PEMA, Pennsylvania Department of Education Release School Emergency Planning Toolkit

Text of July 2 press release.

HARRISBURG -- The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and state Department of Education announced today that the "All-Hazards" School Safety Planning Toolkit is now available for schools, school districts and emergency responders in Pennsylvania.

The planning toolkit includes essential resources, such as legal citations, guidelines and other reference material, to help plan for all types of emergencies and disasters, whether natural or man-made.

The kit is available at www.pema.state.pa.us. There, click on "Forms and Documents" and then "Plans, Guides and Presentations."

"We want to provide every resource possible for our schools and districts to provide a safe and secure learning environment for their students," said Education Secretary Gerald L. Zahorchak. "We know that students excel when they're in a safe and positive climate, which enables them to reach their full academic potential and become productive members of our workforce."

"This toolkit is an invaluable resource that can be a starting point to open an emergency preparedness discussion with local emergency officials," said Robert P. French, PEMA director. "That cooperation between schools and their local emergency management agency and first responders facilitates the development of an effective and thorough emergency preparedness plan that keeps students and faculty safe, as well as first responders who are called to an incident."

The toolkit was developed by a team of personnel from PEMA and Department of Education, as well as the Center for Safe Schools, Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials, Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, Pennsylvania Department of Health, Pennsylvania Office of Homeland Security, Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, Pennsylvania State Police, South Central PA Task Force, participating schools and intermediate units, and private citizens.

Additional school safety and security resources can be found at PDE's Web site at www.pde.state.pa.us.

Information about emergency preparedness for citizens and businesses is available online at www.ReadyPA.org.

(posted 7/2/2009)

 

 

H1N1- Vaccination Alert

On Tuesday, June 16th 2009, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius urged school superintendents  to prepare for the possibility that schools would be used  as vaccination points for H1N1-Novel A (swine flu) vaccinations this fall.  Sebelius told The Associated Press "If you think about vaccinating kids, schools are the logical place”. For more information on this topic click here.

For the latest Novel H1N1 Flu Situation Update go to: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/update.htm

(posted 6/22/2009)

 

H1N1 (Novel A) Virus Updates

The latest CDC guidance for schools, including closure information, can be found on the CDC web site at: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/K12_dismissal.htm.

Schools should be reviewing and updating their pandemic plans and following directions from the PA Departments of Education and Health as new information unfolds.  Due to the time sensitive nature of this information the Center for Safe Schools will not try to duplicate informational postings on the H1N1 Virus, we will provide links to the appropriate state and federal agencies.  The PA Department of Health Web Site on the H1N1 virus is located at: http://www.dsf.health.state.pa.us/health/cwp/view.asp?q=252990 and additional planning information can be obtained from PEMA at: http://www.pema.state.pa.us. (posted 5/8/2009)

 

ACT 48 Credit for NIMS/ICS Courses

Are you interested in obtaining ACT 48 credit for your completed FEMA  courses in ICS, NIMS and Multi Hazards courses?

To obtain ACT 48 credit for successful completion of FEMA Independent Study (IS) Programs follow the following procedures:

1. If you have not already established an account on the PA Learning Management System (PA-LMS) go to the URL http://www.paprepared.com/ and establish an account.  NOTE: You will need you PDE personal ID number to set up the account for ACT 48 credit.
2. Upon completion of the Final Exam for the course you have taken, you will receive notification and your certificate of completion directly from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Emergency Management Institute (EMI) and NOT the LMS.
3. You must email your FEMA IS Certificate OR FEMA Confirmation email to:
   c-paschool@state.pa.us  to receive credit for each FEMA IS course completed.
4. Upon receipt of the e-mail certificate or confirmation e-mail staff at the Department of Health will enter the LMS system and give you credit for the course.
5. The LMS system will then relay the information automatically to PDE to be credited to your ACT 48 record.

The following courses are eligible for ACT 48 credit: IS-100, IS-100.SC, IS-200, IS-230, IS-700, IS-800b and IS-362 courses

You will received 4 hours of ACT 48 continuing education for each course you successfully complete and e-mail proof completion to the LMS review person at c-paschool@state.pa.us (posted 4/27/2009)

 

Recall Information

Ever wonder whether the products used in your school are the subject of recalls? The United States government has established several sites to assist you in verifying product recalls. The US Food and Drug Administration recall information can be searched at: http://www.fda.gov/opacom/7alerts.html.

The Consumer Products Safety Commission web site can be search at: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prerel.html while if you need to check on vehicles in your fleet the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at: http://www.recalls.gov/nhtsa.html

A one-stop recall verification page is set up at http://www.Recalls.gov that also covers environmental products, such as pesticides, and boats. You can also sign up for e-mail subscriptions to the various recall distribution lists. Posted 4/20/2009

 

Ready Classroom Teaches Emergency Preparedness Nationwide

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Ad Council have joined with Discovery Education to announce Ready Classroom, an online educational program. Posted April 13, 2009.

Ready Classroom will provide elementary and middle school teachers with resources to integrate natural disaster preparedness information into their curriculum. The program is an extension of Ready Kids, a nationwide effort designed to encourage children and families to take action and prepare for emergencies.

The online resource, www.discoveryeducation.com/readyclassroom, provides teachers with activities, lesson plans and multimedia tools that teach students how natural disasters develop and inspires them to build their own emergency preparedness plans with their families. The site features grade-specific lesson plans (K-8), videos, games, puzzles and bulletin board recommendations.

"Engaging with children on the topic of emergency preparedness in conjunction with the science curriculum taught in schools is an effective way to bring home the preparedness message." said Corey Gruber, Acting Deputy Administrator of FEMA's National Preparedness Directorate. "This program with Discovery Education will empower children and families to take the important steps necessary to minimize the impact of a disaster and, ultimately, continue our efforts to encourage a culture of preparedness."

 

Training News

FEMA has recently launched several new training program. Of particular interest to our Pennsylvania schools that have been designated as a POD (Point of Distribution) is the IS-26 Guide to Points of Distribution program.

• IS-836 Nuclear/Radiological Incident Annex New 3/26/2009
• IS-26 Guide to Points of Distribution New 3/20/2009
• IS-197.EM Special Needs Planning Considerations for Emergency Management New 3/20/2009
• IS-100.HE Introduction to the Incident Command System, ICS-100, for Higher Education New 3/18/2009

 

Disaster Preparedness Training for Community Leaders of Non-English Speaking Groups

The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare is collaborating with the PA Dept of Health, Office of Public Health Preparedness to co-sponsor a FREE training series on Disaster Preparedness for Community Leaders of Non-English Speaking Groups.

During an emergency or disaster, the safety and security of many citizens may be compromised. This includes children, teenagers, adults, and older citizens who might have issues and concerns as a result of differences in culture, language, and other communication barriers.

Dates and locations for the current year are:

April 24, 2009 - Central/Northcentral, Centre LifeLink EMS Building, State College, PA
May 8, 2009 - Northwest, Goodwill Industries, Falls Creek (near DuBois), PA
May 29, 2009 - Northeast, United Rehabilitation Services, Hazelton, PA

For more information contact:

Ruth M. Apa, RN, MEd
DPW, OMHSAS Contractor/Trainer
Phone: 717-772-7788
Fax: 717-705-8128
E-mail: c-rapa@state.pa.us

 

Preparing for Severe Weather

As spring approaches so does the probability of severe thunderstorms and possible tornado activity. Is your school really prepared?

The following parts of your school emergency plan should be reviewed now to increase your ability to respond and react in a severe weather incident.

1. Designate shelter areas in all facilities
2. Practice regularly
3. Have reliable, redundant means to receive weather information
4. Have reliable, redundant means to relay information within the facility
5. Ensure that each staff member is familiar with his/her responsibilities
6. When severe storms threaten, enact your plan immediately!

For further information see the National Weather Service’s publication Preparing for the Storm: A Severe Weather Guide for High-Population Facilities located at: www.srh.noaa.gov/fwd/wcm/facility_guide_04.pdf  (PDF format)

Post Date 2/23/2009

 

Push to Expand OSHA Safety Standards

Citing a fatal explosion in Daytona Beach, Florida, in 2006, U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) Chairman John Bresland today issued a new video safety message urging the state to move forward promptly with recommendations to extend OSHA coverage to all its public workers.

"In 26 states, public employees are not covered by OSHA workplace safety standards. Without those protections and responsibilities, public employees face an undue risk of being killed, injured, or sickened on the job," Chairman Bresland said. In 2007 the CSB recommended that Florida require all state agencies, counties, and cities to follow OSHA standards. "The accident in Florida should serve as a cautionary tale to the 25 other states that are in the same situation," Mr. Bresland said. "Our public employees are simply too vital an asset to risk their being killed, injured, or disabled in preventable workplace accidents." 

The CSB recommendation followed an investigation into a 2006 explosion and fire at a city-operated wastewater treatment plant in Daytona Beach, Florida. In response to the CSB's recommendation, the Florida legislature convened a 15-member task force to review the issue. In a final report last month, the task force concurred with the CSB and affirmed that the state should require OSHA compliance for all public employees.

For more information visit:
http://www.csb.gov/index.cfm?folder=news_releases&page=news&NEWS_ID=455

 

Timely Information on Critical Incidents

School district staff and administrators may want to obtain information on events occurring nationally and statewide affecting schools and educational institutions.

The following websites are a few public sites available for obtaining that information:

U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Infrastructure Report
This site allows the user to sign up for a daily e-mail with a link to the DHS infrastructure report which contains information regarding school situations.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Current Threat Assessment Level
This site accesses the current U.S. Threat Assessment Level (color) and related information.

PA Emergency Management Daily Operational Summaries
This site accesses the PEMA daily operational reports listing all PEIRS reports submitted in the 24 hours reporting period. This site needs to be manually accessed and does not currently have an automated delivery of information.

 

Changes in NIMS Online Training

FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute (EMI) have announced revisions and updates to the IS-700 NIMS course. The new course title is IS-700.a NIMS: An Introduction and replaces the existing IS-700 NIMS: An Introduction.

Directions from the EMI indicate that if you have previously started the IS-700 course and need to take the final exam, you must complete the exam and obtain a passing score before February 13, 2009. After February 13, 2009, the IS-700 exam will no longer be available.

You may complete your exam online by going to the IS-700.a course page at: http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/is/is700a.asp and choosing the IS-700 exam from the box at the bottom right of the screen. If you are completing your final exam for IS-700 via OpScan bubble sheets, they must be postmarked no later than Friday, February 13, 2009.

 

Psychological First Aid (PFA) For Students and Teachers

The U.S. Department of Education's (ED's) Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, in collaboration with ED's Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Technical Assistance Center, has released the latest issue in the Helpful Hints series: "Psychological First Aid (PFA) For Students and Teachers: Listen, Protect, Connect—Model & Teach". The publication is now available at: http://rems.ed.gov/views/documents/HH_Vol3Issue3.pdf.

 

New Center for Disease Control (CDC) Report - Hazardous Chemical Incidents in Schools, 2002 - 2007

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has released a new document dealing with Hazardous Chemical Incidents in Schools within United States for years 2002 - 2007. This study addressed the adverse health effects that chemicals that are used in many elementary and secondary schools may result from unintentional, accidental or intentional misuse.

Most schools possess chemicals in some form within the building (e.g., in chemistry laboratories, art classrooms, automotive repair areas, printing and other vocational shops, and facility maintenance areas). Every year, unintentional and intentional releases of these chemicals, or related fires or explosions, occur in schools, causing injuries, costly cleanups, and lost school days.

Mercury was the most common chemical released. The analysis found that 62% of reported chemical incidents at elementary and secondary schools resulted from human error (i.e., mistakes in the use or handling of a substance), and 30% of incidents resulted in at least one acute injury. Proper chemical use and management (e.g., keeping an inventory and properly storing, labeling, and disposing of chemicals) is essential to protect school building occupants.

Click here for the full article and references.

 

U.S. Department of Education Publication Release

The U.S. Department of Education's (ED's) Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, in collaboration with ED's Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Technical Assistance Center, has released two new publications in their Lessons Learned series.

The two new publications are available for download:

Responding to School Walkout Demonstrations (PDF format)

Communication and Collaboration During Natural Disasters: The Lessons Learned from Past Experience (PDF format)