FEMA recommends that school district emergency plans include the above six steps that are necessary for planning responses to emergency incidents.


Las Vegas houses one of the state’s three “fusion,” or counter-terrorism centers, by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Te Southern Nevada Count- er- Terrorism Center is where all crimes and hazards, including terrorism, are reported. Te Las Vegas center houses representatives from 14


different agencies at the local, state and federal levels who work together to provide the area with a high level of security. Tere are 72 fusion centers across the U.S. that work together to gather and analyze information, plus provide a coordinated communications system. Hollander also pointed out other emergency commu- nications issues that may not be a part of a district’s plan. “Since most schools aren’t near a fusion center, the first thing for a transportation director to do is step up and be involved in the district’s plan. Transportation is often forgotten, even though those drivers and buses may be needed in an emergency.” Hollander urged that transportation directors proac-


tively “knock on that door” to be included in planning. “Especially in rural areas where a major disaster may overwhelm the EMS system, school buses may be the only transportation for mass volume that will help evac- uate people away from a flood or a fire,” she said. For example, Hollander said districts should plan how to contact drivers in the middle of the night if they are needed. As far as accident response is concerned, she said districts should have a plan for communicating with the


30 School Transportation News • SEPTEMBER 2018


students whose parents may not speak English. “Is there a system in place for special needs students?


Are there dead zones where cell service isn’t available? These are some overlooked issues that need to be identified and solved before an accident,” she added. Hollander also advised that districts refrain from


writing a plan without including feedback from representatives of the local fire department and police department. She also recommended that transportation directors should delegate a staff member to follow them around on-scene to take notes. “You may think you will remember everything that happened and everything that you did, but you won’t,” she noted. Art Gissendaner, a corporate communications consultant


in Phoenix and moderator of the STN EXPO panel in July, said schools need a written crisis communication plan in place before an incident. “Te frame of mind can’t be ‘this can’t happen here.’


Tere should be a designated spokesperson, and a plan for how to collect information from the driver to the mechanic to the director of transportation, up to the superintendent,” he said. Gissendaner recomended that, “Each person should


know their role ahead of time, know who they should tell, so it goes right up the line. Te information needs to be consistent. Briefings should be held to discuss what happened, why it occurred, who was involved and who is going to be told.”


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52