During and after emergencies, it will be necessary to communicate within the Ridder Park site, and the Internal Communications Team (see
section 4.2) will be the central coordinative link for such communications. It will also be necessary to maintain contact with Office sites throughout the county, conditions permitting, and the Liaison Officer (see
section 2.7) will handle these contacts. Finally, the Office may be required to communicate with emergency services providers, the news media, parents, local school districts, and the general public, and the Public Information Officer (see
section 2.6) will be the focal point for these external communications.
In some cases a disaster itself will initiate immediate emergency procedures. In other cases the Emergency Operating Center (EOC) may be notified of an actual or imminent disaster by telephone messages or by alerts sent over the Emergency Broadcast System and broadcast by local radio and television stations.
Whatever the circumstances, the goal of communications during and after emergencies will be the rapid and accurate collection and dissemination of information so that lives may be saved, injuries minimized, fears allayed, and property protected.
7.1 Emergency Communications During Working Hours
INTERNAL:
At the Ridder Park site, emergency actions to be taken and other vital information will be communicated to employees through the use of bull horns, two-way radios, or messengers (as appropriate), unless the emergency itself initiates immediate actions.
EXTERNAL:
During and after a disaster, outgoing phone calls must be restricted to emergency calls to outlying Office sites and to emergency services providers (e.g., fire department, ambulance, etc.). Employees need personal disaster preparedness plans, as described in
section 8.4, and must refrain from tying up telephone lines and thereby impeding necessary communications. Should phone lines be down or overloaded, communications with emergency services providers and with Office sites will be via two-way radios, if possible. Two-way radios are provided to staff at the Central Office and at selected school sites.
Whenever appropriate, the SCCOE website will be used as a vehicle to deliver information to the public and to the employees.
7.2 Emergency Communications After Working Hours
In the event of a declared emergency after working hours, the Emergency Operating Center (EOC) will be activated at the Ridder Park site or some other designated site. (See
section 2.3.) If phones are operative, communications to employees at home and at work (e.g., in departments with 24-hour operations) will be handled through a "phone tree" system - a system whereby the responsibility for making calls is assigned throughout a branch/department and the calls are conducted in a pre-determined sequence. It is the responsibility of each branch and department to develop their own phone tree systems. If phones are not operative, communications will be made to those employees with two-way radios, until such time as the phone service resumes. In such cases, announcements will also be provided to the radio, television, and print media, and employees should check these sources for information about the Office.
7.3 Contacts with the Media, Parents, Districts, and Agencies
During and after emergencies, the media, parents, school districts, and governmental agencies frequently contact the Office. These contacts may be in the form of general inquiries, requests for sensitive information, or requests for assistance, or may be for the purpose of exchanging information of mutual interest. Because these contacts are quite varied in nature and often involve administrative decision-making, it is essential that all such contacts be immediately directed to the Public Information Officer. While the Office must strive to be responsive in emergency situations, it is also our obligation to collect and disseminate accurate information, and a centralized, coordinated approach is required to accomplish this goal.
«
Previous | Next »
