Practicing Emergency Preparedness in Langley Schools
October 20, 2023
Drop, cover, and hold on!
Students and staff across the Langley School District dropped to the floor and curled up under their desks on Thursday as part of the provincewide Great ShakeOut.
The Great ShakeOut is an annual earthquake drill at 10:19 am, or at some point in the school’s schedule for that day. This is one of many drills that take place throughout the year to educate and prepare students and staff for unforeseen incidents like emergencies and weather events.
“We want to make sure that the actions are automatic. If kids know what to do, then when a real emergency takes place, they just do it,” said Sean Oliver, principal of Richard Bulpitt Elementary.
“It also helps them remember that when we stay calm and do all of these things carefully, then we all end up staying safe in a real emergency. And the ones who are nervous about it are able to take a deep breath and feel confident that they know what to do,” added Oliver, on the social emotional learning aspect of practicing procedures.
As part of the drill, the principal makes an announcement to signal the mock earthquake. Some principals will include rumbling sounds or shaking noises to add to the effect. At that point, students and staff drop low to the ground, take cover under a table, desk or furniture, and hold on to the item. After the ‘shaking’ stops, collectively students and staff count together to 60 seconds and then evacuate the building, and head toward the designated assembly site.
This learning lesson is also useful for outside of the classroom.
“Students take away the importance of being prepared at home and knowing what to do at home. We just don’t “duck, cover, and hold” in school, we would do that anywhere. They take away the importance of checking on each other and making sure that everyone is okay,” explained Oliver.
All school staff and students in the District follow a set of emergency procedures. Administrators and staff review these procedures at the start of the school year and practice drills with students throughout the year. Some of the other emergency procedures include a lockdown, hold & secure, shelter in place, and room clear. Each situation is unique and has different instructions to be followed. In the event of a real emergency, and depending on the incident, schools will follow-up with some form of communications to families.
The District’s Emergency Preparedness Committee, which is a group made up of representatives from each employee partner group, District staff, and a trustee. The committee meets three times per year to review all of these emergency procedures to ensure the health and safety of students and staff. The committee reviews the systems in place as well as talks about ways to make improvements.
“We want to be prepared for whatever happens. We are continuing to look for strategies, supplies, and tools that will help our staff do their work in keeping our students and each other safe and secure in emergencies,” explains Marcello Moino, Assistant Superintendent of Schools, and member of the Emergency Preparedness Committee.
For more information about the District’s emergency procedures and response, you can read more here.