With strong planning, practice, and collaboration among public safety partners, BVSD is ready to respond to natural disasters and human-caused emergencies

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The threat of large-scale natural disasters, which have grown more frequent and more intense with climate change, is ever present and unfortunately too familiar to our BVSD community.

Climate change prompts increased emergency preparations
Fire season is year-round, and in recent years, Boulder Valley residents have faced multiple disaster-related evacuations. These threats underscore the critical importance of preparation and planning to respond to emergencies, both natural disasters and human-caused crises. BVSD is well-prepared to respond to natural disasters with a thoughtfully-developed plan, ample training and practice, and strong, collaborative partnerships with local public safety agencies. 

BVSD’s natural disaster response plans, particularly related to wildfires, are on the minds of our BVSD community. Recently, BVSD leaders have spoken to the city councils in Louisville and Superior, as well as a Marshall Fire survivors group, regarding concerns fueled by the December 30, 2021 disaster that killed two people and destroyed more than 1,000 homes. 

WATCH: CBS4 - Emergency planners in Colorado county discuss procedures for school evacuations in major fires

WATCH: Town of Superior Town Board Work Session - August 12, 2024 - BVSD’s disaster response planning and preparation Begin at 1:29.

Last year, high school students from across the district brought their concerns about climate change related disasters to the Board of Education. In the Green New Deal Resolution passed by the Board, BVSD reaffirmed its commitment to work with local partners to “coordinate efforts to address climate disasters in our communities” and to “designate schools as climate relief zones and prioritize mental health resources to impacted students.

BVSD’s Emergency Operations Plan
The cornerstone of BVSD’s emergency management framework is the District Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). The EOP is a comprehensive, all-hazard document that outlines roles and responsibilities for district staff and partners, as well as activities, procedures, and protocols for preparing for and responding to a wide range of emergencies and crises.  

The BVSD EOP addresses environmental emergencies such as flood, fire, wind, tornado, lightning, etc., as well as human-caused emergencies. The plan was developed in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team of subject matter experts  and community partners, including school administrators, public health professionals, mental health professionals, emergency managers, law enforcement, fire department personnel, and school safety professionals.

Further, each BVSD school site has a customized school emergency plan which identifies crisis team members, the emergency communication plan, evacuation routes and locations, reunification locations, how students with access or functional needs will be assisted, and staff who will be liaising with first responding partners during emergencies among other critical tasks. The plan is updated at least annually by school administration and the school safety advocate. 

The EOP is based on the foundational principles of the National Incident Management System (NIMS), the Incident Command System (ICS), and the Colorado School Safety Resource Center Emergency Preparedness Guidelines, and focuses on how schools should respond to specific incidents in alignment with first responding partners. Emergency procedures are described in an easy to use reference manual at each school. School and district crisis team members and leaders are expected to complete specific Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) trainings regarding NIMS and ICS.

Practice is key 
Having a tested and executable plan in place is an essential first step. Regular practice of core responsive actions means people are ready to act when the time comes. Schools practice a variety of drills at established intervals throughout the school year, including evacuation and lockdown drills. At least twice a year, the school’s crisis team participates in a tabletop exercise to think through, discuss, and improve how they would respond to an incident at their school such as an unauthorized visitor on campus, human or wildlife. 

District teams who support schools also practice for specific scenarios such as reunifications or active threat situations. These practice scenarios can take the form of a tabletop exercise (similar to the ones conducted by school staff) or a fully-functional exercise. In a functional exercise, participants are on location and act out their response to a situation. Partners from local first response agencies typically participate in both kinds of scenarios with BVSD staff to practice collaboration and communication and foster better understanding of roles, responsibilities, and protocols. 

Last spring, ahead of the summer/fall wildfire season, BVSD Safety, Security and Emergency Management and the Boulder Office of Disaster Management (ODM) co-hosted a half-day tabletop exercise at Nederland Middle/Senior High School. The discussion-based exercise simulated a wildfire emergency in the Boulder County foothills, impacting BVSD schools. Participants included representatives from the mountain schools and fire protection districts, Boulder County Sheriff, and 911 Communications Center, as well as district staff from Transportation, Facilities and others who are responsible for supporting schools during a crisis. 

This tabletop exercise provided a platform for BVSD and our partners to come together, test our response protocols and preparedness capabilities, evaluate our safety procedures,  share expertise, clarify roles and responsibilities, refine effective communication channels and identify areas for improvement. 

Another recent tabletop exercise brought together representatives from Good Samaritan Hospital, Avista Hospital, Boulder Community Health and first responding partners to practice information sharing and coordination during a surge of pediatric patients due to a hypothetical emergency incident. 

Over the summer break, a functional exercise was conducted by first responders at Boulder High and simulated an active shooter scenario. This training built on skills practiced at a first responder functional training held last summer at Arapahoe Ridge High School and focused on recovery and reunification. 

BVSD staff have also conducted functional evacuation reunification exercises. Reunification is the process of reuniting students with their parents/guardians after an evacuation. In recent school years, BVSD has had to carry out reunifications when schools in Boulder were evacuated due to police activity in the area and after the Boulder High SWATTING incident. In July 2023,  BVSD held a full functional reunification exercise at one of our reunification locations in Lafayette. More than 30 BVSD staff participated in the exercise, along with volunteers from the community who assisted as role players during the training. BVSD bus drivers also practiced moving volunteers from Centaurus High School to the church. 

Exercises like these strengthen our collective resilience and ensure that we are well-equipped to face the challenges posed by natural disasters such as wildfires or human-caused events such as the SWATTING incident at Boulder High and subsequent reunification.

Collaborating with partners
Most medium to large-scale emergency events will prompt responses from multiple public safety agencies. Strong collaboration during a crisis comes from solid planning and training ahead of time. In addition to jointly participating in training exercises, BVSD’s Safety and Security team meets regularly with other local agencies to share information, keep up with trends, and look for opportunities for development. BVSD Security staff interact with first responders daily and use every opportunity to increase understanding about the roles, responsibilities, and protocols of each entity. 

In the aftermath of the Marshal Fire, BVSD Security staff have been meeting with leadership from local fire departments to plan for a coordinated response and communication during an urban conflagration. In addition, staff worked with Boulder Fire-Rescue to assess all BVSD school’s fire defensibility and provide this information to first responders in BVSD’s jurisdiction to have in the event of a fire. 

Continuous improvement
The administrative team for Safety, Security, and Emergency Management has been working closely with Boulder County’s Office of Disaster Management (formerly the Office of Emergency Management) to review past natural disasters and take steps forward to build on our current prevention, mitigation, and preparedness plans, and capacity. 

Security staff have made a number of changes in recent years to improve our emergency processes and equipment. Some examples include installing BiDirectional Amplifiers (provided through grant funding) to improve radio coverage in schools for first responders during crisis incidents; collaborating with the Center for People with Disabilities Boulder Office and the Office of Disaster Management to review best practices for our students with special needs; working with first responding partners to review evacuation procedures of schools during disasters and constructing an emergency access road at the Monarch campus.

Specifically related to boosting preparedness to respond to wildfires, BVSD has established new processes for red flags days which will provide greater situational awareness when these conditions are in effect. School and district leaders are alerted when the district is under a red flag advisory so they can assess current conditions such as how many students and staff are onsite, what vehicles are available for evacuation if needed, or if there are field trips or athletic competitions occuring, etc. and what personnel are available to support a response.  The intent is to increase readiness and preparation to quickly mobilize resources as necessary in the event of a wildfire.