Department of School Safety and Security MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland Shelter-In-Place Guidelines for a Chemical, Biological, or Radiological Incident and Exposure to Hazardous Materials It is vital that the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) has emergency/crisis plans in place to respond efficiently and effectively to all types of emergencies/crises. These plans and emergency preparedness efforts should be shared with MCPS stakeholders to reassure them that the school system is prepared to deal with an emergency/crisis. Immediate response to a suspected chemical, biological, or radiological incident is critical to the safety of students, staff, and visitors and requires the activation of a shelter-in-place plan. Shelter-in-place simply means that it will be necessary to immediately secure students and staff indoors in certain emergency situations. Shelter-in-place is an enhanced level of Code Blue to be used if there is a suspected chemical, biological, or radiological incident. The nature and duration of the shelter-in-place will be determined by the emergency situation or by public safety officials and/or MCPS officials. Administrators should work closely with the members of their respective on-site-emergency teams (OSET) to make plans in the event shelter-in-place becomes necessary. The unpredictable nature of a chemical, biological, or radiological incident means the situation may be difficult to determine initially, and planning for this possibility is critical to allow for a systematic and efficient implementation of shelter-in-place. All students and staff must have a clear understanding of the expectations required of them. Administrators should assess current resources that are available in the building such as medical and first aid supplies, food/snacks, beverage supplies, and forms of age-appropriate entertainment aids. These resources may be utilized during a shelter-in-place, depending on the duration. The Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has provided a shelter-in-place medication policy (see attached) to be followed in the event of a shelter-in-place that extends beyond the school day. This policy should be shared with appropriate staff at the school/facility. The Department of School Safety and Security continues to work in partnership with the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service to address the issues involved in the management of a shelter-in-place. The following guidelines have been developed to assist administrators and OSET members in planning for and implementing shelter-in-place procedures in the event of a suspected chemical, biological, or radiological incident. 1 of 5
Notification/Awareness of a Suspected Chemical, Biological, or Radiological Incident The school may become aware or receive notification of a suspected chemical, biological, or radiological incident as follows: First-hand observation/knowledge of an immediate hazard. If you see a vapor cloud or hear an explosion, detect unusual odors, or observe individuals experiencing skin/eye irritation or breathing difficulties, immediately establish contact with a 911 operator and the Office of School Performance, and notify them of your observations and that Code Blue and shelter-in-place have been activated. Notification by public safety personnel. Notification by the Office of School Performance. Notification by the Department of School Safety and Security. Immediate Shelter-in-Place Response/Action Steps: Notify, Monitor, and Control Initiate a Code Blue and activate the school s emergency/crisis plan. Ensure that the shut-down procedures for the heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) emergency ventilation systems are initiated by shutting down the main electrical power switch(es). Administrators must ensure that multiple OSET members and/or other staff members are trained in these procedures. Immediately contact staff in relocatable classrooms to turn off individual HVAC systems, i.e., air conditioners, heat pumps, ceiling fans, window air conditioning units, and exhaust fans. Staff assigned to the relocatable classrooms should be instructed on how to turn off the ventilation equipment. Depending on the incident, building service staff may not be able to handle this task. Instruct OSET members, via the public address system (PA), to report to the command post. The PA announcement should include the following: The school is now in a Code Blue/Shelter-In-Place. If the fire alarm system is activated, do not evacuate, unless you are notified that an actual fire exists or you observe evidence of a fire. This procedure has been approved by the fire marshal. Also, ignore class-change bells during the shelter-inplace. Immediately establish a fire watch by assigning staff members to a fire watch team. In the event that an actual fire is observed, immediately notify 911 and evacuate the building. Immediately secure/lock all exterior doors and keep windows closed/locked. Administrators initially must ensure that no one enters or leaves the building unless deemed safe to do so by public safety officials and/or MCPS officials, in order to reduce the risk of exposure to a potentially hazardous material for students, staff and visitors. Parents/guardians initially will not be allowed to enter the building to retrieve their children until public safety officials have notified the administrator that it is safe to begin the parent/child reunification process. It can be anticipated that public safety response will not be timely, due to the nature of the incident and the extent of the affected area. 2 of 5
Initially, keep all students and staff in place in relocatable classrooms until public safety officials and/or MCPS officials advise the best course of action, such as moving inside the main building or evacuating to a safer location. Bring all students and staff who are involved in outdoor activities into the main building. Students and staff who arrive at school during the initial phase of the shelter-in-place should be brought into the main building. These individuals could be arriving by bus, student drop-off, walking, or driving themselves. If there is reason to believe that they may have been exposed to a hazardous material, they should be isolated in a secure area pending further directions from public safety officials. Individuals arriving after the initial phase of shelter-in-place will be directed to a safe area of refuge by public safety officials. If public safety officials are not on the scene, the individuals should call 911 for further instructions. Hold students in their current location until the best course of action can be determined. Assign staff to supervise movement in the hallways and to ensure that all exterior doors have been secured. Staff should be assigned to monitor the main entrance doors, if safe to do so, and supervise/check visits to the restroom/health room, depending on the duration of the incident. Address issues concerning students and staff with special needs who require assistance. Staff should be cognizant of students who are in need of medication, especially in situations where shelter-in-place is for longer periods of time (refer to your emergency/crisis plan and the attached DHHS shelter-in-place medication policy). Ensure that the school s Nextel emergency phone, NOAA alert radio, emergency kit cell phone, and portable two-way radios are operational and turned on. Assign OSET member(s) to monitor these communication devices at all times during the emergency. Additional information may be obtained from the MCPS Department of Communications messages and from television and radio stations. Provide the students and staff with age-appropriate updates and direct staff to check the school s Outlook private folder for additional information. Administrators need to take measures to ensure that the safety and well-being of students are maintained by Montgomery County Public Schools staff until the parent/child reunification is complete. Administrators must ensure that daycare providers and other joint occupancy users during the regular school day are informed and understand the shelter-in-place and parent/child reunification procedures. Possible Exposure to a Hazardous Material If an immediate threat exists to health or life, contact the 911 operator and describe the symptoms and conditions of affected individuals. It may be necessary to isolate students, staff, or visitors who may have been exposed to a hazardous material in a separate location, away from other students and staff, in order to reduce the risk of additional exposure to others by a chemical, biological, or radiological material. 3 of 5
When practical and safe to do so and without exposing others, isolate possibly exposed individuals in a secure area before they have the opportunity to expose others and until Fire and Rescue Services personnel can respond to assist. An unoccupied room with an exterior door or an unoccupied room in close proximity to an exterior door is the best location for isolating affected individuals. It may be necessary to move students currently occupying a classroom into another classroom to accomplish this. These rooms must be separate from the parent/child reunification site. Individuals who may have been exposed while in any classroom should remain in place until fire and rescue personnel can provide assistance. Prepare a list of individuals who may have been exposed. Keep a copy of the list for your records, and give a copy to public safety personnel. When practical and safe to do so, deny entry to the potentially exposed area. Coordinate/share all of this information with police and fire and rescue services personnel, and respond to their guidance and directions. Fire and rescue service personnel are specially trained to handle and provide assistance to individuals who may have been exposed to a hazardous material. Fire Alarm Systems During this enhanced level of Code Blue shelter-in-place the fire alarm system may be initially ignored until the magnitude of the situation is determined. This special circumstance has been approved by the Montgomery County fire marshal s office. For example, a false fire alarm does not require evacuation; however, significant smoke or fire may require evacuation. Upon observation of smoke or fire, an administrative decision must be made to determine if the shelterin-place will continue inside the building or if an evacuation is warranted. As a reminder, due to imminent danger during a Code Red, the activation of the fire evacuation alarm must be ignored. Parent/Child Reunification Issues (See Parent/Child Reunification Guidelines.) Prepare for parent/child reunification, and implement the school s parent/child reunification process, as needed. The parent/child reunification site may have to be relocated, due to the need to isolate exposed individuals in this general area. Verify proper identification of parents/guardians by using student emergency information documents or documents that provide additional authorization regarding the release of students, and ensure that the parents/guardians comply with the parent/child reunification procedures. Public Safety Response Police officers and fire and rescue service personnel will be dispatched to help assess the suspected chemical, biological, or radiological incident. Fire and rescue services personnel have specialized equipment that will aid in detecting hazardous materials. 4 of 5
Be prepared to follow the direction of public safety officials. A unified command system will be established to ensure an effective response to the incident. Ensure that a public safety liaison from your OSET has been assigned to facilitate accurate and timely information sharing among involved parties. Seek additional and updated information from public safety officials in order to ensure continued safety of your students, staff, and visitors. Wait for further instructions and information from public safety personnel and/or MCPS officials. The principal/mcps incident commander should work in collaboration with public safety officials to effectively respond to the situation. Conclusion and Debriefing An administrator/designee will conclude the Code Blue shelter-in-place by making an announcement via the PA after receiving notification from public safety officials. Each school should notify the Office of School Performance of the shelter-in-place conclusion, and ensure that appropriate correspondence is sent home to parents. A debriefing and discussion of lessons learned should occur within 24 hours of the conclusion of the Code Blue with staff, and within two days with MCPS central office staff and public safety officials. Each school should maintain accurate records of the incident and prepare an after-action report. Staff members from the Department of School Safety and Security at 301-279-3066 are available to answer your questions; assist you with staff training; and attend staff, PTA, and community meetings to help assure your school community that your school is a safe and secure learning and working environment for students, staff, and the community. Attachment (revised May 2009) 5 of 5