Hermiston School District administrators met with first responders this week to review crisis response plans and conduct a “table top” exercise.
The training was coordinated between District officials and representatives from Hermiston Fire, Hermiston Police, and Umatilla County Emergency Management. Hermiston Fire Chief Pat Hart provided a general overview related to fire and medical emergencies. Police Chief Jason Edmiston shared basic information about police responses in the event of violence or other threats.
School officials and lead office assistants considered school responses to a variety of scenarios, including response to a medical emergency, a hazard, and an intruder.
“The safety of students and staff is our number one priority,” said Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Fred Maiocco. “The table top allows us to exercise our response plans in coordination with local first responders in a very proactive way.”
Director of Support Services Mike Kay, said “the lessons learned during the table top exercise will allow us to further refine our plans to assure the very best possible school response in the event of a crisis.”
Hermiston School District maintains a comprehensive training plan for emergencies, including regular exercises and drills. Additionally, every Hermiston school administrator is certified through Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on Incident Command System (ICS) for Schools.
