California Emergency Management for Schools: A Guide for Districts and Sites
Page 102
Six-Step Planning Process
When developing EOPs, we recommend following the six-step planning process
which involves working collaboratively with a team to determine the emergency
operation goals and objectives. Bring in district personnel (administrators,
faculty, classified staff, facility maintenance and transportation staff) and
community partners during the planning process for all aspects of plan
development, assessment, review, implementation, and maintenance. The
planning process is flexible and should be adapted based on the unique
characteristics of the school, district, and situation. The EOP should represent the
needs of the school community and families, the broader community, and first
responders. The six-step planning process is listed below:
1) Form a Collaborative Planning Team – The core planning team should
include representatives from across the school/institution to include those
that represent students and families, to the extent possible. Additional
team considerations should include individuals and organizations that
serve and represent the interests of students, site and district personnel,
and families with disabilities and others with access or functional needs, as
well as those from diverse racial, ethnic, linguistic, and religious
backgrounds, including international student populations, so that specific
concerns will be included from the early stages of planning.
2) Understand the Situation – Identifies possible threats and hazards, and
assesses the risk and vulnerabilities posed by those threats and hazards.
3) Determine Goals and Objectives – The planning team should develop
goals for addressing each threat or hazard; every goal should have
measurable objectives in support of each goal.
4) Develop the Plan (Identifying Courses of Action) – Planning team
develops courses of actions for accomplishing each of the objectives
identified. Courses of action should address what, who, when, where,
why, how for each threat, hazard, and function.
5) Prepare and Review the Plan – The planning team develops, drafts, and
finalizes the EOP that the command team will approve and implement.
6) Implement and Maintain the Plan – This step closes the loop in the
planning process and starting the planning cycle over again as planning
is a continuous process in which the planning team learns lessons, obtains
new information and updates their priorities.