Managing a Real Life Crisis

By utilizing the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) model, our schools and district sites are aligned with the practices of other response agencies, improving their ability to assist. 

In the event of an emergency situation during the school day, here are some important points to remember:

We maintain responsibility for our students. Campuses in the Irvine Unified School District will be secured and students will be kept at school until they can safely be released to parents or authorized guardians through an established reunification process.

Staff will remain on campus. Employees are expected to have personal disaster plans for their homes and families so that they can carry out their school disaster responsibilities.

Personnel will be trained. District staff members receive training in SEMS procedures and are provided opportunities for development of necessary skills, including rescue and first aid.

We prepare to be self-sufficient. Though IUSD works closely with the Irvine Police Department, the Orange County Fire Authority and other agencies, it may be necessary to coordinate our own response efforts if emergency personnel are tending to more immediate needs. IUSD staff members have therefore been assigned specific roles and responsibilities, which are practiced during drills throughout the year.