Emergency and Critical Incident Management Planning

Core and specific response procedures

All school emergency management plans must contain detailed response procedures for:

• on-site evacuation
• off-site evacuation
• shelter-in-place
• lock-down
• lock-out.

These 5 procedures are referred to as the 'core emergency response procedures' and form the foundation for all other, more specific response procedures. Most emergencies or critical incidents can be effectively managed by implementing the appropriate core response procedure. The core response procedures are supported by evacuation diagrams and area maps to assist with egress and evacuation activities.

Schools must also develop specific response procedures to respond to their individual risks. Specific response procedures should clearly identify whether a core response procedure will be used, outline any deviations from standard procedures and specify additional actions required to manage the particular incident type.

For detailed guidance on developing response procedures in the online EMP, refer to the Emergency and critical incident management planning guide for government schools (PDF).