SSHS grant helps schools prepare for emergencies through wide-reaching safety summits

The first annual Cowlitz School Safety Conference was held August 14 at Mount Solo Middle School. Planning was done through the auspices of the Cowlitz Safe Schools Coalition and included reaching out to schools and other jurisdictions beyond the Cowlitz schools participating in the SSHS Grant.

More than 100 Cowlitz County school principals and administrators honed their emergency preparedness and management skills. Keynote presentations focused on the Incident Command System for school sites. The conference includes training in integrating an incident command system into routine and emergency school activities. In addition, a SWAT team from the City of Longview demonstrates emergency response procedures involving an intruder in the school. During the 2008 summer conference, the SWAT team methodically secured a classroom at the middle school while the administrators watched. School officials also learned how to make evacuation plans and build response teams. Attendees also could choose to work with the RapidResponder Critical Incident and Mapping System or walk through a tabletop exercise involving an Evacuation + Parent Reunification process.

The conference will become an annual event to assure district administrators and leaders are well-training in emergency response to a variety of school safety crises.