The first disaster is a tornado and the second is a fire I am using for my scenarios. These are the two most common disaster in our area. Our daycare over the last ten years has been affected by both types.
Tornado’s
The time of the intense storm was during June 2018 school is out for the summer and the daycare is at maximum capacity which is 55 children and ten staff. Storms have become volatile, and there is a warning of a severe thunderstorm warning that started at 10 am. It was a Tuesday, and I was working from home. Just after noon, I heard the fire whistleblowing, but I didn’t think anything of it until I heard the thunder. Turning on the news, I see reports of a tornado headed towards Okawville moving at 65mph. The whistle I heard wasn’t a fire whistle it was the tornado sirens warning the town.
Fire’s
The summer of 2013 our small town was in drought conditions. School had just started back up, so daycare only had non-school age children participating. The temperature didn’t allow for the kids to be outside so during playtime all the children under age four in the daycare were on the school side playing in the gym. A couple of children asked to go to the bathroom. They immediately returned to telling the teacher there was smoke in the bathroom. She used the intercom to call the principle to check it out, but by then it was too late the air conditioner on the roof of the school was on fire and had fallen into the hallway.
The main dangers with both these situations are someone getting hurt, lost or even death. Fires and Tornados can both cause devastating damage. However, the most devastating would be the loss of life. Keeping children calm and safe when faced with a disaster is the most important job of the teachers and caregivers. With both these disasters, everyone is at risk. Teachers, caregivers, and the children are all at risk and if the plan or guidelines are not followed devastation could happen.
Teachers and caregivers need to be prepared when faced with a disaster situation. Everyone in a leadership or caregiver role needs to know and understand disaster processes. Practicing with the children in the form or drills will help the children learn to stay calm and follow directions in a real-life occurrence (Agency, 2018-2022). Teachers who are not prepared for a disaster or don’t follow the process of safety will not only put their lives in jeopardy but also the lives of everyone around them. The consequences of not being prepared could be a loss of life. Children will follow their teacher’s actions. If they identify the teacher or caregiver is scared and running, they will do the same. So, to keep everyone safe, calm, and free from being hurt the teachers and caregivers need to be prepared for any situation.
The first steps to develop a plan of action for disaster situations is the planning phase, to know what kind of disasters are possible in the area you live in. Identify some preventive measures to lessen the risk (Robertson, 2016). For our area, severe weather, fires, and flooding are all probable and frequent. The second step in being prepared is the reach of to emergency personnel for the most direct plan of action for evacuation procedure in the case of a fire and a safe room to “shelter in” in case of severe weather such as a tornado (Robertson, 2016). The impact phase is the moment in time that the emergency happens. Everyone needs to be prepared. Notification will alert the school, and all-weather radio will warn of danger, and the caregivers will act accordingly to whatever disaster they are faced with. The next stage in preparedness is the relief phase the time right after the emergency when teachers and caregivers are focused on survival and first aid if needed for themselves and the children (Robertson, 2016). The recovery phase is the last stage, and it is focused on supporting the children and their families coping with the disaster.
While researching the procedures for the daycare, my grandson goes to I found they have plans set up for most all disasters possible. There is an education wall in each of the classrooms and drills are performed twice a year (Brandemeyer, Shunt, & Kurtz, 2013). There is an emergency callout set up for parents when alarms are set off in the daycare. Each room is equipped with first aid portable bags for every teacher to grab as they are leaving the classroom. There is a central location that holds the names of all children and staff in the building every day. It is the responsibility of the leader on duty to have the list of names and lead the team and children to the evacuation point or shelter in the area (Brandemeyer, Shunt, & Kurtz, 2013).
References
Agency. (2018-2022). The Strategic Plan. Retrieved from Fema: https://www.fema.gov/strategic-plan
Brandemeyer, G., Shunt, P., & Kurtz, C. (2013). Immanuel Lutheran Safety Operating Procedures & Guidelines. Okawville, IL: Okawville Times Publishing.
Bureau of Plans (2003, August). DAY CARE FACILITIES Emergency Planning guide. Retrieved from Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency: https://class.waldenu.edu/bbcswebdav/institution/USW1/201870_05/BS_BSCD/EDUC_1005_WC/artifacts/USW1_EDUC_1005_Week_2_Day_Care_Facilities_Planning_Guide.pdf
Robertson, C. (2016). Safety, nutrition, and health in early education (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.
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