Advancement · School Operations

Every emergency procedure,
in plain words

Write each procedure once: the protective action, the exact announcement, the steps with the role that does each one, how everyone is accounted for and who helps the people who need it. The tool counts the days since the last drill, catches a coded announcement or a step with no owner and prints a one-page card for every classroom wall.

Add a procedureWhat you get
$12one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $12

Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the School operations toolkit, $49 for 66 items.

Procedure library

The worked example is made up: a fire evacuation drilled last month, a lockdown announced in code that is overdue for a drill, and a severe weather shelter still in draft. Saved on this device only.

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What you get

Advancement · School Operations$12 · included with Classroom and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A record per procedure: name, protective action, trigger, who calls it and the exact announcement; the steps with a role for each; accounting, help for people who need it and the meeting point; the last drill, how often it is practiced, the last update and six checks. Step and role counts, days since the drill and the next due date; a printed wall card per procedure and the whole library.
Who it is for
Principals, safety and operations leads, front office staff and school safety teams who write and keep emergency procedures.
Format
Browser tool with a saved record per procedure. Prints a wall card, the whole library, the record, every procedure in a table or a blank form; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$12 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Also in the School operations toolkit ($49) and the Advancement Suite pass ($99), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The School Operations space in Caveat Advancement.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Add a procedure and choose its protective action.
  2. Write the exact announcement in plain words.
  3. List the steps, with who does each one.
  4. Say how everyone is accounted for and who helps whom.
  5. Record the last drill and print the wall card.

Add a procedure

What a usable procedure contains

Six protective actions, in plain wordsActionWhat people doTypical triggerEvacuateLeave by the posted route, account for allFire, gas smellLockdownLock, lights out, out of sight, silentA threat insideShelter in placeGo to the safe area for the hazardTornado, chemical spillHold in roomsStay in class, halls kept clearA medical emergencySecure buildingOuter doors locked, class goes onA threat outsideReunificationRelease students to listed adultsAfter any closureSix protective actions, in plain wordsEvacuateWhat people do: Leave by the posted route, account for allTypical trigger: Fire, gas smellLockdownWhat people do: Lock, lights out, out of sight, silentTypical trigger: A threat insideShelter in placeWhat people do: Go to the safe area for the hazardTypical trigger: Tornado, chemical spillHold in roomsWhat people do: Stay in class, halls kept clearTypical trigger: A medical emergencySecure buildingWhat people do: Outer doors locked, class goes onTypical trigger: A threat outsideReunificationWhat people do: Release students to listed adultsTypical trigger: After any closure
Naming each action in plain words, rather than a color or a code, means a substitute or a visitor knows what to do the first time they hear it.

Plain language, not codes

The federal Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans recommends plain, consistent language for announcements instead of codes, so that everyone in the building, including substitutes, visitors and new students, knows what to do. It also asks plans to cover accounting for every person, reunification and the needs of people with disabilities and others who need help.

Practice and update

Drill schedules are set by state law and district policy and differ by place and by drill, so enter the one that applies to you. After each drill, note what went slowly or who did not hear the announcement, and change the steps. Share the current version with local fire, police and emergency management, who are partners in writing the plan.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Education and partner agencies (2013). Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans (rems.ed.gov).
  2. Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Technical Assistance Center. Fact sheets on functional annexes: evacuation, lockdown, shelter in place, accounting for all persons and reunification (rems.ed.gov).
  3. Federal Emergency Management Agency. Comprehensive Preparedness Guide 101, Developing and Maintaining Emergency Operations Plans (fema.gov).
  4. National Fire Protection Association. NFPA 101, Life Safety Code: educational occupancies and emergency egress drills (nfpa.org).

The worked example is made up, including the school routes and roles. This tool organizes your procedures; it does not replace your school’s emergency operations plan, the drill schedule your state or district requires, or the advice of your local fire, police and emergency management partners. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.