KEARNS HIGH SCHOOL. Memo No. 33 August, 2010

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1 KEARNS HIGH SCHOOL Memo No. 33 August, 2010 SUBJECT: EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PLAN This plan is developed to be used in case of fire, blizzard, earthquake, nuclear attack, bomb in building, civil disturbances, etc. All members of the faculty and other employees should: a. familiarize themselves with this plan. b. be prepared to activate it immediately. c. perform any duties to which they are assigned to make its activation effective. That portion of the plan to be posted in the room shall be in a prominent spot. All who use that room should familiarize themselves with the provisions as it applies to that room. Members of the faculty shall teach the Emergency Preparedness Plan to students in their home rooms at the beginning of each term. The members of each class room shall be instructed in the evacuation plan so they can respond immediately upon receiving the necessary warning. FIRST AID AND CPR: In case of injury in any emergency, the building principal shall make available to all faculty members the names of persons who have had first aid and CPR training. A list of these qualified persons shall be maintained by the Emergency Preparedness Coordinator for the principal. DRILLS: The principal shall hold fire drills and other drills as may be necessary to insure that all students, faculty members, and others are sufficiently familiar with such drills. These drills shall be held at both regular and inopportune times to take care of almost any situation. Everyone in the building, including other employees, all office workers, all lunch workers, all custodial staff, and visitors must obey the instructions in the room or area they occupy when the alarm is sounded. SPECIAL DUTIES: Each member of the faculty shall take an attendance register or class record with them when each drill is performed. Immediately upon arrival at the prescribed point, the faculty member shall check the students to see that all are present. A report of absentees shall be made immediately to the building

2 principal at a point designated by him. Normally this will be the handicapped zone in the west parking lot. The secretary shall secure school records in the vault or other safe place before leaving the office. The disaster plan provides for checking restrooms, vacant rooms, and special rooms to see that all persons have been notified of, and have obeyed the warning. Each faculty member shall assign certain individuals each period to take care of windows, lights, and doors, in accordance with the instructions given under each type of emergency contained in this plan. Custodial help shall shut off all gas and electricity, if the emergency warrants, then report for further assignment of duties. ACTION FOR BUILDING OCCUPANTS RESPONSIBILITY: Responsibility and authority to finalize the plan for this building and to activate the Emergency Preparedness Plan in the case of fire or other emergency need shall be vested in the building principal. When the principal is absent from the building, authority rests with the assistant principals. Staff members should report problems or concerns to the main office where the secretaries can relay the message to the appropriate staff member. If at any time any staff member becomes aware of a situation that they feel warrants an immediate evacuation of the building, they should take action that will sound the evacuation alarm. This would include pulling a fire alarm or calling the office to ask that the alarm be sounded, whichever is fastest. If a staff member pulls an alarm, they must notify the office immediately of the reason for having done so as soon as the students under their supervision are safely evacuated from the building. WARNING: It shall be the duty of the building principal or his designee to relay to the faculty members, custodians, and other employees any alert which has been received by the school. It shall be the duty of the building principal to relay to faculty members, other employees, and students the warning to evacuate the building, or other action, as is necessary, in case of fire alarm, nuclear attack warning, etc.

3 PROCEDURES FOR IMMEDIATE EVACUATION OF THE BUILDING 1. The signal will be a continuous buzzing of the regular fire alarm buzzer. 2. Teachers will lead their students out through the assigned exit and to a point at least 150 feet from the building. The teacher should see that students go quietly and in double file. See that your students do not pile up on the group ahead. 3. The first teacher at each exit will judge whether or not the exit is safe and will direct students to continue through or will move to another exit, if conditions are dangerous at that point. 4. The teacher would be the last person to leave the room and shall close the door as he or she leaves. 5. Any student on crutches or with other physical problems should be planned for ahead of time in each room. 6. Teachers and students will stay outside the building until the principal or his representative signals them to come in. 7. While outside, teachers should call roll or otherwise check to make sure all their students are out of the building. 8. There will be at least four emergency drills per year. 9. In case of a fire drill during the lunch periods or an assembly, all teachers will direct students as seems helpful. The students should leave in an orderly manner through the nearest exit. 10. All personnel are expected to leave the building when an alarm sounds. 11. Whenever a fire alarm rings teachers who are near a fire alarm switch should step into the hall quickly to see if students have set it off illegally. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PLAN FOR FIRE WARNING: The fire alarm, which is a continuous buzzing of the regular alarm buzzer, shall be given. In case the electric power is off, a backup air horn shall be used to warn the occupants of the building. The principal or his designee will notify the fire department and the superintendent's office. PROCEDURE: Immediately upon hearing the warning signal, students, faculty, and others in the building shall evacuate the building, via a pre-arranged evacuation route posted in the room.

4 LEADERS: During an emergency drill the teacher will be in the best position to control the students through the assigned exit. The teachers should see that students go quietly and in double file. NOTIFICATION OF NEIGHBORING ROOM (RESTROOM, ETC.): Teachers in rooms next to a restroom or other room not under supervision of a teacher at that time shall be sure that everyone in the room has received the warning and evacuates the room. WINDOWS: Windows will be left as they are when the alarm sounds. The last person out will close the door as he or she leaves. ATTENDANCE CHECK: The teacher shall call roll or otherwise check to make sure all of his or her students are out of the building. BOOKS, COATS, AND OTHER BELONGINGS: Students shall be instructed to leave all books at their seats and not to get clothing or other belongings which may be in lockers. No student will be allowed to return to the building once it has been vacated until the signal to return is sounded. EVACUATION LINES: At the time of evacuation of the building, there shall be no talking so that instructions may be easily heard. Lines will move quietly, in double file, and as quickly as possible to the exit previously assigned. There will be no running. ROUTES/EXITS: The occupants of each room will exit from the building according to the evacuation plan posted in that room. If the exit is blocked, the person leading the line shall select an alternate route. FIRE EXTINGUISHER: Fire extinguishers are placed at strategic locations as recommended by the fire chief. They will be inspected annually by the fire department. Faculty members and other personnel shall be instructed in the correct use of fire extinguishers. -4-

5 ASSEMBLY AREA: Upon reaching the assembly area, students shall await further instructions. Teachers will take roll and report attendance to administrator located on their side of building. If this is only a drill, the announcement to return to the building will be given over the intercom system. The return to the classrooms shall be quiet, orderly, and quickly accomplished without talking. In case of fire, groups will remain at the assembly point until authorized to return to the building or until dismissed. HANDICAPPED STUDENTS: Any student on crutches or with other physical problems should be planned for ahead of time in each room. A reliable student may be delegated to assist any handicapped child in the room. INSPECTION: It shall be the duty of the principal and teachers to inspect all exit facilities daily in order to make sure that all stairways, doors, and other exits are in proper condition. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PLAN - BOMB PREVENTION: In order to prevent the implantation and explosion of a bomb in the building, the following shall be adhered to: 1. Teachers will briefly check their rooms, and other areas of assignment, upon arrival in the morning or upon return to the room during the day. Any suspicious containers or changes should be reported to the principal. 2. Teachers shall lock their rooms whenever the rooms are not occupied. 3. Custodians shall lock each room after cleaning it. 4. During evening occupancy of the building, the public shall be limited to those areas set aside for their use. 5. Supply areas, boiler rooms, and fan rooms shall be kept locked and secure from the implantation of a bomb. 6. All people entering the building who are not staff members or students must check into the office before going any place else in the building. Strangers in the building should be stopped by staff and directed to the office. -5-

6 REPORTING OF SUSPICIOUS OBJECTS OR CONTAINERS: Any time staff members find an object or container they feel is suspicious, they should notify the administration at once. Suspicious objects should never be touched or handled. The administration will investigate and make a decision as to how to proceed. TELEPHONED BOMB THREATS: The following procedure will be followed when a bomb threat is received by the school. 1. The person receiving a bomb threat on the telephone shall do the following: a. Try to get as much information as possible from the person making the call. b. Keep the line open as long as possible. Even if the person hangs up, the person receiving the call should not hang up as long as the line remains connected. c. Try and remember, as nearly as possible, exactly what the threat is. If writing material is available, notes should be taken while talking with the individual making the threat. If writing material is not available, notes should be written down as soon as possible. d. The person should notify the principal or his designee as soon as possible. 2. Following the receipt of the bomb threat, the following procedures will be followed: a. A signal will be given on the intercom, see memo 34 indicating that a bomb threat has been received, by asking that a specified member of the District superintendency should report to the office. When this signal is given, staff members should survey their areas for anything suspicious while school continues normal activities. b. The principal or person in charge will evaluate the seriousness of the threat and determine the course of action to follow. c. Unless it can be determined beyond any doubt that the threat poses no danger to the school or its occupants, a signal will be given to evacuate the building. This will normally be a continuous sounding of the fire alarm or specific instructions over the intercom. d. When the evacuation signal is given, teachers should follow the evacuation route for their rooms, unless specific instructions are given to the contrary. During inclement weather, students should be allowed time to quickly obtain coats, as they may be out for a period of time. -6-

7 e. A call will be placed to 911 indicating the receipt of a bomb threat. f. The area office will be notified as well as the District police. g. When a bomb threat is called into 911, the school administration will work with police/fire department personnel in determining when students and staff may return to the building. RESPONSIBILITY FOR CHECKING AREAS: 1. Each teacher is responsible for checking his/her own area. Teachers out of their rooms when a bomb threat signal is given should return to their rooms and check them. 2. Office staff will check their areas as well as the faculty room, and other rooms off the office area. The media coordinator will check the library and rooms related to media operations. 3. The custodial staff will be responsible for checking all restrooms, boiler rooms, custodial closets, and the auditorium. 4. School staff will not check student lockers. COMMAND POST: A command post will be established in the area of the handicapped parking stall in the west parking lot. Any problems should be reported to the person in charge in that area. TEACHER RESPONSIBILITY DURING AN EVACUATION: As with any evacuation, teachers should take their roll books with them and call the roll when students are outside, reporting any missing students to the command post. Students should be moved well away from the building to prevent injury should an explosion occur. Driveways should be kept clear to allow emergency equipment access to the school. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PLAN - ELECTRICAL FAILURE POWER OUTAGE: Whenever the power goes out, teachers and students should be calm and remain in their rooms. In rooms that lack windows and do not have emergency lights the teacher should open the doors to allow as much light into the room from the hall as possible. Classes are to continue until or unless other instructions are given. An air horn will be used to signal class changes. If it becomes necessary to close school before the regular closing time, such information will be announced over the radio station. Parents may then expect their children to arrive home before the regular arrival time. Buses will be called for to transport their regular students home. -7-

8 ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS IN THE SCHOOL: It is possible that circumstances could arise that would require the school to shut off the power to the building or areas of the building. Unless instructed otherwise, the same procedure would apply as in a power outage. Teachers should report immediately any potential hazards in the electrical systems of the school. This will help prevent teachers or students from sustaining serious injury from electrical appliances or wiring. A person in direct contact with electric current becomes part of the circuit. He may not be able to let go. Do not touch him directly. If possible, cut off the electric current by pulling the main switch or plug. If you cannot do that, use a long wooden stick to push him free of the wire. Be sure that the stick is not wet and is not a recently cut branch. Also, be sure that you are not standing on a wet or damp floor. Any incident of a student or staff member receiving an electrical shock must be reported to the administration immediately, even if it is only a minor shock. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PLAN - EARTHQUAKES: Earthquakes usually strike without warning. Take the following action: 1. For a practice drill, an announcement will be made over the intercom indicating that we have just experienced an earthquake. 2. Teachers will direct students to stand against the wall away from windows or to get under desks or tables. If no teacher is in the room, the students shall go ahead and take this action. The teacher shall instruct students in this and all emergency plan drills at the beginning of each school year so that students know the proper action to take if the teacher is not in the room. 3. Try to avoid glass and falling objects. Move away from windows where there are large panes of glass and out from under heavy suspended light fixtures. 4. Evacuate the building when the tremor of the earthquake is over. In a drill, teachers should allow two minutes from the announcement and then evacuate the building. There will not be an announcement to evacuate. 5. In an actual earthquake, it will be necessary to evacuate with care and not just hurry outside as parts of the building may be falling or hazardous. Each teacher will be responsible to assess the evacuation route for their students. In a drill, we may block some exits to simulate damage. Teachers should be prepared to seek alternate routes of evacuation. 6. Stay clear of any electrical wires. Power lines that are down may still be live and can injure or kill. -8-

9 7. Do not light any fires, lighters, matches, etc. as there may be broken gas lines in the area. 8. When you are out of the building, take roll to insure that all students have cleared the building. Report to the principal, or his designee, at the handicapped stall in the east parking lot the names of any unaccounted for students. 9. Do not re-enter the building until instructed or signaled to do so by the administration or civil officials. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS - NUCLEAR ATTACK/ACCIDENT WARNING: If warning of a possible nuclear attack or accident is received, the principal shall take appropriate action. The warning within the building for such an event shall be by voice over the intercom. If the nature of the warning indicates there is sufficient time, buses will be sent out and school will be dismissed so that students may go to their own homes. If time does not permit, or if the attack or accident has already occurred, all possible steps to protect the safety and health of students and staff will be taken at school. Under no circumstance is any student or staff member to leave the school without authorization to do so. PLAN OF ACTION: Because of the need for buses, the decision to evacuate students to their homes will have to be made by the District office. In the absence of district authorization to dismiss school, all precautions to protect health and safety will take place at school. Students should be instructed to take the following action should they find themselves out in the open or on their way home when a nuclear blast occurs: 1. The first warning of a nuclear blast will be an extremely bright flash of light. Heat and shock waves will follow the flash of light. 2. When a blast occurs, the individual should drop to the ground instantly. They should seek cover only if it is readily available. They should curl up tightly and cover as many exposed body parts as possible. 3. Once the heat and blast effects have been dissipated, they should continue on to their home as quickly as possible. At their home they should go to the safest, most protected area possible to protect themselves from fallout. occur. If students are to be kept at school, or if a blast occurs while at school, the following action will 1. If a blast occurs while school is in session, teachers will take the following action: -9-

10 a. If outside, students and staff should follow #2 above. b. If inside, students and staff should take the same action as with an earthquake with the added precaution of protecting themselves from flying glass. c. Once the heat and blast effects have dissipated, action will be taken to protect students and staff from possible fallout in structurally sound areas of the building. Do not evacuate the building as in an earthquake as this will expose individuals to possible exposure to fallout. 2. If students are kept in school following a warning of a possible nuclear blast, instruction will be given by the administration as to proper action. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PLAN - CIVIL DISTURBANCE DEFINITION OF CIVIL DISTURBANCE: For the purpose of this policy, civil disturbance will refer to the following: 1. Any person(s) coming on school property who has a weapon and/or who is making threats or otherwise presents themselves in a manner to suggest that they might present a danger to individuals or school property. 2. Any gathering of individuals for purposes of fighting, vandalizing, or demonstrating that disrupts or presents a danger of disrupting the normal school activities. PLAN OF ACTION: Whenever staff members observe individuals or situations that are creating, or have the potential to create, any type of civil disturbance, they will take steps to intervene when such action is reasonable and notify the office immediately. The principal or his designee will assess the situation and determine the course of action to be followed. When, in the judgment of the principal, outside help is deemed necessary, the following calls will be made in the order listed: 1. Dial 911 to obtain assistance from the Unified Police. 2. Notify District police by calling Notify the High School Services by calling

11 "LOCK DOWN": Some types of civil disturbances may best be handled by keeping students in class and by securing the building against outside intruders. If the intent is simply to keep students in class, this may be done by an intercom announcement using the code word for a lockdown. In some instances, it may be advisable to extend a class period for an extra minute or so until a problem has been resolved. Should this be the case, the bells may be turned off without making an announcement on the intercom. For this reason, teachers should never release students until a bell rings, even if the time for the bell has passed. Should it become necessary to actually "lock down" the building, teachers will be asked to lock their doors and keep all students in the classroom. The administration and custodians will secure the outside doors. UNIDENTIFIED PERSONS: Frequently, individuals will come to the school looking for students on other business, or for inappropriate reasons. Whenever staff members see such a person in the building, they should inquire as to their business and refer them to the office. If the staff members' suspicions are raised, they should inform the office. Under no circumstances should teachers release students to outside individuals without permission from a member of the office staff. If an unidentified voice makes announcements or gives instructions over the intercom, teachers should ignore those instructions, lock their doors, and hold all students in class until it can be verified that a problem does not exist. CONTACT WITH THE MEDIA: Whenever a problem occurs at school that attracts members of the media, the principal or his designee will act as spokesperson. Because teachers may not be in full possession of the facts, they should refer members of the media to the office for answers to their questions. Strict adherence to this policy will help avoid embarrassment to the teacher, the school, and the profession. -11-