Emergency Preparedness: Natural and Human Generated Disasters

Describe each of the disaster scenarios you have chosen (such as a hurricane that has quickly developed in your area) and a real or hypothetical early childhood setting (such as a Head Start program housed on a university campus near the coast). What are the main dangers posed by these situations? Who is at risk?
·         Explain why you and your colleagues should be prepared. What are the consequences of not being prepared?

·         Summarize the appropriate steps you would take to develop a plan in advance for this disaster and how you would deal with it if it occurs.

Be sure to:

·       Explain how you would assess the risks.

·       Identify potential complications created by this disaster besides the main disaster/danger itself.

·       Describe any other steps you and/or your early childhood program should take to be prepared to handle this kind of crisis. What kinds of materials or documentation (e.g., first aid supplies, family emergency contact information, and so on) would be necessary and/or helpful?

·       Explain how you might involve the families of the children in your care.

  There are several dangers that could threaten an early childhood environment.  Such as tornados,
hurricanes, fires, bomb threats, school bus accidents, and school shootings.  In the area where I live a
tornado and bomb threat could devastate an early childhood environment and contents.  First, I will begin with the tornado scenario.  Then, I will discuss the bomb threat scenario. 

            One Tuesday morning at the Screven County Elementary school, a tornado was spotted twenty-six miles away.  The principal announced that a tornado had been spotted and reminded the staff and children what precautions that they would take just as they practiced for the drill.  Thirty minutes after the principal had made the announcement, the tornado had already been spotted near the school site.  At that time, the principal announced that the school was getting ready to sound the alarm for them to get positioned.  Within minutes the tornados violent winds began ripping disfiguring the schools structure.  Just as it ripped off of the awning on the fourth grade wing, a car was thrown into the building.  The car landed in the middle of the hallway.  As a teacher got up to check to see what the noise was, several of her students ran behind her.  When the teacher went back to the other students, she discovered that one of her students who was with her were not in place.  Unfortunately, the child had wandered into the hall where the car was and was swept up by the tornado.  During that time, the teacher was unable to contact neither an administrator nor another faculty member.  Moments later, the tornado had dismangled several parts of the building and it three-thru-four playground.  Then, it vanished. Within in moments, the school superintendent, several fire departments, EMS workers, police officers, the transportation department, parents, and the local news team flooded the school’s parking lot.  Afterwards, the administrators, the superintendent, and emergency workers began rushing to the aide of the students and teachers.  Once everyone was rescued and exited what was left of the building, the fourth grade teacher reported that one of her student’s was missing.  Immediately after her statement, the emergency response team began scanning the neighborhood and wooded area.  Unfortunately, the child’s body was recovered and located several miles away from the school in a field. 

            Although tornados are disasters that pose detrimental effects, there are plans or state mandated policies that are in place to ensure the safety of all parties involved.  Those plans or policies state what action(s) should be taken to prevent harm to every individual. The plans also provide information that state how to safely exit and seek shelter if a disaster or danger should arise.  All staff members are required to take their roles, their student’s contacts information, and a first aid kit with them in case of an emergency. In this scenario, the tornado is the danger to all parties involved.  Even though the school had practiced and were current on their tornado drills, staff and children lives were in danger.  For example, the teacher decision to leave her safe area to check an unsafe area.  The teacher should not have left from her designated area unless the area became unsafe for both her and the students.  She should have never left her students behind.  She should have checked to see if all of her students were present and accounted for. Because the teacher did not fully follow protocol, a life was lost in her care.

Since a life was lost from the disaster, the school can make changes that will improve their emergency plans.  Due to the child’s life that was lost, the school should designate a large area that houses each grade so each class is not isolated from their peers.  The school should have more than one alternate route to evacuate students to if the other area becomes unsafe.  The school could also implement another form of communication during a disaster.   

     Next, I will describe a bomb threat scenario. Several days before the bomb threat, a freshman student had been wrongly accused of taking chemicals out of the chemistry lab.  When the student tried to convince the teacher that his station was missing certain items before he had arrived at his station the teacher refused to hear him out.  Two days later, the male student approached his chemistry teacher and told him that he had a grenade in his backpack.  At first, the teacher laughed as if the student were just kidding.  Moments later, the frustrated student reached into his backpack and pulled out a grenade.  Then, the teacher pressed his distress button.  When the office called out the teacher’s name over the intercom, the student began yelling at the teacher.  During that time, all of freshman’s peers had entered the classroom.  Several minutes later, the office called the Chemistry teacher again, but the teacher never responded back to the office.  Within minutes an administrator appeared at his door and saw the student standing at the door entrance with a strange device in his hand.  Immediately, the administrator contacted the school’s local resource officer and the school’s superintendent and reported to them what he saw.  Afterwards, a funny sound buzzed over the intercom.  The teachers began locking there classroom doors and placed color coded construction paper underneath their doors.  After the administrator returned to the classroom, he noticed that student was still standing near the door but the teacher and students were standing on the other side of the room.  As the administrator stood on the other side of the door, he asked the teacher if everything was okay.  And very slowly, the teacher responded “No, everything is not okay in here.” Before the teacher could finish his statement, the student began yelling at him.  So, the administrator addressed the student by his name and asked him why he standing at the door whiles his peers and teacher stood on the other side of the classroom.  Without delay, the student replied, “they are scared because I have a grenade in my hand.” During their conversation, the other classrooms were being evacuated by emergency responders and the local police and sheriff department.  After the other classrooms were evacuated, the police began talking to the student over the intercom.  As the negotiator talked with the student, the student began telling the negotiator what led him to bring the grenade to school.  An hour went by, and the negotiator kept the student talking.  Finally, the student began crying uncontrollably and the negotiator was able to persuade him to let the teacher and his peers go without harm. 

     In this scenario, there are several things that placed the children in danger.  First, the teacher did not have a student-teacher relationship with the student. Next, the student should have never brought a grenade to school to intentionally harm someone else.  Because the situation had placed the school environment in danger, the school should implement an open door policy for both staff and students.  The school should also implement metal detectors in their buildings.  The school should also have designated persons or counselors in place to meet the needs of all children. As for the teacher, he should have investigated the matter before accusing the student of stealing.  He should have an inventory checklist posted at each chemistry station.  Meanwhile, the student should have reported the missing items beforehand. 

                                                                       Reference

 Robertson, C. (2013). Safety, nutrition, and health in early education (5^th ed.). Belmont, CA.          

      Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.