Katharine M. Peeling, risk management specialist with the Anne Arundel County public school system in Annapolis, Md., knows first-hand the importance of having a solid emergency response program in place.
A plan written after the Columbine High School massacre in April 1999–in which 13 students were killed and 24 others wounded–was put to the test in October 2002, during the Beltway sniper attacks in the Washington, D.C. area. During those attacks, 10 people were killed and three others critically injured over a three-week period.
"We had done the drills but suddenly there was a real crisis that needed to be responded to," said Ms. Peeling, incoming president for the Public Risk Management Association. "It was in our neighboring county where a child was actually shot in front of the school."
The emergency plan for the school system–which includes 120 schools and 76,000 students–meant locking the schools down during the day and canceling after-school games and other activities.
"The kids couldn't go on the playground during the day because you didn't know where those guys [the snipers] were," she said. "That was a challenge. Our emergency response plans were put into place and fortunately things went smoothly."
She added that plans are currently being put in place to prepare for the eventuality of an influenza pandemic. "When we get to a certain number of students or staff absent at any particular school, the health department gets alerted," she said. "It's in the early stages as far as planning, but we have to be prepared for something like that."
How serious a pandemic will be "depends on who you listen to–I've heard both sides," she said. "I've heard about a pandemic back in history that affected people with strong immune systems–so the people with weak immune systems weren't affected as much." She noted that pundits on the other side of the issue "say it can get to that, but because of infection controls in place, the likelihood is slight."
As a risk manager, however, "you have to err on the side of caution, especially when dealing with thousands of students and staff. You have to be ready to respond." Having a good plan is important, she said, adding, "I'm hoping we never need it."
This emergency plan will identify essential functions and determine how the school system will continue to operate with reduced staff. "Fortunately, we're in an age where a lot of the administration can operate just about anywhere," she said. "But you can't do that in the schools, so they're looking into possibilities such as broadcasting the classes."
The program incorporates as many existing plans as possible–some put into place after the Columbine incident and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Ms. Peeling added that public risk managers everywhere are putting plans in place in case of a pandemic. "From the e-mail blasts I get and the lists I belong to, a lot of people are starting to put on seminars, and [PRIMA] will be doing one at the annual conference–this is our 'hot topic,'" she added.
Much time is spent on occupational safety and health and employee safety issues, she noted.
"We get involved somewhat in student safety issues," she added. "But when you have 120 locations, principals function like site-based managers" with their own particular safety committees. Safety measures for the schools include a specialist who does on-site inspections and accident investigations.
Student accidents mostly depend on the grade level, she said, adding that most elementary student accidents happen on the playground and on climbing equipment. Student accident insurance is available, although most parents already have insurance.
The school system is self-insured for workers' comp, general liability and for its auto fleet, although the majority of its transportation services, such as school buses, are contracted out.
For that, she said, "we purchase one large policy for vehicle liability on the school buses." This way, she said, the school system knows it's working with "a good carrier" and has adequate limits. A program also is in place to keep drivers up-to-date on their training.
As president of the Alexandra, Va.-based PRIMA, she said she will continue the association's focus on getting training to members who can't always attend a conference.
"Some of our smaller members in particular can't always travel to do training–especially in government, where budgets are tight and they can't always get the funding," she said.
PRIMA's response has been to reach out to its members, taking the training to them. This involves some e-training through the group's Web site, and with other resources such as virtual seminars, where "you're not paying per person–you're paying for one session, so you can bring everyone who needs it into the room."
Another push has been to update PRIMA's Web listserve–"PRIMAtalk." Participating members will be able to access shared documents without having to e-mail them to each other as attachments. "You don't want to be sending attachments because it could infect somebody's computer," Ms. Peeling said.
She explained that public risk managers frequently share documents and procedures because they're not concerned about protecting trade secrets.
"Pretty much what we do is in the public domain and we're not competing. It's public information, so why reinvent the wheel?" she asked. "So, if you need to write [a request-for-proposal] for something, the e-mails fly."
She said PRIMA holds a once-a-year, intensive, week-long training for new risk managers. This year the PRIMA Institute will be in Dallas on Oct. 16-20.
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