Educational Institutions

(Pre-K through 12 and higher education)

Working Together to Enhance Safety 

"Knowing how to respond quickly and efficiently in a crisis is critical to ensuring the safety of our schools and students. The midst of a crisis is not the time to start figuring out who ought to do what. At that moment, everyone involved – from top to bottom – should know the drill and know each other.”   

Margaret Spellings

Secretary of Education, 2005-2009 

CRISIS MANAGEMENT is a continuous process. It consists of:

Mitigation/prevention — what school districts can do to reduce or eliminate risk to life and property.

Preparedness — planning for the worst-case scenario. 

Response — steps to take during a crisis. 

Recovery — how to restore the learning and teaching environment after a crisis. 

The time to plan is now. If you do not have a crisis plan in place — develop one. If you do have a plan in place — review, update, and practice it regularly. 

Types of Crisis We Address

Blackhawk Emergency Management Group prepares schools to handle all types of tragedies and catastrophic incidents:

• Lockdowns/lockouts
• Natural disasters (earthquake, tornado, hurricane, flood)
• Severe weather
• Fires
• Chemical or hazardous material spills
• Bus crashes
• School shootings
• Bomb threats
• Medical emergencies
• Student or staff deaths (suicide, homicide, accidental, or natural)
• Acts of terror or war
• Outbreaks of disease or infections

 Our Products and Services 

• Plan comparison — research state and federal documents
• Crisis planning and development
• Comprehensive emergency management planning
• Hazard vulnerability analysis and threat assessments
• Emergency operations plan development and testing
• Evacuation/reunification plan development and testing
• Incident command system for educational institutions 
• State mandated school safety compliance
• Clery Act requirement review and development
• HSEEP compliant discussion and operations-based exercises 
• Emergency command center design and development
• "Dark site" development (an emergency website available for immediate activation)
• Risk communication development and validation
• Emergency supply kits for classrooms and college students
• Safety seminars, workshops and training

Updating and Maintaining School Emergency Management Plans

• Conduct emergency exercises
• Collaborate with community partners
• Focus on sustainability
• Conduct evaluations consistently
• Prepare for multi-hazard emergencies 
• Reassess planning for schools at least annually

HSEEP

Let Blackhawk EMG help develop and implement your tabletops, drills and exercises. We use Master Exercise Practitioners (MEP) who have been trained by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) provides a national standard for all exercises. These standards address design, development, conduct, evaluation, and improvement planning. Through exercises, the National Exercise Program helps organizations identify areas that need strengthening.

HSEEP Exercises We Provide:

• Lockdowns/lockouts tabletops and drills
• Policy group tabletops
• Emergency Response Team tabletops
• Severe injury during sports event
• Severe weather (ice storm, power outage)
  
• Shooter/athletic event
• Weather/athletic road trip
• Bomb threat/explosion
• Sexual assault/multiple incidents
• Pandemic influenza
• Binge drinking/alcohol poisoning
• Active shooter
• Evacuation/reunification
• Chemical spill/release 
• Any other scenario as required 

Contact us today for a consultation.