Education emergency management scheme (EEMS) / Dept. Education & Training.

Highly Commended: Pre-disaster Category, State Government Stream, Safer Communities Awards 2005.

This is an emergency management scheme designed for educational institutions which have a high turnover of staff and community helpers, though it can also be used in other workplaces. The Education Emergency Management Scheme (EEMS) is a system of emergency management designed to provide easily accessible emergency information for staff and other adults working either primary or secondary schools. It is particularly relevant for those who are unfamiliar with the emergency procedures used at their institution. It can be used by new teachers, visiting professionals, parent helpers, casual relief teachers, student teachers, guest speakers, permanent staff and so on. The system can be used in either state or private schools and has been taken up by the Victorian Department of Education and Training (DE&T). Many schools utilise volunteers, such as parents assisting in classrooms, libraries and canteens, who could be responsible for children during an emergency. There are also a considerable number of contracted staff such as cleaners and visiting professionals, IT contractors and technicians, builders, plumbers and electricians. The EEMS can be customized to suit each specific school?s needs to provide easily accessible emergency information particularly for those who are unfamiliar with the school?s current emergency procedures. Software can be installed on an intranet to allow tracking to ensure that everyone has viewed the presentation and completed the revision questions. Extensive consultation was held with such organisations as the Country Fire Authority, Ambulance Victoria, Victoria Police and the Department of Sustainability and Environment. EEMS was also demonstrated to the Association of School Councils of Victoria and the Department?s Fire Expert Group (which includes the Arson Squad and the Coroner?s Office. Revision by various organisations has led to a number of significant changes to the template to make it more suitable for regions outside Melbourne. A number of schools have now used the EEMS template to create their own scheme and the Department of Education and Training has financed production of 5500 copies of EEMS with supplementary documentation, to be distributed to every Government school in Victoria.