School emergency protocols revised in accordance with state guidelines

Emergency Quick Reference Guide introduced

by Olivia Lueckemeyer

During a presentation to the RE1J school board on Monday, October 26, coordinators from the District Safety Planning Team (DSPT) explained recent changes the team has made to emergency protocol materials.

First, Jennifer Read and Stacie Dowis, coordinators for the DSPT, introduced the newly developed Emergency Quick Reference Guide, a simple-to-navigate flip chart organized by type of emergency that provides instructions on the steps to take in the event of a breach of safety at each school in the district.

Other materials, such as a school map and information about the special needs of specific students, are also included in the guide. Those materials are updated regularly through the school year. Each teacher, administrator and staff member is equipped with a copy.

Dowis and Read also announced the initiation of a program called SchoolDNA, a digital blueprint of each school site that, in the case of an emergency, provides first responders with visual intelligence that may help them gather information about a situation before arriving on site.

SchoolDNA also identifies the location of boilers, transformers, fire extinguishers, hazardous materials and more. Only the building manager and principal of each school have login credentials for the secure site where SchoolDNA is located.

Read and Dowis explained that all updates to the four-phase emergency management plan are done in accordance with the best practices set forth by the Colorado School Safety Recourse Center. Superintendent Doug Tredway commended the DSPT for their diligence and dedication to keeping the RE1J district safe.

For information about emergency protocols go to www.gunnisonschools.net.