One Stop for School Emergency Planning

July 15, 2008

As school comes back into session, the Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) has launched a new web portal for school emergency planning resources, at MainePrepares.com/Schools.

The Maine Department of Education, MEMA, the Maine School Management Association and the Maine Principal's Association have collaborated on new revisions of planning guidance. These newly updated resources, along with documents from the US Department of Education, are all available via MainePrepares.com/Schools portal.

"An Act To Ensure the Integrity of School Crisis Response Plans" was signed into law by the Governor this year. It broadens the definition of school emergency plans to include all hazards, and directs schools to work cooperatively with local public safety and emergency management officials to build their plans. This legislation is online at:

http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/chapters/PUBLIC408.asp

MEMA and DoE offer the following tips for successful planning:

Involve representatives from all the emergency agencies who might respond to a crisis at your school (police, fire, EMS, for starters)
Use our self-assessment, a sort of "pop quiz" (available at MainePrepares.com/schools) to help determine where you are in your preparedness process
Complete a risk assessment to determine what particular types of emergencies you should have a plan for
Build your plan to fit your community, your circumstances, and your resources. Our sample plan posted at MainePrepares.com/schools can help
Practice, practice, practice. Contact your County Emergency Management Agency for guidance on how to conduct a realistic exercise that will help you determine if your plan will work in an actual event, and how to improve it.

Ready to get started? Click on to MainePrepares.com/schools.

Contact:

Dwane Hubert
624-4400

Home and Family | Schools | Business | Community | Service Organizations

MAINE PREPARES

One Stop for School Emergency Planning

Contact: