Critical Issue #1: Ensuring “Top-Down” Buy In

It is essential for the safety of your school that every staff member understands the importance of emergency management. Poor staff buy-in will cause an emergency situation to quickly escalate into a larger problem. Ensuring that your staff at a local level understands the importance of emergency training will make a significant difference in the outcome of any given emergency situation.

Your first goal should be to get the principal of the school to understand that your goal is to ensure everyone’s safety within their school. Without the principal on board, your goals become a lost cause. Your next step should be to choose appropriate members of the school staff for specific roles in the event of an emergency. This emergency response team should not be created haphazardly. In many cases, schools choose in-house emergency responders based on teacher seniority, which means that the newest teachers are typically chosen for the job. This is not good practice. Instead, it is imperative to choose an emergency team that provides good cross representation.

To develop staff buy-in, you will need to demonstrate that your goal is to ensure every staff member’s safety so that they can go home to their families each and every day after work. The key is to let everyone in on emergency training procedures and why they are put into place.

The sad truth is that nearly 95% of senior teachers are unfamiliar with emergency protocol. By not knowing where the nearest fire extinguisher is, how to use a fire extinguisher, when and when not to hold a lockdown of the school, the nearest exit to use if one exit is blocked, and other important emergency procedures, the safety of everyone in the school is compromised.

Staff buy-in can be accomplished by ensuring that everyone understands that you are looking out for their safety. When everyone is in tune with up-to-date emergency protocol, the safety of your school, its students, and staff can be assured.