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Michigan Model for Health®
What Is Emergency Preparedness?
Emergency preparedness is the capacity of individuals, organizations, and communities to respond to public health emergencies, such as natural disasters, severe weather, bioterrorism, disease outbreaks, mass casualties, and chemical or radiation emergencies.
Notable examples of public health emergencies include the terrorist attacks on 9-11, the devastation of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina, and the Salmonella outbreak due to peanut butter contamination. More commonly occurring public health emergencies involve flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires, power outages, E coli outbreaks, and shootings in public locations. In each of these situations, widespread public health and safety are threatened. Quick responses by individuals and organizations are required in order to minimize damage to lives and property.
Emergency preparedness equips individuals with the plans and resources they need to ensure personal and family safety in a crisis. Organizations, such as schools and day care centers, must also have plans and resources ready so they can respond quickly to ensure the safety of students and staff if a crisis occurs. In addition to individuals and organizations, entire communities must coordinate efforts among families, schools, law enforcement, emergency personnel, and other community organizations to develop comprehensive emergency preparedness plans.
Why Teach Emergency Preparedness?
Schools face multiple demands on limited instructional time. In addition to teaching the academic subjects, schools are charged with preparing students to be productive and contributing members of society. Teaching emergency preparedness is one way schools fulfill their responsibility for teaching lifelong skills students will need to be positive citizens. The following are additional reasons schools should teach emergency preparedness:
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Schools are responsible for the care and safety of students entrusted to their care.
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State laws and policies encourage schools to own this responsibility and be proactive in dealing with emergency preparedness and crisis response.
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Parents and children often don’t know what to do in an emergency or disaster. Schools are the respected institution that has the ability to educate students with the knowledge and skills they need to be safe and healthy, as well as provide information to parents in a consistent manner.
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Whether it involves a power outage, flooding, severe weather, communicable illness, or violence, every school has the potential to experience an event that will require an emergency response.
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Community disasters and school site violence have caused severe and ongoing trauma to students, staff, families and communities when they have occurred. Schools can be proactive in preventing and mitigating damage.
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When schools teach emergency preparedness, school staff and students review and refresh their readiness to respond effectively if a disaster strikes.
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As adults, students will be expected to take their places in families and workplaces. In both of these roles, they will need to have the skills and knowledge to respond in the face of disasters that may occur.