The Irvine Unified School District and its community partners have developed a number of effective strategies and protocols to employ in the event of an emergency, and drills reinforce these measures regularly throughout the year. Whether the situation involves a regional seismic event or a crisis on campus, it is the intent of the Irvine Unified School District to:
Take immediate action to minimize the risk of injury
Utilize school personnel and facilities to care for victims
Provide maximum security for students and employees
Provide a safe and calm environment for students
Protect and preserve school property
eMERGENCY oPERATIONS cENTER
A fully capable emergency operations facility is an essential element of a comprehensive emergency management system and necessary to ensure continuity of operations within the Irvine Unified School District. The District Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is a location designated for managing an emergency event. It is a center where EOC personnel support the efforts of multiple school-based Incident Command Systems (ICS) to monitor the emergency response at various school locations, make decisions to allocate and coordinate resources/personnel and provides coordination of emergency communications.
The District Emergency Operations Center’s primary objective, during and after an emergency, is for the preservation of life and property, reuniting students with a responsible parent or guardian, providing accurate and timely communication, and implementing the restoration process to return to educational instruction and business in the Irvine Unified School District.
In compliance with Federal regulations and California statute, the Irvine Unified School District uses the National Incident Management System (NIMS) in its emergency plans and procedures. All Irvine Unified School District emergency plans are based on the Incident Command System (ICS) - a nationwide standard and a component of the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS).
Established on March 1, 2004, by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5 (HSPD-5), NIMS specifies the standardized methods all emergency responders should follow to plan, coordinate and carry out responses to a variety of emergency incidents. It allows schools and local agencies to jointly manage incidents, regardless of their causes, sizes, locations or complexities. Local jurisdictions, including school districts that receive Federal emergency preparedness funding, are required to comply with the NIMS.
The Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) is the system required by California Government Code Section 8607(a) for managing emergencies involving multiple jurisdictions and agencies. All state government agencies must use SEMS when responding to multi-jurisdictional or multi-agency emergencies. All local government agencies must use SEMS in multi-jurisdictional or multi-agency emergency responses to be eligible for state reimbursement of response-related personnel costs.
ICS, a component of NIMS and SEMS, is a management system designed to enable effective and efficient incident management by integrating a combination of facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures, and communications operating within a common organizational structure (e.g., the District Emergency Operations Center).
COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL SAFETY PLANS
It is the intent of the Legislature that all California public schools, in kindergarten, and grades 1 to 12, inclusive, operated by school districts, develop a Comprehensive School Safety Plan that addresses the safety concerns identified through a systematic planning process. Each IUSD school is responsible for the overall development of their Comprehensive School Safety Plan, in cooperation with the Irvine Police Department, Orange County Fire Authority, community leaders, parents, students, teachers, administrators, and other persons who may be interested in the prevention of campus crime and violence.
Irvine Unified School District Comprehensive School Safety Plans shall consist of, but not limited to, the following sections:
- Emergency Drill Schedule
- Incident Command System - Organizational Chart
- Duty Reporting Stations
- School Plot Map
- Utility Shut-Off Information
- Utility Shut-Off Photographs
- Safe Ingress and Egress
- School Discipline Policy
- School Discipline - Crime Statistics
- Students with Disabilities, Access, and Functional Needs (DAFN)
- Emergency Team Response Plan
- Hazard Specific Guidelines
- Crisis Response Protocol
- Threat Assessment Protocol
- School Violence Protocol
- Suicide Assessment Protocol