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Authorities
The Texas Emergency Services Act provides the basic authority for conducting emergency operations following a proclamation of emergency by the Governor and/or appropriate local authorities. Local government and District emergency plans are considered to be extensions of the Texas Emergency Plan, established in accordance with the Emergency Services Act.
The District Emergency Operations Plan is promulgated by the Superintendent and is implemented at the time of a disaster at the direction of the Superintendent or his/her designated alternate. Site Emergency Operations Plans are implemented by Site Coordinators (school principals/site managers) upon the occurrence when directed by the Superintendent. In the absence of orders from the Superintendent, each Site Coordinator is authorized and directed to implement this plan, or take such other action as may, in his or her judgment, be necessary to save lives and mitigate the effects of disasters.
All employees of the District are disaster service workers and are subject to assignment to disaster service activities assigned to them by their superiors. Each school principal or site manager is considered to be an Emergency Service Supervisor in regard to teachers and noncertificated employees at the individual sites.
District Emergency Policy
The District has established certain policies governing emergency preparedness and response within the District which relate directly to this plan. These include:
* The safety of the students is of paramount importance. All actions taken shall bear in mind the safety and well-being of both students and District employees.
* In the event of a major disaster during school hours, school will not be dismissed without the express approval of the Superintendent or his/her designee. Until released to parents or their pre-authorized representative, students will remain under the supervision of school authorities.
* If parents or guardians come to the school and properly identify themselves, their students will be released
* Since the District is expected to assist in post-disaster care of students, arrangements for the care of one's own family should be prearranged in order to permit discharge of this emergency responsibility.
* Each school and child development center site will have a designated Site Coordinator (the principal or site manager) who shall supervise the planning, and implementation of the Site Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). An alternate Site Coordinator shall be named to serve in the event of the absence of the Site Coordinator.
* The Site Coordinator shall prepare a list of staff to be assigned specific emergency response roles as outlined in this EOP.
* Each principal or site manager shall conduct a survey of certificated and classified personnel to determine each employee's status in terms of first aid training, disaster preparedness training, and medical and emergency experience or training. Records of such status will be kept current as changes of personnel occur. Copies of records will be kept on file in the principal or site manager's office, and a copy will be forwarded to the District Emergency Planning Coordinator.
* Students may be included in the planning and implementation of the Site EOP. Sports teams, clubs, ROTC, and other student organizations should be encouraged to become a source of leadership among students in first aid and disaster preparedness and response training.
* The cooperation of the PTA and other parent groups should be sought in organizing disaster response activities and assignments.
* In preparation for the possibility of a long stay at schools and child development centers, the Site Coordinator shall prepare a list of students and staff who have special conditions requiring medications or special attention, and forward a copy to the school Health Programs Dept.
Situations and Assumptions
Situations that have some degree of probability of occurring include:
1. Medical Emergencies
2. Fire
3. Explosion/Bomb Threat
4. Tropical Storms/ Flooding
5. Hazardous Materials/Chemical Spill
6. Smog Alert
7. Civil Disturbance
8. Assaults
9. Utility Failure
Assumptions inherent in the District's response to any disaster include:
1. All District emergencies are reported to the Superintendent's Office and to the immediate supervisor.
2. District sites (schools and child development centers) may implement their respective Emergency Operations Plans independent of the District EOP.
3. Depending on the severity and scope of the incident, and it impact on individual sites, the Site EOP and its Emergency Management Organization (EMO) may or may not be activated.
4. The Site EMO will be partially or fully activated, as deemed necessary by the Site Emergency Coordinator.
5. When a local disaster is declared by the Mayor, the District's policies and procedures outlined in this plan become effective.
Levels of Emergencies
The District's response to natural disasters or technological incidents will be dictated by the scope and magnitude of the emergency and the availability of personnel and other resources. Three levels of emergency response have been defined. These include:
Level I
A local emergency with limited impact, such as a fire, hazardous material incident or power outage confined to one site. Response to this level of emergency would be handled by the Site Coordinator, site personnel, appropriate District departments and the San Francisco Fire or Police Departments, if indicated. The District EOP would not be implemented, however, the Superintendent's Office would be notified of the emergency.
Level II
A local event, impacting more than one site, such as a major fire, civil disturbance or widespread power outage. A local emergency may be declared by the Mayor. Depending upon the magnitude of the event, and its impact on individual sites, the Site EOP may be implemented by the Site Coordinator, or response may be coordinated directly by him/her.
Level III
A community- or region-wide event, such as an earthquake. A Mayor's declaration of local emergency would be followed by a Governor's State of Emergency declaration. The Governor may request a Presidential Disaster Declaration. The Site EOP would be implemented and a central District Emergency Operations Center (EOC) would be fully activated to coordinate District-wide response efforts.
Integration with Other Plans
This plan supports and is integrated with all District site plans and with the District's Emergency Operations Plan. The plan is also coordinated with American Red Cross (ARC) plans and procedures for implementing community mass care shelters in pre-designated District buildings.
The EOP is comprised of two major parts:
Part I
Outlines the District's and Site's emergency management program, including preparedness, response and recovery policies and procedures, concept of emergency operations and organization; disaster-related roles and responsibilities; and emergency procedures for specific events.
Part II
Comprised of Attachments to the EOP which include checklists, forms, lists of trained personnel and other site-specific information.
Quick Reference Guides
Individual reference guides containing function-specific emergency response and recovery checklists and other key information have been developed for each assigned emergency management function. (Refer to Attachment A for a list of emergency assignments.)These guides serve as a quick reference at the time of a disaster.
Use of these guides precludes the need to memorize emergency duties for every type of situation, thereby reducing training time. It also enables the site Coordinator to assign available personnel to fullfill any emergency function, regardless of pre-assignment.
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