School safetyDelaware develops comprehensive schools safety program

Delaware has become the first state to develop a comprehensive school safety model which includes a central portal for school safety plans.

The Cape Gazette reports that Governor Jack Markell has teamed up with Safety and Homeland Security Secretary Lewis Schiliro for the development of a Web-based portal to serve as a repository for all public school safety plans in the state. The Delaware Safety and Homeland Security (DSHS) office will also be included in the process.

The new Emergency Response Information Portal (ERIP), which is being developed bySafePlans over the next few months, will become accessible to school safety teams in time for the new school year this fall. The ERIP program has been designated by DHS as an anti-terrorism technology and therefore contains significant security protections

SafePlans is a homeland security consulting firm that specializes in providing  methods and equipment needed to prevent, respond, and recover from incidents which could impact every day operations.

“This demonstrates Delaware’s commitment to providing schools and emergency responders with information and resources that keep student safe in emergency situations,” Markell told the Cape Gazette. “This keeps school safety in the forefront and a process for safe and prepared schools moving forward.”

Grades K-12 will receive emergency plans as well as a sophisticated web-based application for maintenance and development. The program will give public schools access to homeland security technology and allow schools to develop the best emergency methods.

“This tool is more than a central repository. It provides a common framework for planning which will assist school safety teams with vulnerability assessments and risk management. In addition, it will make school emergency plans accessible through the internet and on smartphones, laptops and similar devices. The implementation of ERIP in the fall will make the plans not only accessible to school officials and their safety teams but also first responders and DSHS,” Schiliro told the Gazette.

Once plans have been established, training courses and validation exercises will test the plans. The system will also create additional plans for a variety of emergencies including fires, power outages, gas leaks, kidnapping, bus accidents, flooding and active shooters. 

Schools will also receive training to help prepare and respond to intruder and shooting situations.

“There is no one solution that protects schools from violent intruders,” Brad Spicer, president of SafePlans and creator of the program told the Gazette. “Intruderology is a flexible and multi-pronged approach to address the evolving tactics and threats posed by mass killers.”