School crisis kits

A maintainable and accessible emergency kit for schools suddenly thrown into a crisis

A USEFUL FOCUS point for schools preparing for a possible emergency situation is the preparation of, and then testing with, a crisis materials. A balance needs to be established between including everything anyone thinks of, and the work and sustainable motivation needed to ensure that the material is kept up-to-date.

Some ideas for school emergency kits include:

a list of student names, addresses and contact details and including known medical conditions
a list of teacher/staff names, addresses and contact details including mobile phones
a list of local emergency authority contact details
a list of contact details for district education authorities where relevant
detailed blueprints for the school buildings
multiple copies of simplified building and floor plans showing evacuation routes
keys to all doors (this should be considered in the choice of locking systems for the school)
information about how to cut off electricity, gas, phone and other utilities
a list of contact details for the different utilities
closest locations for a helicopter landing
details about agreed meeting points for emergency authority response
checklists for handling common emergency events such as bomb threats, fires, physical violence

A procedure for keeping this material up-to-date needs to be sustained. This is normally best diarised for regular attention with motivation best retained by actual use in crisis management testing.

A second copy of this emergency kit (or relevant parts of it) should also be kept off-site.

Last updated:16/5/07

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