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Article: Planning for Emergencies | close(x) |
| Planning for Emergencies It was a typical January day at Bowmanville High School, located in Durham Region, 60 km. east of Toronto, Ontario. Students caught between the post-Christmas lull and end of term rush shuffled from class to class trying to shake off the chill of the first really cold day of winter. Shortly after noon, all of that was changed by a single telephone call. School officials were notified that a student was suspected of bringing to the school the materials needed to make a bomb. Working closely with local police, the school was immediately ordered into “lockdown” mode. This meant that students were closeted in their classrooms under teacher supervision, and regularly scheduled classes were cancelled. Anyone not scheduled to be in class at the time of the lockdown was herded into the cafeteria or gymnasium. Students needing a washroom or refreshment break could do so only with a staff escort. When it was discovered that the suspect had fled Bowmanville High School, the police advised neighbouring schools in both the public and separate school boards to lockdown as well. While these schools only remained in lockdown for a little over an hour, Bowmanville students were not released until much later. Concerned parents anxiously waiting outside the school were kept up-to-date by the police officers in attendance. While this scenario brings up haunting images of the school shootings at Columbine and Taber, Alberta, thankfully no one was hurt. In response to the criticism that the schools may have gone into lockdown mode too quickly, David Selby, Director of Corporate Communications for the Durham Regional Police Service said, “We can’t play the guessing game. If we have information that we believe is possibly true, then we can’t start conjecturing. We have to start making decisions and those decisions are always on the side of public safety.” Local school trustee Nancy Coffin agrees. “They had to do what they thought was right at the time,” she said. “After all, student and public safety is paramount.” Lawyer James Cameron is counsel for the Catholic Principals Council of Ontario and the parent of three children. Cameron speaks with considerable authority when he says that he doubts any parents would complain about how the incident was handled. “If you’re doing what you’re doing to promote student and staff safety, you’ll receive no complaint,” said Cameron. “In fact, the opposite will be true. People will be grateful that you are making their safety your priority.” What happened in Bowmanville wasn’t a knee-jerk reaction to protect the students at all costs. From the moment that first telephone call was received, school officials and local police followed a carefully drafted emergency protocol that was established in accordance with several provincial directives. In Ontario, those directives came from the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services. Both have mandated that school boards and police services establish a protocol for the investigation of all school-related occurrences. The Bowmanville High School fell under the Police/School Protocol that is in place between Durham Regional Police Service and four public and separate school boards with schools in the Region. In addition, in accordance with Ontario’s Emergency Management Act, every municipality in the province was required to have an Emergency Preparedness Plan in place and filed with Emergency Management Ontario by December 31, 2004. Approved plans have to be reviewed annually by each municipality, which are also required to hold emergency exercises to test the efficacy of each plan. In our post 9-11 world, Ontario is not alone. Every province in Canada has some form of Emergency Planning Act in place, as do most municipalities and school boards. Being prepared for an emergency, and knowing how to respond appropriately and calmly when one occurs, can not only save lives but also help to reassure frightened staff and students. In the case of the Bowmanville incident, the students in all of the area schools involved had previously participated in emergency exercises. It was because of these exercises that the students felt safe and in control in what would otherwise be considered a high-stress situation. Rebecca Girling is a grade 10 student at St. Stephen’s Catholic Secondary School, one of the many schools that were locked down following the initial incident at Bowmanville High School. Her response to her experience reflects the value of being well prepared. “Initially we just thought it was a drill, but after 20 minutes of sitting on the floor, we realized that there was something serious happening,” said Rebecca. “Because we’d done the drill before, everyone remained calm because we knew what was expected of us.” Provinces, such as Ontario, may mandate emergency plans, but there is no operational standard to follow. Since operational matters are ultimately the responsibility of individual school boards, it is also their responsibility to develop plans with local police and other officials that are unique to each school and school board, and that also reflect the local community. In the case of Durham Region, emergency plans are custom tailored to each school, and take into consideration such variables as location, proximity to police, fire and other emergency services, and road access. While the situation at Bowmanville High School was resolved without incident or injury, it reinforces the need for school administrators to know what to do in the event of an emergency. Here’s a checklist: Student safety is paramount.
Become a safety expert.
Communication is critical.
In the event of an emergency.
For more information: © S. Elston, STERLON Underwriting Managers Ltd., 2005
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