# Presentation: 185949

## Lessons Learned From the Field: Southern California Wildfires and Hurricane Katrina Emergency Management for Schools  June 4-5, 2008 ~ San Francisco, California 

**Carol Mancuso **
- Jefferson Parish Public
- Schools (Louisiana)** **
**Jess Martinez**
- San Diego County Office
- of Education (California)

**U.S. Department of Education, Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools**
- 400 Maryland Avenue, SW / Washington, DC 20202

**Notes:**
-Welcome and Speaker Introductions
-Ask attendees to raise their hands if they have completed a drill, a tabletop, a functional or a full-scale? (separately)

-Explain that this class is an advanced class intended to build upon skills and experiences that the attendees already possess

## Slide 2

##  Total Acres – SD County: 2.7 Million Acres

-  **Total Acres – SD County: 2.7 Million Acres**
** ****Total Acres Burned: 369,000 Acres**
** ****13.6% of San Diego County Burned!**

## Slide 4

## The Cost

- Firefighters Injured			           93
- Fire Related Deaths			           10
- Number of Evacuees		          	515,000
- Homes Damaged/Destroyed	       		1751
- Schools Used as Shelters		           19
- Cost of Fire Suppression	      	$44.2 Million
- Property Damage		      		$698  Million

## San Diego County Office of EducationEmergency Operations Center (EOC)

- Gathering place for an organization during an emergency.
- Functions to coordinate information, resources, response and recovery actions.
- Point of contact for interfacing and coordinating with other agency EOCs.

## Interagency Collaboration

- Monitoring multi-agency response efforts via Web-EOC.
- Communication between Sheriff’s Dept., Office of Emergency Services and school districts.
- Use of school buses for hospital evacuation.
- Liaison between school districts, city and county governments for use of school sites as evacuation centers.
- Daily contact with National Weather Service for weather forecasts.

## Lessons Learned

- Complete Online _*ICS-100 Introduction to Incident Command System for Schools *_by district office and school site staff. (Emergency Management Institute _[http://training.fema.gov/IS/](http://training.fema.gov/IS/)_)
- Integrate ICS three deep into district & school readiness plan.
- Complete ICS-300 Intermediate ICS/Emergency Operations Center (offered by County OES)

## Lessons Learned

- Schedule semi-annual collaborative table top and/or simulated drills with law enforcement, fire dept. and other support agencies. (e.g. American Red Cross, Public Health)
- Acquire a mass notification system to communicate with staff and parents.
- Regularly update staff & parents via mass notification and internet.
- Identify 3 points of contact for district office and each school site. Include: work, home, cell numbers & email.

## Lessons Learned

- Identify and maintain 3 points of contact for local law enforcement, fire department, Office of Emergency Services other school districts in your county.
- Keep copies of contact information at work, home & in personal vehicle.
- Establish district conference call phone line.
- Determine alternative EOC sites.
- Establish Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) especially for payroll.
- Encourage staff to use direct deposit.

## THANK YOU!!!

*For More Information Contact:*
**Carol Mancuso:**
_**Carol.Mancuso@jppss.k12.la.us**_
**Jess Martinez: **
_**jess.martinez@sdcoe.net **_
**REMS TA Center:** **1-866-540-7367 (REMS) **
- _info@remstacenter.org_