Crisis Management in Schools

What are emergency alerts?

Emergency alerts are warnings that are sent to people to let them know of a dan
gerous or critical situation that could affect them. They may be sent via phone,
text message, over public address systems, or through specialist emergency
alert apps and software.

Emergency Alert System

The Emergency Alert System (EAS) is a national public warning system commonly
used by state and local authorities to deliver important emergency information, such
as weather and AMBER alerts, to affected communities.

Objective of Emergency Alert System

Emergency notification systems are designed to alert an audience to an

emergency or other life-threatening or dangerous event so that people can be

informed as quickly as possible so as to take appropriate steps to be safe.

What are the different types of alerts and what

do they mean?

The different types of alerts include:

● Emergency alerts for fires, floods, natural disasters, etc.

 ● Amber alerts when a child is missing

● Silver alerts when seniors are missing

● Ashanti alerts for missing adults who are too old for an Amber alert, and

too young for a Silver alert

The major emergency alert systems in use

today

When an emergency happens, there are six main types of emergency alert systems
that are used to send information to people who may be affected. These are:

1. Mass notification systems

A mass notification system sends recorded messages to landline phones to alert
the person who answers to a nearby situation that they should be aware of.
However as landline phone use is decreasing, there are fewer recipients of these
sorts of messages.

2. Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)

These are alerts sent from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
as well as state and local authorities to peoples’ wireless devices, including
mobile phones. Messages are sent to all cell phones in an affected geographical
area.

3. SMS text systems

This system is used to send SMS text messages to numbers in a database that
have opted in to receive both emergency and non-emergency communications.

4. Outdoor public warning systems

These are emergency warning systems that use stationary speakers and sirens

placed throughout the community that will be activated in an emergency to

warn people.

5. Color code alerts

Hospital and healthcare facilities often use color codes as part of their alert
systems so they can communicate the type of emergency being experienced
without alarming patients and visitors to the facility. They are a quick and easy
way to let staff know what the emergency is so they can be equipped to deal
with it.

Color codes sometimes vary between facilities, but these ones are usually pretty
standard;

● Code blue - life threatening medical emergency

● Code purple or pink – a missing child or child abduction

● Code gray – to alert security personnel that there is a dangerous person

or criminal activity happening in the facility

● Code green - the hospital is activating its emergency operations plan

 ● Code orange – medical decontamination is needed such as a hazardous

fluid spill

● Code silver – an active shooter

● Code black - bomb threat.

6. Organizational emergency alert systems

An organizational emergency alert system, such as DeskAlerts, is one that can be

deployed in a business, school, healthcare facility or any other organization to
communicate quickly with employees in the event of an emergency. These
systems work by sending emergency communications to computers and mobile
devices, using different communications channels, to alert employees to an
emergency situation such as a fire, active shooter, natural disaster, chemical
spill, bomb threat or other crisis.

School Emergency Alert System

A school emergency alert system is a tool that allows schools to communicate

quickly to staff, students, first responders and others so that they can take
appropriate action in the event of an emergency situation.

What situations require a school

notification system ?
Unfortunately, there have been a number of school shootings in recent years
and these incidents seem to increase. Most active shooter events are over in less
than 10 minutes, and around half are over before first responders arrive with
help. The quicker you can let people know via a school notification system that
such a situation is unfolding, the quicker they can take action and keep safe.

2. Fire

Fires can spread quickly and without an orderly response, people can panic and
cause even more problems. When a fire breaks out you need a school
emergency alert system to be able to quickly let people know in the affected
area so they can evacuate to a safe area.

3. Gas and chemical leaks

There are a number of different hazardous substances on school campuses that

could cause harm to staff and students. This can include chemicals in science
and other technical facilities or gas that can be used throughout the campus.
When gas and chemicals leak the situation can escalate quickly and become
lethal – from the potential for explosions through to the risks caused by
inhalation of or exposure to the substance. An emergency alert system in your
school can keep people safe from exposure to these hazards.

4. Natural disasters
A wide range of natural disasters can strike at any time including earthquakes,
forest fires, tornados, hurricanes and floods. When your school finds itself
impacted by a natural disaster you need to quickly alert your students and staff
members via a school emergency alert system with the appropriate steps to
take. For example, they may need to evacuate if there is a forest fire
approaching, or shelter in place if it is too late to leave.

5. Severe weather events

Severe weather events can turn deadly quickly. People can be killed by falling
trees in open areas, damaging winds can blow heavy objects away and torrential
rain can turn to flash flooding. When there’s a severe weather event, mass
notification systems for schools alert everyone on campus so they can be aware
and vigilant, for example, stay away from open areas in lightning.

6. Lockdowns

Lockdown situations have become increasingly common. There are many

reasons a school might choose to lockdown: the presence of threatening
strangers (before an active shooter situation arises), suspicious packages, bomb
threats, dangerous activities happening in areas surrounding the school and
other hazards. Some schools in Australia, for example, lockdown if there is a
venomous snake seen on the grounds until a snake catcher can remove it.
Whatever the reason, a school lockdown alert system can let everyone know the
lockdown is happening, the reasons behind it and what steps they need to take
to be safe.

Characteristics of SOP
 ● A SOP is a written document / instruction detailing all steps and activities
of a process or procedure should be carried out without any deviation or
modification to guarantee the expected outcome.
● Any modification or deviation from a given SOP should be thoroughly
investigated and outcomes of the investigation documented according the
internal deviation procedure.
● SOPs should be regularly updated to assure compliance to the regulatory
requirements and the working practice.
● A minimum review schedule of 3 years is recommended.
● The structure of an SOP System and the total amount of individual SOPs
should be carefully taken into consideration.

School emergency response terms

● Evacuation : Used to move students and staff out of the building. During an
evacuation, students and staff leave and move to a nearby location and return to
the school building right after the cause of evacuation is resolved. Schools
practice evacuations regularly (often monthly) during fire drills.

● Relocation: Used to move students and staff to a pre-designated alternate site

following evacuation when it is determined that returning to the school building
will not take place within a reasonable period of time. Depending on the time of
day and the circumstances, students may be released early or school activities
may be changed or put on hold until they are able to return to the school
building. Plans should also be in place for students and staff with limited
mobility who may need assistance moving to the relocation site.

● Shelter-in-place: Used during severe weather or other environmental threats

(e.g., air contamination due to a local fire). This is a precaution aimed to keep
people safe while remaining indoors. (This is not the same thing as going to a
shelter in case of a storm.) In schools, shelter-in-place involves having all
students, staff, and visitors take shelter in pre-selected rooms that have phone
access and stored disaster supplies kits and, preferably, access to a bathroom.
The room doors are then shut.
 ● Lockdown: Used when there is a perceived danger inside the building. A
lockdown includes securing each occupied room by locking the door(s) and
directing people to move away from windows and doors. Hallways are cleared of
students and school staff. Typically, local law enforcement arrives to secure the
site and arrange for evacuation or return to usual building activities. Students
are kept in their classrooms or other secured areas in the school until the
lockdown has ended.

● Lockout: Used to secure the building from a potential threat outside the building,
such as when an unauthorized person is loitering on school grounds or when
there is criminal activity in the neighbourhood. During a lockout, access to the
building is restricted, but there may be some limited movement within the
building.

A school safety checklist for families

● Review with your child the family emergency plan, including reunification and
communication options.
● Provide the school with information about any unique needs your children may
have. You can do this by filling out an emergency information form and working
with school health staff to be sure there is an emergency plan on file for your
child. It should include information on health issues and what is needed during
other school emergencies.
● Consider having back up/extra medication or other items at your child's school
in case there is an emergency where your child needs to remain in the building
for a longer period of time.
● Provide the school and your child's teacher with up-to-date contact information
for family or friends who can pick up and care for your child if you are
unavailable. Be sure to update this information as needed throughout the school
year.
● Learn about the school's plan for emergency response, including parental access
during emergencies, school emergency contact information, meet-up locations
and other reunification plans.
● Advise the school if your child has special needs during a crisis or drill. This may
include the need for assistance with mobility or communication during an
evacuation or additional support due to anxiety or prior traumatic experiences.

Standard Official Procedures in India

In India historically we have had different phone numbers to call police, fire and
ambulance services namely 100, 102, 103. This system was designed at the time of a
regulated telecom sector with only one telecom provider across India and one in each
metro. Hence any call to these emergency numbers were routed to a call agent/
dispatcher of that particular emergency service and handled by the emergency
personnel themselves. The system was not designed for emergency response initially but
as an emergency contact. Over time, in response to changing environment, the three
services have tried to evolve the emergency contact into an emergency response system
with mixed results. A number of cities have provided additional numbers for specific
emergency situations which are not routed to a central emergency response dispatcher.
This leads to confusion in the public about emergency contact number. After the
incident of 16 December 2012 in Delhi, a Committee headed by Justice J.S. Verma,
former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India, with Justice (retired) Leila Seth,
and Shri Gopal Subramanian was set up on 23 December, 2012 to give
recommendations on amending laws to provide for speedy justice and enhanced
punishment for criminals in sexual assault cases of extreme nature. The Committee had
recommended setting up of a public emergency response system which will have the
ability to dispatch an Emergency Response (ER) unit to respond and close the ER calls.
On the same, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), as per the recommendation of the
Justice Verma Committee, has been entrusted with the task of setting up a National
Emergency Response System (NERS) comprising an integrated Computer Aided
Dispatch System for Emergency Response. The project is conceived to bridge the
existing gaps and meet the current challenges being faced by major Police forces in the
Country for an immediate emergency response system specifically inclined towards
women issues. The Department of Telecommunications has allotted the emergency
number ‘112’ for this project. If need arises, there may be a non-emergency number
connected to this system for counselling, feedback, complaints etc. MHA appointed a
consultant to design the Nationwide Emergency Response System (NERS) and assist in
the tender process to select IT Service Provider for the same. MHA has invited tender
for selection of IT Service Provider (ITSP) to design, configure, customize, implement
and maintain envisaged Nationwide Emergency Response System to be implemented
across India. For implementation of Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system, MHA
would be using software developed by CDAC, an R & D institution under the Ministry
of Information Technology, Government of India. These guidelines would provide
clarity to the State Governments/UT Administrations on the implementation aspect of
the entire project. It also details out the roles and responsibilities to be taken by the
Centre and the State/UT for successful implementation of the project. It is expected that
the State/UTwould send proposal to the MHA for implementation of NERS in their
respective State/UT.