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SECTION 1
ADMINISTRATOR

SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS EARTHQUAKE SAFETY CHECKLIST

(Marked in parentheses are the Section(s) which address the issue.)

PREPAREDNESS AND MITIGATION

• Does your school have a disaster plan, and is your staff aware of the roles and responsibilities under the plan?
  Do they realize that they are responsible for the students during and after the emergency, which could mean 72 hours or possibly longer?
  (Addressed in Sections I and 3)

"The district's management of the earthquake (October 17, 1989) was, on a scale of 100, with 100 being perfect, a 50 or a 60. This was because of the communications problems, the (dead) batteries, the excitement. You just can't plan for every eventuality and have to be ready to adjust and to think or try to anticipate right after the earthquake of some of the necessities."

James Bakers, Superintendent (retired)
Pajaro Valley Unified School District
Watsonville, CA

• Does your staff know the location of the main gas, electricity, and water shut-off valves?
  Who has been trained to check for damage and turn them off if the need arises?
  (addressed in Sections 3 and 6)
  
• Have you made a list and a map of the location and availability of First Aid and other emergency supplies?
  (Addressed in Sections I and 5)
  
• What nonstructural hazard mitigation measures have been completed at your school:
  (Addressed in Section 4 and Appendix 2)
  
  • Have bookshelves, file cabinets and free-standing cupboards been bolted to the wall or arranged to support each other?
    
  • Have heavy items been removed from the tops of bookshelves and cupboards?
    
  • Have the windows in the classrooms and other campus buildings been equipped with safety glass or covered with protective film?
    
  • Are the partitions, ceilings, overhead lights, and air ducts secured to the structure of the buildings?
    
  • Have inventories been made of hazardous chemicals in areas such as the science building and maintenance shops? Has anyone been appointed to check on these chemicals after an earthquake?
    

"Nonstructural components and building contents were important sources of injury (in the Coalinga earthquake). Many of the injuries could have been avoided, either by modifying the physical setting or by providing better public information on appropriate behavior both during earthquake shaking a nd fol lowing the event."

Kathleen Tierney Report on the Coalinga Earthquake, September 1985

• Have you conducted an inventory of the kinds of skills or needs of your staff? Have you conducted training in first aid, damage assessment and fire suppression?
  (Addressed in Sections 1 and 6)
  
• Does the school have any arrangements with structural engineers who will report to the school directly after a disaster to determine the damage and the need to evecuate? Do you know how to report your damage to the School District Office?
  (Addressed in Sections 1 and 3)

"If you happen to have school construction going on, or major contractors in your area you might keep (them in mind to help you with your repairs) or (make it ) as part of your plan, because our crews could not handle the damage and the repairs that were necessary. It was all that they could do to help us do the inspection of the facilities and report what was damaged and what needed to be repaired. "

James Baker, Superintendent (retired) Pajaro Valley Unified School District Watsonville. CA

• Do you know whether or not your school has been designated as a potential mass care shelter?
  (Addressed in Section 3)
  
• Does your school have a back-up communications system such as a CB radio, ham operator, or two-way radio to communicate with your local emergency operations center? Who is trained to use this equipment?
  (Addressed in Sections 5 and 6)
  
• Does your school have an internal communication system such as walkie talkies, megaphones? Can bus drivers communicate to the school in the event the earthquake occurs while students are enroute?
  (Addressed in Section 5)
  
• Is there an earthquake preparedness program in your curriculum?
  (Addressed in Section 2)
  
• Are there any programs established between the school and parent groups which discuss the school's policies regarding student release and retention and the development of an emergency plan for the home?
  (Addressed in Section 1)
  
• How and where are you storing vital data and records? Do you have duplicate copies of important data stored in an off-site location?
  (Addressed in Section 1)
  
• Have earthquake preparedness and response provisions been included for considerations for special needs students?
  (Addressed in Sections 3 and Appendix 3)

"With something as large as earthquake preparedness, we need to work with the city government and the community at large. Parent participation is particularly critical to the success of any plan."

Patricia Monson
Member, Board of Directors
Oakland Public Schools

EMERGENCY RESPONSE

• Has a central "command post" or other central planning area been identified, with maps of the campus, facilities and hazards in the area, an enrollment sheet for the current year, First Aid supplies, and other tools necessary to manage the emergency response activities after a disaster?
  (Addressed in Sections 3 and 5)

Do the teachers have basic operating procedures to follow such as:

• Knowing how to implement the basic "duck and cover" action when an earthquake begins?
  (Addressed in Section 6)
  
• Having an emergency kit near the desk which contains an attendance sheet, special medical information, and student release information? (Addressed in Section 5)
  
• When to evacuate, and when to remain in the classroom after an earthquake?
  (Addressed in Sections 3 and 6)
  
• Knowing how to determine the most seriously injured (triage), to administer first aid and to comfort those who are frightened or hysterical? (Addressed in Sections 3 and 6)
  
• Working in a "buddy system" with another teacher and class so that if one teacher is injured, the other will take care of the students and get them to safety?
  
• If some students are seriously injured and an evacuation is ordered, what you will do with the injured?
  (Addressed in Section 3)
  
• Does your school have established check-out procedures to be taken before a student is released to an adult?
  (Addressed in Section I and 3)
  
• What are your immediate damage assessment procedures?
  (Addressed in Sections I and 3)
  
• Have you developed emergency sanitation procedures?
  (Addressed in Sections 3 and 5)
  
• Has a spokesperson been appointed to serve as liaison with the press after a disaster?
  (Addressed in Section 3)
  
• Have personnel been assigned to assist mobility impaired students during response?
  (Addressed in Section 3 and Appendix 3)
  
• Have you identified personnel who can translate information, to non-English speaking parents?
  (Addressed in Section 3)
  
• Have you identified an evacuation site? Is there and alternate location if you cannot use your initial site?
  (Addressed in Section 3)
  

RECOVERY

The following items are district-level responsibilities. An individual school site might want to check with its district to determine the procedures that will be followed.

• Identify recordkeeping requirements and sources of financial aid for disaster relief.
  
• Establish absentee policies for teachers/students after a disaster.
  
• Establish an agreement with mental health organizations to provide counseling to students and their families after the disaster.
  
• Establish alternative teaching methods for students unable to return immediately to classes: correspondence classes, tele- group tutoring, etc.
  
• Develop a plan for conducting classes if some of your facilities are damaged--half-day sessions, alternative sites, portable classrooms.
  

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School Earthquake Preparedness Guide - State of Arkansas
Arkansas Office of Emergency Services, 1993