Emergency and Critical Incident Management Planning

Policy

All government schools are required to develop and maintain an Emergency Management Plan (EMP) that complies with the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) registration and the department’s emergency management planning requirements.

Additional specific planning requirements for schools considered at risk of bushfire or grassfire (listed on the Bushfire At-Risk Register or the Category 4 list) are detailed in the Bushfire and Grassfire Preparedness policy.

Summary

Schools must:

• develop and maintain an up-to-date EMP that outlines their emergency and critical incident planning and management arrangements, using the Online EMP Portal (staff login required)
• follow this policy to comply with legislative and registration requirements for planning for emergencies and critical incidents and take all reasonable steps to safeguard the health and safety of their school community
• fully assess, plan for and mitigate risks, hazards and threats unique to their school site
• ensure the principal reviews and approves the EMP at least once per year (by 1 September) and after any significant incident
• plan for the impact of incidents and emergencies on students, staff and families, and how to communicate with the school community during an emergency, including any relocation or closure arrangements
• inform the school community about relevant emergency management arrangements including response procedures and communication arrangements
• test emergency response procedures by conducting drills at least once every term
• ensure new or visiting staff receive induction and all staff receive regular training (through drills) on the emergency procedures in the EMP.

Details

Emergency Management Plans

Schools must have a current, site-specific Emergency Management Plan (EMP) that meets VRQA requirements. The department’s emergency management planning arrangements have also been developed to align with Australian Standards for Emergency Management Planning in facilities (Australian Standard 3745-2010). Using the department’s EMP Portal to create this plan will ensure compliance with all requirements and standards, provided that the EMP is completed to ensure it is site specific and includes:

• local threats, hazards and corresponding response procedures
• emergency and critical incidents, including:
  • circumstances that post a critical risk to the health, safety or wellbeing of one or more students or staff
  • incidents requiring school closure, lockdown, or reduction of number of students or staff attending
  • death or serious injury of a student or staff member at school or another location authorised by the school.

The EMP Portal contains guidance text to support schools to include this required content.

The plan must outline what do before, during and after an emergency. The EMP is designed to protect the safety and wellbeing of students, staff and others, including during offsite activities such as camps and excursions. For information about planning for excursion and camps, including specific risk assessment and emergency management planning requirements, refer to the Excursions policy.

Emergency management planning must consider the needs of students and staff who may require additional assistance during an emergency.

The EMP must be developed and maintained by an Emergency Planning Committee using the Online EMP Portal (staff login required), refer to the Guidance tab of this policy.

The EMP must be reviewed and approved by the principal at least annually by 1 September of each year and after any significant incident.

A school’s EMP must include:

• a risk assessment undertaken in accordance with the department’s Risk Management – Schools policy. Mandatory risks are specified in the Guidance tab
• planning for termly drills including dates and completion records
• an Emergency Control Organisation (formerly called an Incident Management Team) to lead and manage the response to an emergency or critical incident. The plan must detail the responsibilities of ECO members before, during and after an emergency. Refer to the Guidance tab for additional information on the ECO including roles and responsibilities
• core and specific response procedures to respond to the site-specific risks and that detail required actions, including ECO tasks
• an area map, and evacuation diagrams which conforms with Australian Standard 3745-2010 to support evacuation procedures. Refer to the Buildings and Grounds Maintenance and Compliance policy for more details for Essential safety measure information regarding evacuation diagrams
• contacts and communication arrangements
• business continuity planning to ensure the safe continuity of education.

Schools on the Bushfire At-Risk Register and Category 4 List must complete additional planning activities including developing closure and/or relocation plans, refer to the Bushfire and Grassfire Preparedness policy for more information.

For detailed guidance on developing and maintaining an EMP, refer to the Guidance tab.

If a school is operating (as the service provider) an out-of-school-hours care (OSHC) or school holiday program, the school will also need to adhere to Emergency management requirements for early childhood services.

Planning for offsite emergencies (camps and excursions)

Schools must also consider emergency risks and warnings and monitor for changes to weather conditions and fire danger ratings when taking students offsite for excursions, overseas trips and camps.

Planning for all offsite activities must be undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the Excursions policy and guidelines.

Schools must use the Student Activity Locator (SAL) (staff login required) to record offsite activities at least five business days prior to the excursion date (and onsite activities outside of normal school hours). In the event of an emergency, the SAL enables swift notification of student locations to first responder agencies.

Mitigation and controls

Schools must implement actions and treatments to manage identified risks at their school, refer to the Risk Management – Schools policy.

A set of templated risk assessments that include mitigation measures and controls for mandatory and recommended risks are available on the EMP portal. Information about emergency management risk assessment requirements is provided in the Guidance tab.

As part of bushfire preparedness activities, all schools must ensure they safely store flammable materials and have a schedule for monitoring and removal of materials that may ignite. Schools must also ensure egress and emergency vehicle access to the site is maintained. Schools should refer to the following policies for guidance on these activities:

• Buildings and Grounds Maintenance and Compliance policy
• Chemical Management policy
• Tree and Vegetation Management policy
• Workplace Safety Inspections policy.

Drills

All schools must conduct emergency response exercises, also known as drills, at least once every term.

A drill schedule must be included in the school’s EMP. This scheduling ensures that all core response procedures are regularly practiced.

Schools must document their drill, undertake a post-drill debrief, identify any learnings from the drill and update their emergency plan as required. The department strongly recommends that a drill observer is identified and uses the drill observers and debrief template to complete these tasks.

Drills for schools on the Bushfire At-Risk Register

Schools on the Bushfire At-Risk Register (BARR) must conduct evacuation drills in Term 1 and Term 4 (during the high-risk weather season). Bushfire evacuation drills involve students and staff either moving to a nominated on-site ‘shelter-in-place’ or to an off-site evacuation point.

Inform your community

All schools must communicate key information about their emergency preparedness and response arrangements to staff, students, parents/carers and the broader school community. This includes information about the types of emergencies the school plans for, the emergency response procedures used by the school (such as evacuation, lockdown and shelter-in-place) and how the school will communicate with families during an emergency. Communication templates are available in the Resources tab of this policy to support schools with this activity.

Schools must not publicly publish their full emergency management plan (for example on their website) as it contains personal information such as contact numbers. Refer to the Emergency and critical incident management planning guide for government schools (PDF) for further guidance on informing the school community about the school EMP.

Bushfire At-Risk Register schools must also communicate their bushfire preparedness arrangements including the triggers for enacting relocation and/or closure plans to the school community. Refer to the Bushfire and Grassfire Preparedness policy and the Emergency and critical incident management planning guide for government schools (PDF).

Activating the EMP

In the case of an emergency or incident, all school principals (or their delegates including the Chief Warden) are authorised to enact their EMP.

Schools must receive approval from a delegate of the Minister of Education to temporarily close their school site as a result of an emergency. This power has been delegated to the Secretary, the Deputy Secretary, Schools and Regional Services, and regional directors. Please refer to the Managing and Reporting School incidents (including Emergencies): School evacuation and temporary closures guidance.

Closures or relocations that are undertaken by Bushfire-At-Risk Register schools or Category 4 schools as part of pre-emptive action in Bushfire and Grassfire preparedness policy do not require a separate approval for each activation. Refer to the Bushfire and Grassfire Preparedness policy for information on pre-emptive planning requirements and approvals processes.

Following an incident or emergency, consider the potential impact of the event on staff and students and provide wellbeing support where necessary. The Managing trauma guide (PDF) includes recovery tools, practical resources to help schools to act following an event, to minimise trauma for students, staff and the school community. Staff can also access the resources available through the Employee Wellbeing Support Services program.

After-action reviews

Schools may conduct an after-action review for any incident. This activity was previously called a ‘debrief’. The department recommends that an after-action review is undertaken for significant or critical incidents. Refer to the Managing and Reporting School Incidents (Including Emergencies) policy for incident review requirements.

The After-action review facilitator guide (DOCX) can be used to plan, conduct and document the review activity. When undertaking an after- action review, schools must document outcomes and lessons identified during the review, and incorporate any required changes into their EMP through the Emergency Planning Committee. It is recommended that after-action reviews are held as soon as practicable after the incident has been resolved.

Definitions

Emergency
As defined in section 3 of the Emergency Management Act 2013 (Vic.), an emergency is:

The actual or imminent occurrence of an event which in any way endangers or threatens to endanger the safety or health of any person in Victoria or which destroys or damages, or threatens to destroy or damage, any property in Victoria or endangers or threatens to endanger the environment or an element of the environment in Victoria including, without limiting the generality of the foregoing:

• an earthquake, flood, wind-storm or other natural event
• a fire
• an explosion
• a road accident or any other accident
• a plague or an epidemic or contamination
• a warlike act or act of terrorism, whether directed at Victoria or a part of Victoria or at any other State or Territory of the Commonwealth
• a hi-jack, siege or riot
• a disruption to an essential service.

These events ordinarily require a coordinated whole of school response.

Emergency Control Organisation
The Emergency Control Organisation is the team responsible for implementing emergency response procedures within the school. This was previously called an Incident Management Team (IMT). A school ECO must include a Chief Warden.

Emergency Planning Committee
The Emergency Planning Committee (EPC) is responsible for developing and maintaining the school’s Emergency Management Plan. The EPC must have at least 2 members

Incident
Refer to the Managing and Reporting School Incidents (Including Emergencies) policy for incident types and definitions.

Related policies

• Bushfire and Grassfire Preparedness
• Chemical Management
• Crime Prevention in Schools
• Excursions
• Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Management in Schools
• Physical Security
• PROTECT Child Safe Standards
• Reporting and Managing School Incidents (including emergencies)
• Risk Management – Schools
• Supervision of Students
• Workplace Safety Inspections

Related legislation

• Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic)
• Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (Cth)
• Emergency Management Act 1986 (Vic)
• Emergency Management Act 2013 (Vic)
• Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic)

Contacts

For general queries or feedback about this policy, contact the Security and Emergency Management Division by emailing: emergency.management@education.vic.gov.au.

For support in developing or updating an EMP, refer to the Guidance tab.

To report an incident, refer to Managing and Reporting School Incidents (Including Emergencies).

For incidents assessed as High or Extreme, the principal (or delegate) must call the Incident Support and Operations Centre (ISOC) on 1800 126 126.