The recent bomb threat plot in Utah illustrates the need for schools to be aware of threats from Improvised Explosive Devices (I.E.D.’s) and well as diversionary style attacks.  The SafePlans video from circa 2004 illustrates the risk of Secondary Attacks and their countermeasures.

Stay safe
Brad

This post is provided by SafePlans (www.safeplans.com), an all-hazards preparedness solution including emergency plans, staff training, and detailed site mapping.

Looks like Kinkel is no longer enjoying incarceration and would like to be moved to a mental hospital.  His lawyer is saying Kinkel landed in prison because he had inadequate legal representation.  The lawyer claims (among other things) that Kinkel being curled up in the fetal position days before he took the plea deal is indicative of mental illness.   He isn’t saying Kinkel curled in the fetal position days before murdering his parents, another student and wounding 25 .  No, after the killing and when he realized the rest of life would be behind bars, Kinkel felt bad.   I will save my sympathy for the victims of the shooting and hope Kinkel is kept in prison.

More on Kinkel’s Shooting:

http://www.schoolsafetynews.com/index.php/2010/02/fighting-back-…school-shooter/

For more on the transfer request:

http://news.opb.org/article/kinkel-wants-be-moved-prison-hospital/

This post is provided by Brad Spicer, CEO of SafePlans (www.safeplans.com).  SafePlans specializes in providing the technology, resources and training needed to improve emergency readiness and protect people and property.

Click here to learn more about the author

Situational Awareness & Analysis

When attempting to predict the probability of attacks or identify potential targets, it helps to understand the terrorists’ thought processes and tactics.  Suleiman Abu Gheith, Al-Qaeda’s spokesman, said: “Al-Qaeda has the right to kill four million Americans, two million of them children.”
He also said, “Allah willing, the blow will come from where they least expect it…”

As previous attacks illustrate, terrorists will murder children as well as adults in order to gain maximum notoriety for their attacks.  To that end, an elementary school would be an obvious target.  Young children would be easier to control while their deaths would have a significant symbolic impact, or shock value, on the American Public.

Target Selection: Risk versus Reward

A simple criticality assessment will help to assign a potential target’s “value”  or “reward” in the eyes of would be attackers.

A target hardening assessment is used to analyze the risk involved with carrying out an attack.

Target selection analyzes the potential target’s value versus the security related risks.

So are schools an “attractive” target for terrorist?  A simple risk/reward analysis certainly illustrates the topic is worthy of discussion.

This post is provided by Brad Spicer, CEO of SafePlans (www.safeplans.com), an all-hazards preparedness solution including emergency plans, staff training, and detailed site mapping.

Click here to learn more about the author

Regulating access is a fundamental pillar of security, yet because county clerks do not want to take the time to identify polling places that are not full of children, schools become a softer and higher profile target in a single action.

A softer target because the general public is invited unregulated into the school, while school is in session. Certainly election officials were will closely regulate voting activity, but hundreds and possibly thousands of adults will enter these polling schools without being challenged.

A higher profile target because a constitutionally protected action is taking place in the school, while school is in session. You may recall that just before the 2004 general election, Homeland Security announced that polling places were a potential terrorist attack.

For the election officials, schools ought not to be an attractive location either. Imagine a bomb threat being called into the school that has nothing to do with the polling place. Very few county or state election officials have plans in place to deal with the closing of a polling place for such an occurrence. If you don’t think bomb threats are a common occurrence in our schools, please check out http://schoolsafetynews.com/map and view bomb/IED related incidents for the past 12 months.

It may not be too late to ask election officials to locate alternate polling places. To do this, I would encourage a joint effort with local law enforcement. If local election officials refuse to locate alternate polling places, district administrators do have a few options:

1. 1. Schedule staff training days or close schools on Election Day. It may be a good idea to let parents know that this is in response to the unwillingness of the elected official to locate alternate polling places. Elected officials probably do not want parents to be unhappy.
2. 2. Since you can’t restrict access to the polling place, restrict access to the school from the polling place. Place the polling area in a location that has a separate entrance and can be sealed off from the students. Generally this means no physical education for the day or box lunches are served outside of the cafeteria. If this is not feasible, assign staff to monitor visitor ingress/egress and movement within the school.

I realize neither of these options is easy, but remember security is never convenient.

This post is provided by SafePlans (www.safeplans.com), an all-hazards preparedness solution including emergency plans, staff training, and detailed site mapping.

Click here to learn more about the author

 School districts/grantees need to take caution to ensure they follow sound procurement practices and not be misled by over-eager vendors.  Every year, some vendors structure schemes to lock grantees into their services in exchange for the vendor assisting in grant preparation.  This can not only violate state & federal laws and grant guidelines; by eliminating competition grantees are less likely to fully maximize their grant dollars.  Fair and open competition drives down costs and allows for the acquisition of more comprehensive services and training. 

A blatant example of a vendor called SchoolSecure wanting to lock a district into  a questionable agreement was posted on a 2010 REMS grantee’s (not the vendor’s) web-site.  This overt disregard of the need for competition is undoubtedly drawing the attention of the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools and is quite possibly jeopardizing the district’s sizable grant.  Since the agreement is on the vendor’s letterhead and not the district’s, the district’s name has been redacted.

schoolsecure redacted

I really don’t know anything about this vendor and they may do good work, but they certainly do not want the grantee to compare their services to those of other vendors.  This may be good “capture management” in terms of business practices, but it certainly isn’t a good way for a grantee/district to spend tax-payer dollars.

The company I founded (SafePlans) provides REMS services and we certainly do not win every proposal we submit.  I can honestly say that we have never written a grant for a school district; nor have we encouraged a district not to compare our services and costs to that of our competitors.  For 2009 REMS grants, we were able to save two grantees $100,000 (each!)over our competition.  Both of these districts used competition to determine their vendor and I think they (and the people they serve) are glad they did. 

There is nothing wrong with a district utilizing a professional grant writer to help secure a grant.  However, when a vendor offers grant writing services in exchange for grant-funded services, districts should consult with legal council and the funding agency before entering into an agreement.   If a vendor isn’t willing to have a grantee to measure their services and solutions against the competition, grantees would be well-served to ask why….

U.S. Department of Education Awards $28.8 Million to School Districts To Improve Readiness and Emergency Response Plans

In these cost-conscience times, having funds to improve emergency preparedness is an essential component of any school district’s program. In keeping with that philosophy, SafePlans has developed a value-oriented solution that helps keep more grant dollars within the district’s community.
Visit http://www.remsgrant.com to learn more about how SafePlans can assist with your REMS preparedness efforts.

School safety conferences are a great way for school administrators to keep abreast of “best practices” and establish a network of professionals that possess a common interest in making schools even safer. School administrators should try to attend a conference with someone from their local law enforcement, fire and/or emergency management agency. This can help foster discussions back home and strengthen relationships between stakeholders.

Pre-conference events (a US Department of Homeland Security certified workshop titled “Understanding and Planning for Campus Bomb Incidents” and a screening of the film “CUT: Teens and Self Injury”) commence on Wednesday, July 21.

Hope to see you there.
Stay Safe,

Brad

In the way of preparedness here are some recommended steps that go beyond the standard severe weahter shelter plans:
Pre-Planning
• Work with local emergency management officials to determine severe weather shelter areas
• Consider Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training for select staff
• Conduct drills to test communications (to include mass notificaiton) and movement to shelter assignments
• Preplan evacuation routes and rally points (avoiding power lines) in the event the school becomes damages and unsafe

When Severe Weather is a Possibility:• Assign staff to monitor weather
• Ensure radios (two-way/walkie-talkies and weather radios) are charged and conduct a staff meeting to review plans
• Consider special events, outdoor activities and bus times
When a Severe Weather Watch Occurs:
• Establish an interior command post
• Ask teachers to review severe weather plans
• Increase staff monitoring during transition times and meal periods
• Compare estimated storm impact with release times. Make plans to hold students and communicate with parents.
When a Severe Weather Warning Occurs:•
Enact severe weather plans

Always collaborate with your local response agencies on emergency planning issues.

Stay safe!
Brad

This post is provided by SafePlans (www.safeplans.com), an all-hazards preparedness solution including emergency plans, staff training, and detailed site mapping.

Click here to learn more about the author

Ryan Crowley, Jake Ryker, Josh Ryker, Douglas Ure, Davis Ure, Ada Walberger, Joshua Pearson and Travis Weaver also fought back against a school shooter. In 1998, these seven students prevented Kip Kinkle from killing more of their schoolmates.

On May 21, 1998, 15year-old Kipland (Kip) Phillip Kinkel went  inside the cafeteria that was packed with over 250 students. Using a semi-automatic .22 caliber rifle, Kip fired nearly 50 rounds; wounding 25 people. After the initial spray of gunfire, Kip started selecting his targets, killing Mikael Nickolauson.

Shortly after killing Mikael, Kip’s realized his magazine was empty when he attempted to shoot another student. This brief window of opportunity was exploited by Ryan Crowley, Jake Ryker, Josh Ryker, Douglas Ure, Davis Ure, Ada Walberger, Joshua Pearson and Travis Weaver. The seven students, two of whom were shot and injured in the process, overpowered Kinkel and stopped the killing.

Kip Kinkel murdered his parents, two students and wounded 25 others. He was sentenced to 111 years in prison without possibility parole.  The very same day as Kips’ attack a plot by three six graders to carry out an ambush style attack was uncovered in St, Charles, MO.

Fighting back against an attacker should be taught as a last resort as part of a larger security strategy that includes threat assessment and physical security. But it should be taught.   All security procedures should be developed in conjunction with local law enforcement and trained experts.

This post is provided by SafePlans (www.safeplans.com), an all-hazards preparedness solution including emergency plans, staff training, and detailed site mapping.

Click here to learn more about the author

LINK TO GRANT HOMEPAGE

The following is taken from the Dept. of Ed Website:

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

This grant program supports efforts by LEAs to create, strengthen, and improve emergency management plans at the district and school-building levels, including training school personnel on emergency management procedures; communicating with parents about emergency plans and procedures; and coordinating with local law enforcement, public safety or emergency management, public health, and mental health agencies and local government.

TYPES OF PROJECTS

Grant funds may be used for the following activities: reviewing and revising emergency management plans, training school staff, conducting building and facilities audits, communicating emergency response policies to parents and guardians, implementing the National Incident Management System (NIMS), developing an infectious disease plan, developing or revising food defense plans, purchasing school safety equipment (to a limited extent), conducting drills and tabletop simulation exercises; and preparing and distributing copies of emergency management plans.

SafePlans is able to provide general recommendations to assist applicants, but as we will compete for grant funds, we do not write grants for applicants.