Partners in Preparedness

Del Norte County Office of Education

The Del Norte County School District is in the most northwest county in California, in the center of the coastal redwood forest. The school district extends over the entire county, a remote and severely isolated area of 1,007 square miles, with 16 public school sites and 4 private school sites, and 5,000 school children.

Our region, like Humboldt County, is part of the single most seismically active region in the continental United States. During this century, 24 earthquakes have caused significant damage to structures. Seventeen tsunamis have been recorded in Crescent City, the larget population center in the county, since 1940, three of which caused significant damage.

Project Overview

Because of the very real threat of natural disaster, the Del Norte County Office of Education has established cooperative relationships with local emergency support agencies, to collaborate and develop emergency response plans and training for each of the public and private schools located in our county.

Since the SB187 Hughes Comprehensive School Safety Plan requirements were established in 1997, the school district has worked to ensure that each school in the county has an up-to-date comprehensive school safety plan. Each safety plan covers a broad array of emergency situations, including natural events, medical emergencies, and man-made crises, and includes a comprehensive Site Communications Plan to help schools communicate internally and with other schools, law enforcement, and the local media.

The Del Norte County Office of Education has also provided training and materials to:

• Establish and train a Crisis Response Team (CRT) of up to eight staff members at each school site;
• Provide follow-up training to all certified and classified staff members; and
• Provide emergency preparedness supplies, such as communications radios, first aid kits, and CRT equipment.

Participants at each school have received training in the National Incident Management System/ Standardized Emergency Management System (NIMS/SIMS), and the Incident Command System (ICS). These systems establish standardized incident management processes, and are used by emergency response agencies to coordinate and conduct response actions. Each school has participated in a one-day tabletop exercise in which each team plans, mitigates, responds, and recovers from several scenario situations.

Preparedness Activities in the Community

Our small community is very fortunate to have established collaborative relationships with local emergency responders, hospitals, and law-enforcement agencies. Participation by these groups in ongoing planning, tabletop exercises, and full-scale multi-agency/multi-casualty emergency scenario drills has further improved the the effectiveness of these efforts.

The multi-agency OES Disaster Planning Group meets monthly, and includes the following participating agencies:

• Del Norte County Sheriff's Office
• Sutter Coast Hospital
• Del Norte County American Red Cross
• Del Norte County Ham Operators
• Del Norte County Unified School District
• Del Norte County Department of Health and Social Services
• Crescent City Police Department
• California Department of Corrections - Pelican Bay State Prison
• California Highway Patrol
• California Division of Forestry
• United States Coast Guard
• Del Norte County Agriculture
• Smith River Rancheria
• National Weather Service - NOAA
• Bi-Coastal Media -KCRE/KPOD
• Redwood Coast Transit
• Del Norte County, Crescent City, Klamath, Fort Dick, Smith River, Gasquet, and Pelican Bay Fire Departments

The County Joint Advisory Crisis Response Planning Group also meets monthly, and includes representation from:

• Del Norte County Sheriff's Office
• Del Norte County Ambulance
• Sutter Coast Hospital
• Del Norte County American Red Cross
• Del Norte County Ham Operators
• Del Norte County Unified School District
• Del Norte County Department of Health and Social Services

Over the past several years these agencies have participated in tabletop exercises and full-scale multi-casualty emergency scenarios that have included:

• A tabletop exercise featuring forest fire adjacent to a school site scenario.
• A vehicle full of teenagers verses a high school bus loaded with students in front of an elementary school with live power lines down on the vehicle, bus and school.
• A school bus hijacking and explosion by a distraught parent armed with a semi-automatic handgun, a home made bomb vest w/detonator, and a clear baggie of unknown white powder.
• FBI training and live shooter scenarios at several school sites using live 9mm simunitions weapons and wax tipped ammunition that included participation by all law enforcement agencies and a large number of student and adult role players.

Emergency Preparedness Workshops

The SchoolGuard project includes both regional workshops for partnering counties, and county-specific workshops tailored to the individual needs of each partner county.

About our Leadership

The Del Norte County Unified School District Superintendent, with the support of the Board of Trustees, has made the safety of our schools a priority and has assigned two district administrators to act as Co-District Crisis Response Coordinators to carry out the responsibilities of providing ongoing training and assistance with district and site crisis response planning.

Contact Information

Important Public Safety Phone Numbers

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