by Kyle Wells reporter@prpeak.com In an effort to be more prepared and organized in the case of an emergency, School District 47 has developed a quick reference guide to be distributed to all schools.
The critical incident reference guide outlines step by step what action to take in the case of emergencies such as earthquakes, bomb threats, lockdowns and intruders. For an earthquake, for instance, the guide details what public address announcement should be made and then aids whoever is following the guide through calling 911 to evacuating the school.
Doug Nauer, emergency coordinator for the City of Powell River, and Chris Young, health and safety officer for School District 47, spoke to the Powell River Board of Education at a recent meeting about emergency preparedness in schools.
“It’s a very comprehensive plan, very well done,” said Nauer. “Once you have a plan, that’s one thing, but to maintain it and have the infrastructure to maintain it is another and in this particular case with the school district I see that that’s what’s happening.”
Nauer spoke specifically about earthquake preparedness, given the recent quake off the coast of Vancouver Island that some people in Powell River felt. Nauer told the district that more attention needs to be made to developing a plan for what will be done with students after they evacuate a school in the case of an earthquake. Local resources may not be available to deal with the schools in the case of a devastating earthquake.
District Superintendent of Schools Jay Yule said students meet at muster points after an earthquake but asked Nauer where the students are to go from there if they are not able to return to the school and parents are not able to pick them up. Nauer confirmed that the plan is for an administrator to walk with students to the closest emergency reception centre that will be set up by the city.
Positive estimates say it will take a minimum of 72 hours before outside help will become available to Powell River in the case of a catastrophic quake. Nauer said seven days is a more likely time frame, given that those resources might be needed in more accessible or harder hit areas.
“It doesn’t necessarily sit well with everybody because we always think that as soon as there’s an emergency the fire trucks and everybody else will be coming over the hill to the rescue,” said Nauer, “but that’s not necessarily the case at all.”
Each agency, business, and home needs to be as independent as can be in the case of an emergency, said Nauer.
Nauer said having emergency supplies is a good idea but only if those supplies are maintained and kept up to date. School District 47 does not have emergency kits in schools for long stays and Yule said the predetermined plans to bring students to emergency reception centres is the protocol.
Young said that if anything happens beyond the scope of the reference guide then Yule will make a decision on whether to turn to local authorities for help.
