The safety of our students and staff is always our first priority at Fort McMurray Catholic Schools.
Our schools practice safety procedures multiple times per year as part of our emergency planning/preparedness cycle. Staff and students are to be familiar with School Medical Emergency, Shelter in Place, Hold & Secure, and Lockdown protocols.
In the event of an incident in, or in the vicinity of a school, we wish to remind our families it may not always be possible to send out information until after the incident has ended. Once it is safe to do so, a message will be sent via Edsby and/or School Messenger (text/email) to all parents/guardians.
We also wish to remind our families there will be times we will not be able to share detailed information about an incident in or around a school. We must ensure the privacy of our students/staff in certain situations. We ask for grace and trust from our families when we must use discretion while respecting the privacy of personal information, legislation, and several additional circumstances. The safety of our students, staff, schools and the greater community is always our top priority.
Definitions
School Medical Emergency Procedure
This procedure occurs when there is a medical emergency within a building and hallways need to remain clear for emergency responders.
Additional Information:
- Staff and students would return to their classrooms (and classes could continue) in order that the hallways can be more easily accessed
- Only part of the school may need to be secured, in which case this will be communicated in the announcement
Shelter in Place
Shelter in Place is utilized when personal safety is considered to be in danger if anyone leaves the school. This is mainly used for environmental or weather related events. It is necessary for everyone to remain inside the school and take protective actions. Depending upon the emergency the HVAC system could be turned off to avoid drawing air from the outside.
Types of events that can trigger Shelter in Place:
- Weather events such as a sudden blizzard
- Environmental event such as a chemical spill exterior to the school
- Missing child
- Dangerous wild animal (bear, cougar etc.)
- Any situation where evacuation may pose a greater risk than sheltering in place
Hold and Secure
Is used when it was desirable to secure the school due to an emergency situation occurring outside and not related to the indoor operations of a school (e.g. serious criminal offense in the area). In this situation, all exterior doors are locked and monitored. Classes may continue to function normally.
Using the term “lockdown” when a hold and secure is in effect may:
- Imply a level of danger to building occupants that does not exist
- Result in heightened parental/guardian anxiety, psychological trauma for everyone involved
- Potential diversion of police and other emergency responders’ resources who are no longer now available for a real emergency and,
- Results in the belief that the school is not safe.
Lockdown
The restriction of movement of students and staff due to a threat of violence within or in relation to the school. During a lockdown, we exercise critical judgement to maximize safety.
Types of events that trigger a school lockdown include, but are not limited to the following:
- Dangerous intruder
- Active shooter
- Barricaded suspect
Evacuation
An Evacuation is a response to a possible danger inside the school.
Examples can include fire, chemical spill, gas leak, etc. Students will be escorted by staff to a safe location outside the school. As the incident is occurring, access to and from the school is restricted and carefully monitored.
We encourage you to discuss school safety with your child and to address any concerns they may have and we welcome any questions you have about this or any other issue related to the safety and security of our schools.