There are many dangers or disaster scenarios that could threaten an early childhood environment in the area that I live. I am going to focus on two natural disasters and they are tornados and fires. I work at an elementary school in Georgia. Tornados are common in this area. “Tornados may occur quickly, with little or no warning that is why everyone should always be prepared” “The main dangers posed by tornados are damaging winds that can exceed 100 mph. It may cause flash flooding and heavy size hail.” (http://149.168.212.15/mitigation/Library/Home_Protection/noaaprep.pdf) In an elementary school and daycare centers everyone is at risk when a tornado strikes, my colleagues and I should always be prepared to ensure the safety for the children and faculty members. “Day care facility management personnel along with elementary personnel have a responsibility to staff members, occupants, parents and anyone who happens to be in their facility to develop a disaster plan.” http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/courses/40117/CRS-WUPSYC6205-3649011/day_care_facilities_planning_guide.pdf If people are not prepared for disasters such as tornados, they risk a great chance of being hurt. It is important to develop a plan during a disaster or tornado.
First, it is important that facilities have a comprehensive written plan with procedures to be followed when an internal or external disaster occurs. The plan should be rehearsed periodically. The emergency situations should be addressed Tornados or whatever the plan is written for.
Second, the plan should include emergency procedures. The procedures should include special needs of clients or children, notification of municipal emergency services and parents, and evacuation plans if it’s necessary to leave the facility, including means of
transportation and evacuation routes.
Third,the purpose of a disaster plan is to ensure the safety of people. The reason for writing a disaster plan is to ensure the staff is prepared and trained for a disaster. Disaster plans should be used under the circumstances of an emergency such as tornadoes, fires, or any other hazardous situations. Disasters may occur at any time, facilities should always be prepared. Schools should always have a code in place for different disasters. Teachers should have cell phones on with them in case the schools phone lines go out. Staff should already be trained to stay calm, because of the safety of the students. In case of tornados and earthquakes, students and staff should quickly move to the hallways and kneel down close to the floor. In case of fire, students and staff should immediately move far away from the building as quickly and calm as possible. In case of terrorist or a gunman there should be a code announced to lock the doors and move away from windows, teachers should use their cell phones to call the police.
Fourth, the plan should include guidelines for specific hazards such as warning and communication, preparation, equipment, and response. The way that I would deal with a tornado if it occurs while at work in a day care facility or an elementary school, as calm as possible. The plan would really allow things to move quickly. I would make sure that the children are safely in the hallways on their knees with their hands on the back of their heads and I would make sure they stay down on the floor quietly until the storm has passed over. I would make sure the doors are closed just in case flying debris comes in through windows. Before we go back into the room, I would make sure everyone is alright. I would check for injuries, and make sure everyone is breathing. I would go in to make sure there is no broken glass on the floor. I would assess the risk of a tornado by developing a written tornado plan and make sure the students are paying attention when we practice a tornado drill. The potential complications created by tornados are building damage, power outage, food shortage, dangerous power lines, and flooding. Early childhood professionals should always have emergency contact numbers available. It is also helpful to have a cell phone nearby. It is necessary to have the following supplies available such as first aid kits, flashlights, and bottles of water stored in closets. After, the storm has passed over, I would begin calling parents and letting them know that their children are doing fine. I would tell them when their child would be home, just in case of some roads that may be closed due to flood are fallen trees.
The next disaster that I would like to discuss is fire. It is important for my colleagues and I to be prepared, the more we are prepared the better our chances are for survival. It is important to be prepared for a fire in schools to ensure that staff members and children will know what to do and how to behave in an emergency. The consequences of not being prepare for a fire may be harmful or even fatal. The steps to develop a plan for a fire are important. Steps should include written plan of evacuation. It is important to include fire drills in schools, to ensure that children will know where to go quickly and in a calmly manner. On hearing the fire drills students and faculty must be instructed to leave the building in a single file manner. The teacher in charge of the class must direct the children outside far away from the building, in case of explosion. After I reach the destination, I would call the roll to make sure all students are accounted for. I would assess risk of fire by means of escape in the classroom and safety precautions, and take fire safety training. Some potential complications of fire are damaged and destroyed buildings, and burned records or important documents. It is important to have a first aid kit available during and after a fire, it is also helpful to have a cell phone to call parents. It is important to have counselors to talk with students. I would try to contact parents if I have an emergency contact list available with me to ensure them that their child is alright. If not, I would wait until the arrival of parents and speak with the parents about allowing their child to seek counseling about the situation. (http://www.coj.net/Departments/Fire+and+Rescue/Fire+Safety/After+a+Fire+ID+.htm)
References
Retrieved on September 20, from (http://149.168.212.15/mitigation/Library/Home_Protection/noaaprep.pdf
Retrieved on September 20, from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/courses/40117/CRS-WUPSYC6205-3649011/day_care_facilities_planning_guide.pdf
Retrieved on September 20, from (http://www.coj.net/Departments/Fire+and+Rescue/Fire+Safety/After+a+Fire+ID+.htm)
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I agree that every facility should develop a plan for disaters. But the plan is only good if it is actually practiced. Fire and disaster drills are an easy way to teach the children how to behave during an emergency. If they already know what to do and how to react; then when a disater strikes everyone will be better off. Great information and references.
ReplyDeleteHi Belinda,
ReplyDeleteI like that you've indicated the steps to be successful in the event of a natural disaster such as a tornado. I was unaware that Georgia was so susceptible to tornadoes. I like how you organized your four steps to a successful survival plan, and especially your reasoning stated in step 3, "The reason for writing a disaster plan is to ensure the staff is prepared and trained for a disaster".
Nice blog.
Kindly,
Tei