Regular Emergency Drills
Regular emergency drills, both announced and unannounced, help everyone become familiar with emergency procedures and activities. This can reduce panic and fear during an actual emergency, freeing participants to focus on how to evacuate, shelter in place, or lockdown.
Reunification Procedures An effective method of reuniting children with their parents and guardians after an emergency is an often-overlooked component of an emergency plan, but it is very important. Including up- to-date emergency contact information for each child in your emergency kit can help provide structure around this process. Reunification procedures that should be communicated to families:
Evacuation or shelter-in-place locations
What the program will do during a lockdown response
What families should do during a lockdown response
Who will contact families before, during, and after an emergency
How families will be contacted (e.g., text, email, phone call)
Procedures if a child needs to be transported for medical care (e.g., who will accompany the child, where they will go)
It is important for programs to have procedures in place if children cannot be reunited with their families immediately. Roads close, care gets delayed, and work shifts go into overtime during emergencies for parents/guardians working in hospitals or as first responders. Having a plan in case you need to take care of a child overnight is a critical part of your reunification procedures.
