In case of any natural disaster, or emergency, Jordan School District is prepared with detailed instructions for its administrators, teachers and students.
Administrators and teachers are given a specific set of instructions, each with plans for every kind of emergency, and how to handle it.
Should a fire befall a building, the district’s plan begins with safe, accurate and calm evacuation. Students stay in class groups, with their teachers leading them to a specific area at least 200 yards away from the school.
To take extra precautions, fire drills are practiced, and students are educated on the matter. Students are encouraged not to re-enter the building, or leave their class groups.
Assistant principal George Welch said, “There is a system to making sure that the students and teachers are all safe.”
Departments, Hospitals, and Police], and media. We have someone dealing with every aspect of human nature in these situations,” said Welch
The Incident Management Resource Group developed a course for teachers to prepare them for any type of emergency. Establishing a chain of command in emergency situations is vital. In the Incident Action Plan for ‘Fire’, it states its goal and objectives to reaching its goal. The goal is to ‘insure that all students and staff are safely evacuated from the interior of the school in the event of a fire.’
According to FEMA, each year, more than 4,000 Americans die and more than 25,000 are injured in fires, many of which could be prevented. Direct property loss due to fires is estimated at $8.6 billion annually.
In 2002 37% of all school structure fires and 52% of middle and high school structure fires were incendiary or suspicious. Fatalities from school fires are rare but injuries per fire were higher in school structure fires than non-residential structure fires on average. The leading area of fire origin was the school lavatory or bathroom.
On Jordan School District’s website (www.jordandistrict.org) there are links, downloads and suggestions for government websites, safety and weather updates.
Though flooding is not common in Jordan School District, and, there is no Incident Action Plan for flooding, there are plans and guidelines set in place by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on what to do in any situation.
All floods are not alike. Some floods develop slowly, sometimes over a period of days. But flash floods can develop quickly, sometimes in just a few minutes and without any visible signs of rain. Flash floods often have a dangerous wall of roaring water that carries rocks, mud, and other debris and can sweep away most things in its path. Overland flooding occurs outside a defined river or stream, such as when a levee is breached, but still can be destructive. Flooding can also occur when a dam breaks, producing effects similar to flash floods.
Through FEMA’s website (www.fema.gov) there are guidelines on what to do for food, water, shelter and transportation, for flooding and other natural disasters.
