Changing realities in school safety and preparedness

Bob Hull, Founding Director, Kansas Center for Safe and Prepared Schools

Abstract
This article investigates new realities in emergency preparedness and safety for schools and other educational facilities in a budgetary climate where the sector is being asked to do more with fewer resources. The article provides a guide to overcoming issues connected with staffing levels and apathy, incorporating principles of emergency management in schools, collaboration with other agencies, communications, training and exercises, and the needs of children during emergencies in order to deliver a cohesive emergency management and safety programme.

Keywords
emergency preparedness, schools, safety, educational facilities

Bob Hull is the founding director of the Kansas Center for Safe and Prepared Schools (KCSPS). He is an instructor for FEMA’s residential course ‘Multi-hazards planning for schools’ at the Emergency Management Institute in Emmitsburg, MD. His career spans over 30 years in public education as a superintendent, principal, teacher and coach. Bob served as Chief of Training and Safety for a suburban fire department and has taught at the graduate college level for 20 years. He holds bachelors (Mid-America Nazarene University), masters, educational specialist (Pittsburg State University) and doctorate (Drake University) degrees. Bob is a certified emergency manager in the state of Kansas and nationally certified as Firefighter I and II. Bob has written articles on school emergency management for a national magazine and was one of the expert panel working with the US Department of Education in assisting with the publication ‘Practical Information on Crisis Planning — A Guide for Schools and Communities’.

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