Emergency Preparedness
Westminster Public Schools works closely with local law enforcement to prepare and practice for various emergencies. Your child is number one in our eyes and through our partnerships with the Westminster Police Department and Adams County Sheriff’s Office, we work hard and are committed to providing a safe and nurturing learning environments for every child. As emergencies may take many forms, we train and prepare for a variety of events such as:
- Death of a student, a staff member or a signifcant community member
- Major environmental crisis (tornado, flood, fire or hazardous material spill)
- Threats to the physical safety of students (i.e. an active shooter or school bus accident)
- Threats to the emotional well-being of students (i.e. hate-crime graffiti or repetitive bomb threats)
Lockdown vs. Secure
During the school year there may be a situation when the buildings go on a Secure status due to activity near or outside of the school, or a threat to the school itself. Please see the helpful resources below that explains the difference between a Secure and a Lockdown.
Emergency Management Teams
The Emergency Management Team (EMT) is an organized group of faculty, staff, and first responders (police, sheriff and fire) trained in the implementation of the district’s emergency response protocols. The team conducts drills, table top exercises, and debriefs major events in order to be more effective in:
- Prevention-mitigation of potential hazards and vulnerabilities
- Preparing for an emergency through planning and training
- Responding to an event to effectively contain and resolve an emergency
- Recovering from an event and restoring a healthy and safe learning environment
School Crisis Teams
School-based crisis teams are similar to the EMT, but at the school level. For schools to effectively address the many issues that typically arise during a crisis, a preplanned, systematic organizational model to direct decisions is essential. Each school has a local safety plan written specifically for that building and campus, and the plan is reviewed and revised, as needed, each year.
To be effective, a school's crisis response model must anticipate the results of a crisis and identify the ways it will affect individuals and the community.
Safety & Emergency Drills
Preparation is the key to effective response in case of an emergency. Drills help our staff and students respond quickly, calmly, and safely to a variety of hazards. Drills throughout the school year include:
- Fire drills are conducted each month
- Lockdown drills, designed to familiarize students with how to respond to an active shooter in the school, are conducted twice a year
- Weather related tornado drills are conducted twice a year
- Hazardous material spill drills are conducted once a year
Conducting drills allows us to evaluate the effectiveness of our evacuation procedures and determine any necessary changes or adjustment to current practices that may be needed to improve performance.