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Building Incident Command

Incident Command Training

Phil Hobbs, Educational Consultant

Phil Barker, Educational Consultant

Gerald Casper, Educational Consultant

William Miller, Educational Consultant

Steve Oldham, Educational Consultant

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Presentation Goals

Participants will learn:

The four phases of Crisis Management

How to conduct a building assessment

Drill preparation

The basics of Incident Command

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Nims Compliance for Schools

• School districts assess and evaluate their incident response and management capabilities.

• From this assessment, an Emergency Operations Plan for schools and district is developed.

• School personnel are trained at the NIMS 100, NIMS 700 and NIMS 800 levels.

• NIMS ( National Incident Management System ) is incorporated into existing training programs and exercises.

• Schools work with community partners developing Emergency Operations Plans.

• Emergency Operations Plans are reviewed yearly to determine if there are unmet requirements.

• Local school boards adopt a board policy implementing NIMS Incident Command.

• Districts file with the Franklin County Commissioners and Department of Homeland Security ensuring that the school system is compliant by FY-2006.

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H.B. 422

• Boards shall adopt a Safety Plan and review every three years.

• Copies of the Safety Plan and blueprints to be filed with local law enforcement.

• Copies of the Safety Plan and floor plans files with Attorney General by June 29, 2007

• Complete a safety drill by December 1, 2007 each year.

• $1000.00 fine to principals for now having monthly fire drills.

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School Safety PlansEmergency Operations Plan

• When developing a safety plan, a board or governing authority shall involve community law enforcement and safety officials, parents, teachers, and non-teaching employees and consider incorporating remediation strategies into the plan where documented safety problems have occurred.

• A safety plan must include a protocol for addressing serious threats to the safety of school property, students, employees, or administrators and the protocol for responding to emergency events that compromise the safety of school property, students, employees, or administrators. Each protocol must include procedures determined by the board or governing authority to be appropriate for responding to threats or emergencies “including such things as notification of appropriate law enforcement personnel, calling upon specified emergency response personnel for assistance, and informing parents of affected students.”

• Safety plans need to be revised and resubmitted every three years.

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What is a crisis ?

Incidents involving individual students or whole communities.

They can happen before, during and after school.

All districts and schools Need leadership at the top.Need a functioning crisis team.Need an organizational structure that will work in a

crisis.Need to coordinate with all community first

responders.Need to be prepared and trained.Need to continue to assess, plan and change.

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A Crisis Can Be:

• A large fight• Natural disaster• Fire• Bus crash• Death of a staff member or student• Bomb threat• Medical emergency• Act of terror or war

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Crisis Planning

• Who should be involved in developing your school crisis plan?

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Sequence of Crisis Management

• Mitigation/Prevention

• Preparedness

• Response

• Recovery

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Mitigation & Prevention

• The goal of mitigation is to decrease the need for response as opposed to simply increasing response capability.

• Connect with community emergency responders to identify local hazards.

• Review the last safety audit to examine school buildings and grounds.

• Determine who is responsible for overseeing violence prevention strategies in your school.

• Encourage staff to provide input and feedback during the crisis planning process.

• Review incident data. • Determine major problems in your school with regard to

student crime and violence. • Assess how the school addresses these problems. • Conduct an assessment to determine how these problems

—as well as others—may impact your vulnerability to certain crises.

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Building Assessments

For NIMS Compliance

• School districts are to assess/survey and evaluate their incident response and management capabilities.

• From this assessment, preparedness recommendations and an Emergency Operations Plan / Safety Plan for schools and the district are to be developed.

• Emergency Operations Plans are to be reviewed yearly to determine if there are unmet requirements.

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District Building Assessment

• Customize this instrument for your school.

• Use this form every year.

• Meet with the crisis team at each individual school.

• Use the results to drive your crisis planning.

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Parts of the Assessment

Mitigation and Prevention• Building Crisis Plans• Supervision/surveillance• Physical plant

Preparedness• Logs and Drills

Response• Medical Team• Safety Team

Recovery• CARE Team

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The Instrument

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Preparedness

• Good planning will facilitate a rapid, coordinated, effective response when a crisis occurs.

• Determine what crisis plans exist in the school, district, and community.

• Identify all stakeholders involved in crisis planning. • Develop procedures for communicating with staff, students,

families, and the media. • Establish procedures to account for students during a crisis. • Gather information about the school facility, such as maps

and the location of utility shutoffs. • Identify the necessary equipment that needs to be

assembled to assist staff in a crisis.

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Preparedness

DRILLS

• Use plain language

• Uniform across district

• Involve your local response agencies

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Preparedness

• What is your responsibility?– Communicate the plan– Train staff and students – Assign roles and hold realistic drills

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Preparedness

• Drills– Evacuation– Reverse

Evacuation– Lock Down– Shelter-in-Place– Duck, Cover, and

Hold– Hit the Deck

• Other Responses– Cancel school

before it starts– Early release– Relocation– Activation of

Incident Command System

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Evacuate

• Evacuate students and staff.• Minimum initial distance is 300 ft. • All persons must leave the facility.• Close, but DO NOT lock, doors behind

you.• DO NOT return to buildings using a bell

signal (bells can malfunction).• Return to building when instructed by

Incident Commander or report to relocation site as ordered.

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Evacuation

• This response is used for fire, unsafe building (after explosion or severe weather damage).

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Reverse Evacuation

• Move indoors quickly.

• Close doors behind you.

• Close windows once you are inside.

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Reverse Evacuation

• This response is used for severe weather, intruder, sniper or gunfire, hazardous materials release. May be rapidly followed by Lock Down or Shelter-in- Place.

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Shelter-in-Place

• Move everyone inside. (interior rooms or rooms on upper level floors are best).

• Close and lock all windows and doors.• Custodian to immediately shut down all

HVAC units . Call central maintenance?• Seal off all openings with tape and plastic

(windows, doors, heat/ air units, electrical outlets, etc).

• Await instructions from public officials before exiting shelter.

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Shelter-in-Place

• This response is used for hazardous materials in the environment.

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Duck, Cover, and Hold

• For tornado event, move to pre-designated areas and assume protective position. If sudden event or unable to report to pre-designated area in tornado event:

• Take cover under tables or desks. • Keep as much of body shielded as possible.• If outside, lie on stomach with face away from

event.• If special needs, do not remove from wheelchair.

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Duck, Cover, and Hold

• This response is usually used for earthquake, explosion, and severe weather. May be followed by Evacuation when safe to move.

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• Modified Lock Down: Level 1

• Exterior doors and windows are locked and secured.

• Free movement within the school building.

• May be released by PA announcement.

Lock Down

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Lock Down

• Modified Lock Down: Level 2

• Same procedures as level 1, except students may move about the locked classroom.

• May only be released from Lock Down by police or administrator and designated staff unlocking doors.

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• Full Lock Down: Level 3• Students in halls and restrooms move to the nearest

classroom.• Classroom doors and all exterior doors/ windows are

immediately locked.• Cover windows and door window panels, if able.• Sit on floor, out of sight of windows and doors.• Take attendance.• Do not open door or windows. • May only be released from Lock Down by police

or administrator and designated staff unlocking doors.

Lock Down

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Lock Down

• This response is usually used for an intruder inside or outside the building.

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Hit the Deck

• Anyone recognizing immediate danger shouts “Hit the Deck”

• Everyone immediately drops to the ground and lies flat.

• No one should get up until an adult gives directions.

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Hit the Deck

• This response is usually used in the event of gunfire. Usually followed by Lock Down or Evacuation when safe to do so.

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Plans for Special Needs Students

• Have you assessed all your drills to include special needs students?

• What special considerations have you made?

• Are your first responders aware of your special needs population?

• Never leave these students alone.• Review the special needs school

plans.

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Response

• A crisis is the time to follow the crisis plan and make use of your preparations.

• Determine if a crisis is occurring. • Identify the type of crisis that is occurring and determine the

appropriate response. • Activate the Incident Command System. • Ascertain whether an Evacuation, Reverse Evacuation, Lock

Down, or Shelter-in-Place needs to be implemented. • Maintain communication among all relevant staff at officially

designated locations. • Establish what information needs to be communicated to staff,

students, families, and the community. • Monitor how emergency first aid is being administered to the

injured. • Decide if more equipment and supplies are needed.

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Response

• What is your responsibility?– Act and react– Perform as you were trained– Accept help and relinquish command

and control when professional help arrives

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Incident Command:Why are we doing this?

As defined in the Homeland Security Act of 2002, Section 2(10) the term “local government means (A) county, municipality, city, town, township, local public authority, school district, special district, council of governments…or agency or instrumentality of a local government and a rural community, unincorporated town or village, or other public entity.” 6 U.S. C. 101 (10)

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Incident Command:Why are we doing this?

• It is mandated• It works

– Establishes clear focus on objectives and lines of authority

– Helps entities to establish response roles and capabilities before an incident

– Avoids confusion over whom you should take direction from .

• It saves lives and money– Lessons learned– Practicing and drilling

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Incident Command

• A commonly accepted plan for disaster incident management that assigns tasks and allows for rapid, expert decision-making.

• Enhances communication at the incident site within each agency and between agencies.

• The Incident Commander is responsible until the authority is delegated to another person.

• The incident command post is where the primary administrative functions are coordinated.

• Incident Command can be used to respond to fires and earthquakes, as well as common city incidents such as parades and fairs.

• The Incident commander is the only one that is always staffed in ICS applications.

• There is no correlation between the ICS organization and schools as it avoids confusion as to whom you take directions from.

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Incident Command Principles

• Everyone should:– Use the same titles to provide a common standard for all users. – Know the common terminology for efficient, clear communication. – Work from the same set of achievable objectives.– There should be no confusion over different titles or organizations, as

this can be a stumbling block. • Every incident needs a person in charge• No one should direct more than 7 others.• No one should report to more than one person.• The Incident Action Plan is used in taking actions based on

objectives. • The operating guideline as to the number of individuals that one

person can manage is called the span of control. • IC allows personnel from a variety of agencies to rapidly meld

into a common management structure.

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Incident Command Team

• Key positions should be assigned “three deep”

• Best assigned by the most qualified individual rather than just, name, rank or title.

• The ICS organization allows for distinct titles to avoid confusion as to whom to take directions from.

• Those assigned to primary incident command roles cannot be on “teams”

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Seven Critical Tasks in a Crisis

1. Establish communication

2. Identify areas of danger

3. Set Inner Perimeter

4. Set Outer Perimeter

5. Open a Command Post

6. Activate Additional Staging Areas

7. Identify and Request Resources

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Threat Levels

Level I - Monitor: Potential crisis; notify necessary staff Examples: threatening weather; monitor weather radio

Level II- Standby: Potential or low level crisis; Put parts of team on standby or notify team to be prepared.Example: tornado watch; let staff know that it may become necessary to move if a tornado is sighted.

Level III- Emergency: Full crisis; activate CPExamples: tornado warning, tornado sirens going off; Duck, Cover, and Hold, get to tornado stations if you have time

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Incident Command Organization at Building Site

• Command Staff • Incident Commander (always staffed in ICS applications)

• Liaison Officer • Public Information Officer• Safety Officer

• General Staff • Operations Section Chief• Logistics Section Chief• Planning Section Chief• Scribe

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Incident Command SystemBuilding Level

Incident Command

Operations Section Chief

PlanningSection Chief

LogisticsSection Chief

Scribe

Liaison Officer Safety Officer

Public InformationOfficer

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Operations Teams

• Medical Disaster Response Team • Student Care Team• Safety Team

Team Leaders report to the Operations Section Chief

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School IncidentCommand System

Incident Commander

• Is in charge of any crisis until appropriate emergency responder arrives.

• Assesses level of danger and determines level of threat.

• Establishes inner and outer perimeter and summons additional help.

• At level three, the Incident Commander establishes a command post and summons the Incident Management Team to the CP.

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Liaison Officer

• Identifies responding crisis groups (fire, police, Red Cross, Hazmat, health department, district personnel).

• Serves as the primary contact for supporting agencies assigned to an incident.

• Keeps Incident Commander informed of all responding groups actions and coordinates school's efforts with these groups.

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• This position serves as a conduit between internal and external stakeholders

• Calls necessary district personnel about the crisis.

• Gathers accurate details of the incident. • Establishes a media center. • No information is released at the building

site. Release of information will be handled at the district level.

Public Information Officer

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Safety Officer

• Monitors safety conditions of students/school staff and develops measures for assuring their safety.

• Determines if response actions/strategies by Emergency Operations team can cause harm to staff/students

• Determines whether students have been

evacuated far enough from school.

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Operations Section Chief

• A general staff position that conducts tactical operations and objectives.

• Keeps Incident Commander informed of all student and staff actions.

• Communicates objectives of incident action plans from the command staff to the teams who will do the work.

• Organizes the school’s response to the crisis at hand.

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Logistics Section Chief

• Is responsible for ensuring that assigned incident personnel are fed and have communications, medical support and transportation.

• Maintains adequate supplies in preparation for emergency.

• Acquires supplies needed to assist individuals (food, water, transportation).

• Works with Operations Section Chief to determine team needs.

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Planning Section Chief

• General Staff position that prepares documents and the Incident Action Plan.

• Collects and evaluates information.• Maintains resource status.• Maintains documentation for incident records.

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Finance/Administration Section Chief

• Generally staffed by the budget manager or treasurer.

• General Staff position that mages the cost related to the incident.

• Responsible for recovering funds for manpower and supplies after the crisis.

• Not needed at the building level

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Scribe

• Handles all recording duties of planning and finance sections when those positions not filled.

• Maintains log of events.• Assists the Incident Commander in

completing the Incident Report Form to document events, response, and outcomes.

• Collects and synthesizes for files, all completed forms used to document the crisis.

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Operations Teams

• Medical Disaster Response Team

• Student Care Training Team

• Safety Team

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Medical Disaster Response Team

• School nurse leads this team and coordinates its training.

• Team identifies necessary staging areas, personnel, and supplies.

• Team receives training in First Aid, CPR, AED and Triage.

• Team is responsible for triaging and treating all casualties until outside assistance arrives and takes over.

• Team documents all treatment activities.

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Student Care Team

• School counselor leads this team and coordinates this training.• Team identifies personnel, supplies, and necessary staging areas.• Team counsels traumatized students and staff. • Team coordinates aftermath procedures for students/ school staff.• Team assists with student accountability, reunification, and release.

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Student Accountability Coordinator

• Operates under direction of Student Care Operates under direction of Student Care Team Leader. Team Leader.

• Responsible for accounting and tracking the Responsible for accounting and tracking the location andlocation and

disposition of all students.disposition of all students.

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Safety Team

• Coordinates functions of site security (parental management, violence, crowd control)

• Team creates a Manpower Pool. • Secures evacuation site, assists in evacuation, informs safety

officer of any unsafe conditions. • Assists building in reviewing the crisis plans.

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Manpower Pool Coordinator

•Operates under the direction of the Safety Operates under the direction of the Safety Team Leader. Team Leader.

•Responsible for assembling and tracking Responsible for assembling and tracking use of staff members assigned to the use of staff members assigned to the Manpower Pool.Manpower Pool.

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General Staff Assignments

Everyone has an assignment - i.e. specific Incident Command role, team assignment, classroom coverage, or Manpower Pool.

Classroom coverage – specifically list who will cover which classrooms.

Manpower Pool – specifically assign all staff not given Incident Command roles, team assignments, or classroom coverage assignments to Manpower Pool.

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Incident Command System

• Sites and staging areas should be pre-planned with back-ups.– Command Post – Triage– Student Accountability– Care Team– Manpower Pool– Whole school relocation sites

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ICS Facilities

• Incident Command Post – is the location from which the Incident commander oversees all incident operations.

• Staging Area- is an incident facility where personnel and equipment, such as food and water, are positioned outside of the present potential hazard.

• Base – is the location from which primary logistics and administrative functions are coordinated and

administered• Camp – is where resources should be maintained when a

base is not accessible. • Helibase – is the location from which helicopter-centered

air operations are conducted.• Helispots – are more temporary locations at the incident,

where helicopters can safely land and take off.

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Staging Areas

• Command Post staging area

• Triage staging area

• Care Team staging area

• Security Team staging area

• Manpower Pool staging area

• Relocation Site

• Special Needs Staging Areas

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Check-in and Incident Action Plan

• A check-in log should be maintained so personnel can be located in an emergency.

• After check-in you should locate your incident supervisor and obtain your initial briefing.

• This allows you to locate personnel in case of an emergency.

• Measurable tactical operations to be achieved within the specified period.

• Action plans are to be based on objectives identified in planning.

• To be filled out by each command and general command officer for any objectives they have developed and implemented during the crisis.

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Incident Command requires that

• The Incident Command Post should be positioned outside of the present and potential hazard, but close enough to maintain command.

• A camp should be maintained for resources when a base is not accessible to all resources.

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• School crisis kit. Who carries it out? At a minimum, it should contain:

• 1. Flashlights• 2. First Aid kit• 3. Student rosters• 4. Emergency medical cards• 5. Student medications/ personal med.

supplies• 6. Emergency phone/ walkies

Crisis supplies for your school

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Recovery

• During recovery, return to learning and restore the infrastructure as quickly as possible.

• Strive to return to learning as quickly as possible. • Restore the physical plant, as well as the school community. • Monitor how staff are assessing students for the emotional impact of

the crisis. • Identify what follow-up interventions are available to students, staff,

and first responders. • Conduct debriefings with staff and first responders. • Assess curricular activities that address the crisis. • Allocate appropriate time for recovery. • Plan how anniversaries of events will be commemorated. • Capture "lessons learned" and incorporate them into revisions and

trainings.• MC102007