Information Is Power
NEW MANAGEMENT TOOLS BRING TRANSPORTERS THE ABILITY TO QUICKLY RESPOND TO, TRACK AND SHARE INCIDENTS ON AND AROUND THE SCHOOL BUS
WRITTEN BY MICHELLE FISHER S
tudent transportation professionals understand that incident management is key to risk management, which is why they are known for endless checklists.
Tey check off boxes during school bus inspections and following accidents or other incidents that compromise safety. Kathy Furneaux, an industry veteran who serves
as executive director of Pupil Transportation Safety Institute (PTSI), defined “incident management” as effectively collecting information at the scene of an incident or accident to quickly and appropri- ately distribute it in an effort to regain or maintain expected levels of safety. Mike Goldsmith, who founded Risk Analysis &
Management Inc. (RAM) in 2007, said incident management involves giving a cohesive manage- ment structure to either a pre-planned event or an incident that occurs without warning. Both PTSI and RAM assist schools by training their faculty and staff in incident management techniques. Today’s transportation directors have more high-
tech tools to assist in this area than ever before, from Access databases to Excel spreadsheets to sophisticated health and safety software such as Rivo and IHS. But Furneaux pointed out the way
you collect information is not as important as how you use it. “Te important goal is to track the incidents and their details and perform ongoing analysis for the larger picture, looking for trends, patterns, etc., that can help you make changes to avoid the incidents or accidents in the future,” she said. “Without ‘course correction,’ the past leads you to the same place over and over again.” Goldsmith agreed it is important for schools to
become well versed in incident management. Te faculty and staff are expected to safely negotiate events and incidents as they are standing in for parents and guardians during the school day. Tey face the same risks as any other organization, only multiplied because they have children in their care, he explained. “We advise our clients that they can use a number
of systems to help them track incidents,” said Gold- smith. “Some can be as simple as a paper-and-pencil log, while others can be as complex as WebEOC, a computerized incident management system used by emergency managers in our area. Te point being that any system has to have the ability to account for personnel, resources and activities during an event or incident.” æ
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