Emergency Preparedness
December 4, 2009
On Monday afternoon, Ana-Marie Jones, Executive Director of Collaborating Agencies Responding to Disasters, came to RDS as a consultant for a planned disaster drill. Instead of reviewing our plans ahead of time, Ana-Marie preferred to see us in action, because, as she reminded us, "The goal of a drill is to learn." As I've previously discussed in this forum, most education occurs at the edges of failure, so she needed to see how we responded during a drill, with all our strengths and faults, not on paper. In simple terms, her goal was to help us learn how to better think, communicate, and act in any type of crisis, because seldom does a disaster happen exactly as we think it will.
The context for the drill was a toxic spill on I-580, which was communicated throughout the campus via the speaker system on classroom and office phones. The nature of this drill required adults and students alike to think matters through in real time. For example, windows and doors needed to be closed promptly; gaps under doors and between window panes had to be stuffed with towels and sweatshirts. The idea is that along with our usual drills for fire or earthquake, in which we follow specified protocols, in this case we needed to think for ourselves. What kind of disaster was it? What were appropriate responses? How was this communicated?
After the drill, Ana-Marie insisted that we debrief as an entire community - students joined adults in the gym. She used this time to reinforce to all of us what works in any emergency: communicating (listening as well as speaking), thinking, and acting. She pointed out all that the students had done the right thing and underscored the idea that we all have more control than we might initially think, even in the toughest of situations. For example, one student mentioned how he could reassure scared classmates. Another described the need to be quiet and listen to the adults in charge. Still another talked about the need to drink plenty of water. From the mundane to the sublime, our students covered most of the bases.
With each student comment or question, Ana Marie reaffirmed that it comes down to communicating, thinking, and acting. (Or as the old acronym KISS reminds us: Keep It Simple, Silly.)
Later on, while debriefing with a group of staff and faculty, she underscored the importance of learning to communicate, think, and act - regardless of the crisis. This is why disaster plans are important and drills are even more important. That is, planning helps us think through a range of contingencies and gets everyone on the same page; yet in the moment, when the adrenaline is pumping and chaos abounds, anything but the simplest plans are forgotten, which is why we have monthly fire and earthquake drills, as well as Monday's toxic spill scenario. We need practice communicating, thinking, and acting amidst disaster, even if the crisis is staged.
Towards the end of her session with students, Ana Marie asked the audience: "How many of you have practiced responding to a disaster at home, with your family?" Many hands shot up in the air. Many did not. Now, I know that some of the hands that did not shoot into the air should have - I know one for sure! Yet given the stop and go of normal childhood development, not doing these scenarios on a regular basis leads children to forget what they have learned.
We need to conduct our own disaster drills at home for the obvious reasons, chief among them safety. Deeper though, these exercises teach all of us how to think, communicate, and act under stress. This kind of flexible and creative thinking under pressure does not happen of its own accord. It must be cultivated. At both home and school, we need to practice flexible thinking because it aids in the kinds of communication and action our children need throughout their lives: standing up to a bully, having a difficult conversation with a parent or guardian, resisting the urge to cheat despite ripe opportunity, or offering a sincere apology.
In this regard, regular disaster drills under unusual circumstances give us incredible opportunities to influence our children's thinking in deep and profound ways. Let's all keep our eyes and ears open to these opportunities.
Have a great weekend.
Mike