?
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin (September, 2010)…
“…Information in the first few moments may be scant, fragmentary, and sometimes ambiguous.
If lockdown is ordered swiftly and clearly in large schools, the associated protective factors take
effect almost immediately…”
[However]“…Many rural schools are located in small, isolated towns served by only state police or
sheriff’s departments. The far-flung patrol responsibilities and limited staff levels of those
agencies make a 20- to 30-minute response time an optimistic best-case scenario; in reality, it
may take 45 minutes to an hour before authorities arrive…”
[Therefore]“…An effective response requires school-specific planning and coordination grounded
in local conditions. To open a discussion on and promote the development of options for action
during those first few minutes when hiding quietly and waiting for help may not be viable are
paramount goals for all communities…”
3](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/excell-20lockdown-20workshop-20master-140118212816-phpapp02/85/Excell-lockdown-workshop-master-3-320.jpg)
Excell lockdown workshop master
- 1. 1
- 2. Today’s Topics… These procedures are NOT your Safe School Plan… They can be a part of it These are specific tools and measures that will help you navigate through an immediate lockdown or shelter in-place emergency situation at your site And get children safely and securely reunited with their loved ones Today’s objective is for you and/or your site team to actively reflect upon your current readiness Lockdown, Shelter In-Place, Communication/Re-Unification, and Incident Command Work together as a team to assess and dialogue about how you evolve from where you are now to where you think you need to be in terms of readiness 2
- 3. Why is this important? FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin (September, 2010)… “…Information in the first few moments may be scant, fragmentary, and sometimes ambiguous. If lockdown is ordered swiftly and clearly in large schools, the associated protective factors take effect almost immediately…” [However]“…Many rural schools are located in small, isolated towns served by only state police or sheriff’s departments. The far-flung patrol responsibilities and limited staff levels of those agencies make a 20- to 30-minute response time an optimistic best-case scenario; in reality, it may take 45 minutes to an hour before authorities arrive…” [Therefore]“…An effective response requires school-specific planning and coordination grounded in local conditions. To open a discussion on and promote the development of options for action during those first few minutes when hiding quietly and waiting for help may not be viable are paramount goals for all communities…” 3
- 4. Personal, Local, Immediate Relevance… Man hunting coyote prompts Waukesha West H.S. lockdown(WI) fox6now.com ^ | 22 May, 2012 | Katie DeLong Posted on Wednesday, May 23, 2012 5:34:24 AM WAUKESHA — Waukesha West High School was put on lockdown Tuesday morning, May 22nd after Waukesha police got a report of a man with a gun. As it turned out, there was a man with a .22 rifle in the area who was apparently hunting a coyote. The school was on lockdown for just under a half-hour. Officials say no one was hurt. BTW: Waukesha West High School serves an unincorporated rural area of Waukesha, WI (population 7500) 4
- 5. Personal, Local, Immediate Relevance (Cont’d)… THE ISSUE: District 44 reviews BB gun incident 10/04/2012 OUR VIEW: School staff made the right calls, and incident policy is sound The contingency plan was in place. The unexpected happened, the plan went into action and played out as intended. Ideally, the unexpected never occurs, but when surprises arise, it's comforting to know the advance work was not in vein. Folks in Streator (Il) know the story well by now, but here again are the pertinent details: “…At 8:15 a.m. Sept. 21, a Friday, Northlawn Junior High School administrators learned there was a BB gun in the building. As per the school's emergency plan, classrooms were placed on soft lockdown. Police were called immediately, and school officials located the gun, in two separate parts, in two students' lockers. The students were disciplined according to district policy. The lockdown ended after 25 minutes….One positive thing that came out of it, at the end of the day we met as a staff and debriefed and talked about things that we could improve on, Nuckles said. "There were some learning experiences as a staff. We realize in our changing schools (situations) do happen so we want to be prepared if they ever did…It sounds as if school officials are making the best of the situation. Other schools in the district will benefit as well, without having to experience the incident firsthand. Parents need to know and trust that school officials make student safety the top priority. Nothing that happened at Northlawn should convince them otherwise…” FYI: Streator Illinois population 13, 000
- 6. Pre-Quiz/Test your Knowledge Let’s find our baseline … Select the best possible answer… 6
- 7. During a lockdown, you should… Ensure the hallways are empty B. Lock the doors and turn off the lights C. Keep students quiet and away from doors and windows D. Designate a student as a lookout to monitor the situation in the hallway A.
- 8. The Correct Answers are… A, B, and C are all acceptable responses…remember to ignore alarms and bells, verify attendance, and wait for the all clear signal Student safety and security are first and foremost Designating a student to serve as a lookout would therefore be inappropriate
- 9. When a “Shelter in Place” is required, you should… Crawl under your desk and assume the fetal position B. Turn off the lights and keep students quiet C. Designate a student to inventory and retrieve emergency supplies D. Go on with your day as normal, while staying inside A.
- 10. The Correct Answer is… D – Shelter in Place refers to a potential danger outside Hence, you would want everyone to seek shelter inside “Drop and Cover” would apply to an earthquake Turning off the lights would be necessary if this were a lockdown We can maintain normal activities while remaining inside the building.
- 11. Question: when conducting "Student- Parent Reunifications”, you should… Have clear and concise instructions B. Make sure there are limited access entry and exit points C. Get students off the school site as quickly as possible D. Make sure your emergency contact records are accurate A.
- 12. The Correct Answer is… A, B, AND D Getting students off the school site is indeed important, but it must be done in an orderly and systematic manner To ensure proper transfer of custody from school site to parent is done appropriately (and lawfully)
- 13. A Setting for an Emergency… Little River Middle School (fictitious) Little River MS City population – 5,000+ No active Local Emergency Planning or Joint Operations Little River Middle School – 400 students School District lost their SRO last year due to funding issues and police department staff reallocations Mid-April, weather mild 13
- 14. Scenario Sometime shortly after lunch a visitor who had just parked in the school parking lot and was walking to the school heard a gunshot followed by a loud scream from a child As he ran to the school, he observed a student bleeding on a bench near the parking lot, apparently injured with a single gunshot wound to the leg The alarmed visitor ran to the school office and reported a possible assault by a random shooter 14
- 15. Additional Information… The “danger zone” appears to be limited to the school parking lot No other witnesses appear to be present. No additional injuries or victims are reported The student victim was popular among his peers A student was assaulted two years ago and the school/district was scrutinized/criticized for their “lack of response” and because of the high levels of reported bullying at the school The student victim had been known to be a bully 15
- 16. Problem Summary A student has been shot and injured on school grounds. Questions: How to we ensure the safety of other students / staff and prepare for the community response? What immediate actions should the school take? Why? Small group discussions. Be prepared to share out 16
- 18. Adult/Supervisory Response to Immediate Threat… What is your responsibility? Act and react Perform as you were trained Accept help and relinquish command and control when professional help arrives The Challenge: how do you preserve and protect the safety and security of students and staff? When situations are unfolding, escalating, and/or unraveling quicker than you can think of solutions? 18
- 19. Emergency Lockdown Lockdown: Use when there is an immediate threat of violence in, or immediately around, the school Types of threats: Shooter Fight Domestic dispute or disturbance Intruder on-campus 19
- 20. Lockdown Decision Considerations… Is there an immediate threat to the safety and security of students and staff? Can the threat be isolated or de-escalated without compromising the safety and security of staff and students? Can you justify your decision (not to lockdown) should the situation deteriorate or escalate? Do you have any reasonable options or alternatives? Trust your leadership instincts How will your decision affect or impact students, staff, parents? How will your decision be perceived or viewed (structure of your system and in the context of your leadership role)? Get as much information as possible (if possible) to make your decision From your leadership team From your district—circumstances permitting No time to consider politics Once you make the decision, commit to it—it’s about safety and security 20
- 21. Lockdown Procedure Students on playground, in halls and restrooms move to the nearest classroom. Classroom doors and all exterior doors/ windows are immediately locked. Cover windows and door window panels, if able. Sit on floor out of sight of windows, doors. Take attendance. Do not open door or windows. May only be released from Lockdown by police or administrator and designated staff unlocking doors. 21
- 22. Things to remember while in lockdown… Lockdown means LOCKDOWN Nobody comes in nobody goes out Until you are given an “all-clear” from an administrator, law enforcement, or EMS staff Depending on the situation as it evolves… There may be limited movement throughout the building proper However, again, nobody in or out “All Clear” may come via PA system Depending on conditions… 22
- 23. Lockdown Considerations/Complications Students may not be locked in in regular classroom…how to coordinate attendance Is anyone assigned to check bathrooms? Teacher off-campus during lunch…buddy system to supervise students? Communications and commands to staff and students Communication to parents and community How are staff accounted for? Sign in/out? Accounting for substitutes, visitors 23
- 24. Additional considerations… When in lockdown… There is no time for heroic measures—heroics are for law enforcement and EMS Remained focused on the children in your charge Remain calm—even if you are not sure what you are supposed to be doing (it’s okay to be afraid—but it is not okay to show it in an emergency) Calm voices and demeanor have transferable power in a crisis—watch your walkie talkie voice Conversely, panic is virally infectious Convey any concerns or discrepancies/ask for clarity thru the chains of communication Take your attendance in frequent routine intervals You must know where children in your care are at all times 24
- 25. Discussion/Group Work… Why is Lockdown planning important? Does your site currently have procedures in place for lockdown? Have you practiced lockdown at your site? What are your next steps as it relates to lockdown emergency procedures at your site? Needs? Constraints? Be prepared to share out 25
- 26. Lockdown Preparedness… What are strengths of our plan? ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ What are our concerns? __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________ 26
- 27. Lockdown Preparedness What do we do next? _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ 27
- 29. Extraordinary Circumstances: “Hit the Deck” Anyone recognizing immediate danger shouts “Hit the Deck” Everyone immediately drops to the ground and lies flat. No one should get up until an adult gives directions. 29
- 30. Hit the Deck (cont’d) This response is usually used in the event of gunfire. Usually followed by Lock down or evacuation when safe to do so. 30
- 32. Shelter In Place… This response is used for hazardous materials in the environment. Shelter in-place would also be used in the following situations Act of terror Other related impending military action Locally Regionally Nationally 32
- 33. Shelter In Place: Procedures Move everyone inside. (interior rooms on upper level floors). Close and lock all windows and doors. Custodian to immediately shut down all HVAC units . Call central maintenance? Seal off all openings with tape and plastic (windows, doors, heat/ air units, electrical outlets, etc). Await instructions from public officials before exiting shelter. 33
- 34. Additional Considerations… Are there adequate and accurate maps and floor plans of your building? All doors and windows clearly marked? Vents? Are there (manual) shutdown instructions for HVAC? Communication between staff members? Walkie talkies? Email? Phone tree? Frequency of updates 34
- 35. “Go-Kit” Handout… Things to consider… 35
- 36. Here’s what many schools are doing in addition… Individual Child Emergency Kits… Cover letter to parents… “…Please place the following items inside the Ziploc bag labeled with your child’s name and bring to your child’s classroom”: Change of clothes—i.e., t-shirt, pants, socks, and underwear 2 small, sealed bottles of water (8-12 oz.) 2 protein/power bars 1 small package moist towelettes “…Also recommended:” A reassuring note from parents A family picture A small working flashlight 36
- 37. Discussion/Group Work… What supplies will classrooms need if the lockdown/shelter-in-place lasts several hours? How will communication with parents and families be handled during the response? What special preparation will be required for your current special needs population? What are your next steps as it relates to shelter in-place? How will communication within the school be conducted? Backup/redundancy? 37
- 38. Discussion/Group Work… Do you currently have emergency supplies on hand at your site? School? Every classroom? What do your “go-kits” consist of? What are the strengths and weaknesses of your current emergency supplies on-hand? What are your next steps in terms of planning? Share-out/questions, comments… 38
- 39. Shelter In-Place Preparedness… What are strengths of our plan? __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________ What are our concerns? __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________ 39
- 40. Shelter In-Place Preparedness What do we do next? _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ 40
- 41. Emergency Supply Readiness… What are the strengths of our on-site Emergency Supplies? ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ ________________ What are our concerns regarding our Emergency Supplies? ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ 41
- 42. What do we need to do next? ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________
- 43. Media, Staff, and Parents
- 44. Communication Considerations Public information is critical Establish protocols in advance for communicating timely and consistent information during emergencies Agreements with community agencies about the release of information and designation a PIO Template letters that can be used in a crisis Communication considerations should include parents/guardians, school staff, and the media
- 45. Communication Considerations: School Staff Use plain language to communicate during an emergency (Sometimes) “less is more” Verify information before responding Develop a system for staff and student accountability: Up-to-date class rosters and student emergency information: Information on medical conditions Custody issues Identifying students who are not accounted for Communication to students Students and cell-phones
- 46. Communication Considerations: School Staff Develop a communication plan for lockdown situations Consider emergency plans for after-school activities (i.e., sporting events, dances, graduations, etc.) Emergency plans for after-school programs led by non-school staff
- 47. Communication Considerations: Parents Provide information on emergency response procedures Reunification procedures: Clearly articulate parent expectations (i.e., bring photo id, students released to parent/guardian or other pre-authorized emergency contact, etc.) Translate information as necessary Emergency notification systems: Identify media partners School webpage Automatic phone/email notification Incorporate redundancy Update parent and emergency contact information periodically Emphasize importance of family preparedness
- 48. Communication Considerations: Media Assign a single Public Information or “go-to” person” to handle media inquiries Qualities, characteristics, and responsibilities Identify media staging areas Establish policies and procedures for dealing with media requests/inquiries Coordinate media releases with community partners: Ensure that messages are consistent Ensure that information released is consistent with state and Federal privacy laws (i.e., FERPA) Limit media exposure to students
- 49. Student-Parent Reunification Clear and concise parent expectations are imperative: Photo ID required Students only released to parent/guardian or other pre- authorized emergency contact, etc. Pre-designated ingress for parents and egress for students ONE or TWO access and exit points Pre-designated Student Safety and Care Officer(s) Custodian of student records—to verify parent, guardian, and/or emergency contact Incident Command System 49
- 50. Additional Considerations for Reunification… You will be dealing with emotions… From parents From students Your own Remember to remain calm Calm voices and steady demeanor has transferable power Conversely, signs of aggravation and frustration can infectiously escalate a situation into hostile intensity Take a breath if you need to—just say, “pardon me a moment” Never release a child to a person unless you verify their legal right to custody of that child No matter how much you think you know them, you do not know them unless they are verified pursuant to emergency contact information on record 50
- 51. Discussion/Group Work… Does your site currently have communication protocols in place in the event of an emergency? Do they include reunification protocols and procedures? Have you practiced implementing your emergency communication procedures at your site? What are the strengths and weaknesses of your current communications and reunification plans? What are your next steps as it relates to emergency communication and reunification procedures? What measures are needed to put plan in place? What are the possible or potential constraints? What are some of the immediate, local, and regional realities that may influence or impact your procedures ? 51
- 52. Communication and Reunification Preparedness… What are strengths of our plan? ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ What are our concerns? ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ 52
- 53. Communication and Reunification Preparedness What do we do next? _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ 53
- 54. Overview of Incident Management Systems and Structures
- 55. Incident Command A commonly accepted plan for disaster incident management that assigns tasks and allows for rapid, expert decision making. Enhances communication at the incident site within each agency and between agencies. The Incident Commander is responsible until the authority is delegated to another person. 55
- 56. From NIMS to (local) relevance… National Incident Management System is an important set of measures designed to create capacity and structures to for schools and districts To help them respond to an emergency situation at a school site and/or throughout an entire school system Key Influences Columbine High School incident September 11th Regional (state-wide) Influences: Statewide Firestorms (2003, 2005, and 2007)
- 57. Incident Command—when do we use it? When the event at the site is or has the potential to become an immediate threat Life and limb of students and staff When event at the site is part of or affected by a local or regional emergency Fire Earthquake Tsunami 57
- 58. Incident Command v Site-Based Decision Making… Incident Command entails a successive chain of leadership (“chain of command”) The command structure is purposefully “top-down” In other words, someone will tell you what to do, and your responsibility is to follow-through with what you are being told to do Its design and purpose is to guide the system and its inhabitants through a major event or crisis from start to finish During the event… Command is activated and decisions are commands Once the event is over Command structure is deactivated Decisions are collaborative 58
- 59. Incident Command System: District or (large) site—per: NIMS Incident Command Liaison Officer Safety Officer Public Information Officer Operations Section Chief Planning Section Chief Logistics Section Chief Finance/ Administration Section Chief 59
- 60. Reality: Incident Command Structure at a small school site Incident Commander (Principal) Public Information Officer (School Secretary) Safety/Operations (Assistant Principal) Student Safety Logistics Student Care and Recovery 60
- 61. Site-Based Incident Command Incident Commander Is in charge of any crisis until appropriate emergency responder arrives. Assesses level of danger and determines level of threat. Establishes inner and outer perimeter and summons additional help. In the event of a major crisis the Incident Commander establishes a command post Summons the Incident Command Management Team to the Command Post 61
- 62. Site-based Incident Command Safety and Operations Most likely and Assistant Principal, Senior or Lead Teacher In some (small site) cases IC, Safety and Operations will be the same person Monitors safety conditions of students/school staff and develops measures for assuring their safety as the incident evolves Determines if response actions/strategies by Emergency Operations team can cause harm to staff/students Determines whether students may need to be evacuated from the school site 62
- 63. Operations Teams Student Safety (Teachers, Nurse) Search and rescue, triage Logistics (Maintenance, support staff ) Emergency supplies Communications Facility conditions/integrity Student Care and Recovery (Counselor) Traumatized students Reunification with parents Recovery/aftercare from incident 63
- 64. Incident Command Staging Areas— Examples Command Post—Incident Commander Principal’s Office Media/Communication Library or Counselor’s Office First Aid/Shelter/Triage Cafeteria/Covered lunch area Reunification/Release Athletic field or play-yard Open space where entry and exit can be easily limited orr controlled, modified, and/or restricted (if necessary) 64
- 65. Recovery… The primary objective of the recovery Return to learning and restore the infrastructure as quickly as possible. Restore the physical plant, as well as the school community. Monitor how staff are assessing students for the emotional impact of the crisis. Identify what follow up interventions are available to students, staff, and first responders. Conduct debriefings with staff and first responders. Reflection Lessons learned/”Plus Delta” Implement lessons learned/”next steps” in future action plan 65
- 66. Reflection and Dialogue ICS Reality Check What do you currently have in place… As a district? As a school site? What are the strengths and weaknesses of your current action plan? What are your next steps 66
- 67. Incident Command Readiness… What are strengths of our plan? __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________ What are our concerns? __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________ __________________ 67
- 68. Incident Command Readiness.. What do we do next? _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ 68
- 69. Little River Middle School--redux
- 70. Little River Middle School… Little River Middle School (fictitious) Little River MS City population – 5,000+ No active Local Emergency Planning or Joint Operations Little River Middle School – 400 students School District lost their SRO last year due to funding issues and police department staff reallocations Mid-April, weather mild 70
- 71. Scenario Sometime shortly after lunch a visitor who had just parked in the school parking lot and was walking to the school heard a gunshot followed by a loud scream from a child As he ran to the school, he observed a student bleeding on a bench on near the parking lot, apparently injured with a single gunshot wound to the leg The alarmed visitor ran to the school office and reported a possible assault by a random shooter 71
- 72. Additional Information… The “danger zone” appears to be limited to the school parking lot No other witnesses appear to be present. No additional injuries or victims are reported The student victim was popular among his peers A student was assaulted two years ago and the school/district was scrutinized/criticized for their “lack of response” and because of the high levels of reported bullying at the school The student victim had been known to be a bully 72
- 73. Problem Summary A student has been shot and injured on school grounds. Questions: How to we ensure the safety of other students / staff and prepare for the community response? What immediate actions should the school take? Why? Small group discussions. 73
- 74. The Emergency Unfolds: Actions Taken The office staff called 911 and the Principal. The Principal made the decision to place the school in lockdown. She made the call over the intercom announcing the school was going into lockdown and asked for teachers to check their email for further notification. 74
- 75. Questions for Thought and Discussion Was the decision to go into lockdown a good one? Why? Should someone go out investigate the scene? Why? Or why Not? Why email? What information should the office convey to teachers? What information should the teachers convey to students? 75
- 76. Messages… 911 dispatch informs school that EMS should arrive on scene w/in 30 minutes Police are en-route but they are not in close proximity—ETA 15 minutes 76
- 77. Scenario gets trickier… 20 minutes into lockdown and after receiving update email from office, one of the English teachers messages back saying she is concerned about a male student who is unaccounted for who might likely have had access to weapons from home The 2nd student had been in classes during the morning periods. Police have been on scene for 5 minutes. 77
- 78. Additional Questions Does this information impact your current response actions in any way? What communications need to be occurring within the school, to the district? Is Incident Command appropriate for this situation? If so, what Incident Command functions should be initiated? Who would be performing these functions? Does lockdown complicate Incident Command roles? Discussion/reflection 78
- 79. Reflection and Dialogue(cont’d)… What are your possibilities and feasibilities in terms of your planning in general? Lockdown Shelter in-place Parent-Student Reunification What are your constraints or obstacles… School site? District What do you need to do next? 79
- 80. Thank you… For More Information… Excell Education Innovations Bruce L. Mims, Ed.D www.ExcellEducationInnovations.com ExcellEducationInnovations@yahoo.com Ph: (562) 508-2461
- 81. Evaluation Which idea or topic did you find the most useful or helpful? Which did you find the least helpful? Overall, I found the presentation and workshop empowering (circle one) Strongly agree Agree No decision Disagree Strongly disagree Additional Comments or suggestions…
Editor's Notes
- #4: Talking point: Lockdown is a very serious site and school climate changing event; sometimes a lockdown emergency alters a career or two. In urban settings, YES, these events happen frequently: some districts train for them, some do not; those that train implement a lockdown with very little fanfare—except for the media buzz; those that do not train or prepare run into emergency situations that can and do unravel in a very public and ugly fashion—seen by many (millions). In rural settings, it may never happen; but it may happen ONCE. These events are not to be disregarded as something that happens “out there”, they can happen anywhere and they do happen EVERYWHERE. Events will occur or unfold suddenly and in rapid or cascading succession. The challenge is to know what to do and what not to do if and when it becomes necessary to initiate a lockdown etc. to ensure the safety and security of students and staff members…
- #5: Establishing locus of concern that lockdown emergencies happen anywhere; rural emergencies happen more often than not. Yes, we hear about the ones in big cities because local media covers them quite extensively; however, these types of events occur more frequently and more often that the urban emergencies…
- #22: Talk about discretionary or modified measures related to lockdown…
- #25: Story time about first week as a high school principal in LAUSD; had to put the school in a full lockdown because of report of weapon on the campus; none of the admin other than me had ever conducted a lockdown drill and had NO protocols, so they were in a panic; there W/T voices made everyone tense, when tense com w/ me, my responses were in a calm voice (even though I was screaming inside because my staff was woefully unprepared for emergencies); steady calm got everyone through, kept teachers calm (even though they themselves had no clue of what to do); a lot was on the line (primarily my career that day), but calm and orderly demeanor got us to the end-game search where we indeed found the weapon in a locker, secured from lockdown, and released from school only FIVE minutes late…
- #37: Good way to shift some responsibilities to shared-cost; also effective in ensuring you have enough supplies for every child
- #38: Discussion time: 5-7 minutes with Plus Delta Slides guiding their dialogue…
- #49: Communication in a crisis is imperative. However, less is more; relevant is enough. Questions of culpability should not be answered in the face of inquiry; acknowledge, validate, blanket statement—e.g., “we are looking into every aspect
- #59: Talking point: ICS may occur as a natural course of action within the scope and context of a crisis event. If nothing else, know who the Incident Commander is; the IC is the person who will probably be the point person with information and instructions; always best to assume if there is a lockdown, the Incident Commander is leading at that time. Most cases, site leader and IC are the same person; however, sometimes they are not…
- #60: Talking point: this is the “Framework” but ICS can be as simple or complex as it needs to be to serve the needs of the site or district
- #62: Talking point: if nothing else is in the ICS there is an Incident Commander. In most cases, this person is the Site Principal; however, in many cases it may be an administrator who deals with discipline and guidance. In any case, once an event such as a lockdown occurs, its safe to assume whomever is communicating instructions and information to you is the defacto Incident Commander, AND the site is operating under and Incident Command structure for the duration of the event