Safety & Security


Tose state directors and 500 other attendees received a health dose of safety and security training this summer. Entire communities respond to serious school bus crashes, so


entire communities should be included in exercises designed to coordinate community resources during real events. Tat was the theme during the presentation “Developing a Mock Casualty Exer- cise,” by retired school district safety trainer Cheri Clymer; Denny Coughlin, president of the School Bus Training Company; and Lt. Paul Hasenmeier of the Huron (Ohio) Fire Department. Te two main points made were to get as many agencies involved as possible and to allow some other agency to sponsor the drill that can bear the liability.


“Tese drills cannot be coordi-


nated by one agency, so do not be a one-man band,” said Coughlin. “Allow the drill to be coordinated by a different agency, such as the city or county emergency manage- ment office. Tey will be happy to take it on.” Agencies that should participate


Bret E. Brooks of Gray Ram Tactical, LLC


include law enforcement, fire and rescue, emergency medical, hospi- tals, emergency management, Red Cross, churches and the media. Clymer, Coughlin and Hasen-


meier also teamed up for a session on crash extrication and evacu- ation. Te trio shared with attendees what to expect to see during a school bus mass-casualty exercise as well as what to expect from each emergency department during these complex drills. Clymer also presented on how to manage emergencies using incident com- mand systems. Bret E. Brooks, COO of security consulting firm Gray Ram


Tactical LLC, who’s also a police officer in Missouri and a former captain of the state’s Army National Guard, kicked off the week with a four-hour, pre-conference seminar on July 20 called “Emer- gency Planning and Accident Response for School Bus Drivers.” He discussed the critical steps drivers should take following a school bus crash and essential emergency planning, and the development of security guidelines by transportation departments for all types of emergencies, such as various acts of violence, natural disasters, hijackings, acts of terrorism, even parental kidnappings. In creating standard operating procedures, Brooks said districts


must first conduct a risk assessment to gauge the risk factor of cer- tain events, and then identify all the different emergencies in order to look at the consequences of each emergency. He told attendees that regardless of the type of emergency


situation, school bus drivers would be able to handle any challenge or decision-making process if they learn and practice an all-hazards approach. Tis would mean that school districts would have to stan- dardize their operating procedures for student transportation. “If you have an all-hazards approach, then school bus drivers can take the same necessary steps to handle any situation,” said Brooks. Brooks later presented a workshop on verbal and non-verbal,


de-escalation techniques that school bus drivers can use to diffuse a violent, or potentially violent, situation. Delivering his keynote address, “To Protect and Educate,” to a full house during a July 23 brunch sponsored by Tomas Built


Buses, Mo Canady of the National Association of School Resource Officers said murdered Alabama school bus driver Chuck Poland “showed incredible bravery” in standing up to a gunman who ille- gally boarded the bus in January and demanded two young children. Poland was shot and killed in front of 20 school children as he attempted to defuse the situation. But despite the recent rash of gun violence on schools buses and


on school campuses, Canady voiced opposition to armed private security guards and school personnel in school buildings and on school buses. “I’m not saying civilians cannot handle a firearm, but it is a little


different when you’re dealing with a true tactical situation,” said the former school police chief and current NASRO executive director. “Tere’s a certain level of experience law enforcement officers have that civilians do not. You have a right to defend yourselves, but your first choice should be a properly trained police officer.” Earlier, Canady told the gathering that SROs are aware that


bullying and other acts of violence occur on school buses, and talked about their frustrations. “SROs completely understand the school bus is an extension of the school campus,” he said. Canady outlined six key areas where SROs work with school


transportation, including training bus drivers; maintaining an officer presence on the bus to help mitigate incidents at bus stops; investigations into criminal acts; two-way communication with bus drivers; providing escort service for buses; and relationship building. While noting that all SROs should be sworn law enforcement


officers, Canady said only about 10 percent of law enforcement officers are cut out to be SROs. He also cited a report that shows the number of juvenile arrests in


schools plummeted by 50 percent from 1994 to 2009. Tis was during the same period the use of SROs increased. He said schools have become safer despite the Columbine and Sandy Hook shootings.


Asleep at the Wheel? Sleep apnea and other sleep disorders are major issues for com-


mercial drivers that the FMCSA is addressing this fall, when the federal agency is expected to release guidelines and rulemaking pro- cedures. Dr. Michael Lucia, an assistant professor at the University of Nevada School of Medicine and owner of the Sierra Pulmonary and Sleep Institute in Sparks, Nev., told EXPO attendees that 10 to 20 percent of the U.S. population suffers from sleep apnea, and 15 percent to as many as 40 percent of commer- cial drivers have the condition. Likewise, he said


two-thirds of all Amer- icans are overweight or obese, a figure that grows to as much as 80 percent for commercial drivers. Additionally, drivers with obstruc- tive sleep apnea are three to five times more likely of being in a motor vehicle crash. Another stat he gave that raised eyebrows was that sleep apnea


Sleep apnea expert Dr. Michael Lucia


results in an average of 50,000 fatalities in motor crashes each year compared to 8,000 in drunk-driving incidents. Lucia was joined on the panel by Max Christensen, president of


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