COURSE DESCRIPTIONS 

CORE COURSE (8 hours)

This one-day course is divided into five modules and is designed to teach attendees the basics of emergency management, planning, and response.

CC1 – Intro to NIMS and ICS

This module will familiarize school staff with the foundations of emergency management, including the National Incident Management System and the Incident Command System. Designed with school audiences in mind, this class adapts concepts originally intended for first responders and emergency managers for relevance within the school setting.

CC2 – Intro to Emergency Planning

This module is intended to help school and school system stakeholders begin drafting a high-quality emergency operations plan or to improve their own plan.  Concepts covered will include components of a plan, assembling a planning team, and basic risk assessment.

CC3 – Building Emergency Operations Plans

This module expands on the basics of planning by exploring the individual components of a high-quality EOP in depth.  Topics covered include: Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA), building functional annexes, building hazard-specific annexes.

CC4 – Intro to Training and Exercises

This module establishes the importance of building a school emergency training and exercise program and identifies best practices to do so.  Concepts explored will include training modalities,  exercise design, after action meetings, and the improvement planning to encompass exercise program management.

CC5 – Capstone Exercise

Participants will put their knowledge to the test with an engaging and dynamic emergency management scenario.

ELECTIVES (3.75 hours each)

These courses are available individually.  Each course covers ancillary considerations and special topics in school emergency management.  Successful completion of the GSEM Core Course is a prerequisite for enrollment.

EC – Emergency Communication

Participants will learn the basics of efficient internal and external emergency communications.  Topics covered will include drafting an effective communications annex, mass communications, social media, and Public Information Officer (PIO) best practices.

RR – Reunification and Recovery Planning

This course is designed to help participants design effective short- and long-term recovery plans including reunification and Continuity of Operations (COOP).

SN – Emergency Planning for Special Needs Populations

Developed in partnership with the Especially Safe taskforce.  Participants will receive information and tools to help them ensure that plans and training programs address the needs of special needs populations.

EA – Emergency Planning for Extracurricular Activities

This course will address the difficulties of planning for situations which take place off school grounds and/or after typical operating hours.