Simulated Hazardous Materials Evacuation Held at Glenwood Elementary School

Media, PA…Recognizing the importance of involving students in its emergency preparedness planning, Glenwood Elementary School staged a simulated evacuation on May 3 in conjunction with Rose Tree Media officials, the Delaware County Department of Emergency Services and even neighboring transportation providers.

At 1:30 PM, the entire student body, administrators and staff walked through the steps that would be implemented in the event of a hazardous materials release near the school.

In the first stage of the scenario, wind was blowing away from the school so students were sheltered in place in the school gymnasium as a situational awareness of the problem was conducted and first responders were notified that an emergency situation was occurring.

In the second stage of the scenario, the decision was made to evacuate the campus as a precaution. All surrounding school districts were contacted in order to send buses to pick up students at the site to where they had been evacuated. While for the purposes of this drill our students were not bussed to another site, you should know that busses are available from all over the county at a moment’s notice. A plan for evacuating students with special needs, those who might require physical assistance or do not respond well to crowds and noise, also was put into place.

“It is important to note that any evacuation plan is situational and must be adapted based on ‘real time’ circumstances,” said James M. Wigo, Superintendent at Rose Tree Media School District. “Our District has been and will continue to work closely with local first responders, and the Delaware County Department of Emergency Services on emergency preparedness scenarios and, as we have in the past, we will continue to conduct scheduled emergency drills.”

Wednesday's exercise was the first time the student population was involved in a multi-tiered response. “I am proud of how maturely they responded to this simulation as I am proud of our staff for the help, care and concern they always demonstrate when working with our students,” Wigo added.

Glenwood Elementary Principal Eric Bucci echoed these sentiments. “Everyone took this seriously and it was reflected in how quickly they moved through the drill – two minutes to be sheltered in place and three minutes to be completely evacuated from the building,” he said.

Tim Boyce, Director of Delaware County Department of Emergency Services commended Rose Tree Media for taking the proactive step of staging such a realistic hazardous materials evacuation. “The District is clearly demonstrating leadership in public safety and it is evident by what was implemented today.”

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PHOTO CAPTIONS:

Photo one: Students enter the gymnasium to shelter in place – the first stage of the drill as first responders arrive on the scene.

Photos two and three: A campus evacuation commences during the second stage of the drill.

Photo four: The Delaware County Emergency Services vehicles serve as mobile command posts where weather, transportation, medical issues and other key factors can be assessed.

Photo five: Meeting in the mobile command post to review the situation at hand are (l to right): Township Fire Marshall Alan Mancill; Superintendent James Wigo, County Emergency Services Deputy Director Ed Bebe; County Emergency Services Director Tim Boyce and Glenwood Elementary Principal Eric Bucci.