Educational leaders have to be prepared for emergencies and know how to work with the emergency responders that will be coming to the school. As a paramedic with over 23 years of experience and experience planning and running major emergencies, and 10 years as an educator, I've seen school leaders who are well prepared for emergencies, and others that have had no training and no real idea what to do.

Districts need to work with the local fire, police and EMS agencies when planning for emergencies and should also work with state and regional emergency managers. Last year, we had the city's emergency management director speak to the faculty about some basic emergency issues and the police discussed active shooter responses. This is a start.

All staff need to have some basic emergency training. All administrators need to have training beyond that. Incident Command, Emergency Planning, and more are all needed. CPR, AED and basic First Aid should be taught to every staff member in your district.


Here are some free resources for preparing your school and staff for emergencies.


US Department of Education - Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools - Emergency Planning page

US Department of Homeland Security - School Safety Planning

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) - Independent Study Program (free, online courses)
(this program is used by first responders (EMS, Fire, and Police also). I've taken over 25 courses on this program and found them to be very informative and well done. There are plenty of materials to download for future reference also.

Courses for educators and educational leaders:

• IS-100 SCa - Introduction to the Incident Command System for Schools - all educational leaders should take this course, especially building principals and assistant principals. All emergency responders in the US must take this course. ICS is how emergency incidents are run and school personnel should understand and use this system. 
• IS-362.a - Multi-Hazard Emergency Planning for Schools - This course covers basic information about developing, implementing, and maintaining a school emergency operations plan (EOP).

ALICE - Active Shooter Response Program - what most police departments are advocating.

American Heart Association Heartsaver First Aid, CPR, and AED - the class that best fits what educators need to know. Basic first aid, CPR and AED training.

• Classroom version - contact your local American Heart Association training center to schedule a course
• Mixed Online and practical session course - take part of course online and test online test and then have skills taught and checked by live instructor. 

With all that's happened in the world lately, between blizzards, floods, earthquakes, and tsunami's, there should be a renewed focus on emergency preparedness. Most people do not have any emergency supplies or plans ready. Each household, business, and school should have an emergency plan, emergency kits and people trained in emergency preparedness and response.

I started my training in emergency preparedness while on my trail to Eagle Scout. Emergency Preparedness is a required merit badge and the Boy Scouts emphasize emergency preparedness among the scouts. I am also a paramedic, special operations paramedic and FEMA trained in Emergency Preparedness and Emergency Management. Here are some of my favorite resources for learning about Emergency Preparedness.




Ready Classroom is a free resource from Discovery Education that has lesson resources for teaching emergency preparedness for teachers, students and families. It has teacher and administrator tools, lesson plans, family resources, dealing with pets in emergencies, and much more. There are checklists, planning resources, lesson plans, information about different emergencies and disasters, videos, links, and more. It's a great way to teach emergency preparedness.



Ready.gov is the US Government's web site for information and resources on emergency preparedness and response. There are resources for making a plan, an emergency kit, and how to stay informed. Information is included for individuals and businesses.


The Boy Scouts of America, who train all their Scouts and Adults in Emergency Preparedness, has partnered with the Department of Homeland Security to provide resources for the public on getting prepared. The site has planning resources, how to make an emergency kit, and other resources.



The American Red Cross website also has information for creating an emergency plan and how to prepare for different emergencies. They also sell emergency kits (they are very good and a decent price). You can always make your own using their lists though. There is a full section on preparing schools and students. The Preparedness Fast Facts page is an excellent, one stop resource.



FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) Emergency Management Insitute
The FEMA EMI offers free, online courses for anyone to take. The courses are well done and there are plenty of downloadable materials to help you. If you pass the test at the end, you even get a certificate.

Here are a list of the courses that I think all educators should take: (I've taken these, and more)

IS-7   A Citizen's Guide to Disaster Assistance
IS-22 Are You Ready? An In-depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness
IS-55 Household Hazardous Materials - A Guide for Citizens
IS-100.Sca Introduction to the Incident Command System for Schools
IS-362 Multi-Hazard Emergency Planning for Schools


Education Administrators should also be involved in community emergency planning because schools are on the top of the list as emergency shelters and field hospitals and the building administrators know their buildings.

You can even join your local Community Emergency Response Team. These are teams of citizens that are specially trained to help out in major emergencies, sort of like the reserves. Find out more here. Here is a list of CERT's by State: http://www.citizencorps.gov/cc/CertIndex.do?submitByState


Emergency Preparedness is everyone's responsibility. The Japanese know this and that is one reason why the disaster over there is not worse that it is. Share these resources with your students, colleagues, and family.