Mission:

The Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Project is a collaborative effort to build crisis awareness and emergency response capacity with the 25 Public, 107 Private and Parochial Schools in Middlesex County New Jersey.   We are committed to working with schools, local agencies and community residents to provide training and technical assistance that will prevent or minimize the impact of emergencies and to maximize the effectiveness of schools’ responses to inevitable events.

 Goals of the Project are:

1. Increase school staff training in emergency response procedures
2. Increase the skills and outcomes of crisis teams
3. Increase the number and type of precautionary drills and tabletop exercises
4. Increase the schools’ ability to restore the learning environment and recovery after a crisis
5. Increase skills to review and improve school safety and security plans
6. Improve communication skills and partnerships to support school districts during and after a crisis.

Emergency Management:  “Emergency management” means the coordination and implementation of an organized effort to address the four phases of emergency planning:  Mitigation/Prevention, Preparedness, Response and Recovery. Schools’ Emergency management plans should encompass all hazards and be frequently updated. 

 Mitigation/Prevention:  Hazard mitigation is a sustained action taken to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to people and their property from hazards and their effects. (Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

 Preparedness:  The state of being ready for action through cooperative planning with key stakeholders to facilitate a rapid, coordinated and effective response when an event occurs in schools

 Response:  The activation of the command structure within the schools for responding to emergencies and linking with the command structure in the community to identify and access appropriate emergency responders that will assist victims of the disaster.

 Recovery:  The act of returning the schools to pre-existing conditions and to a normal or improved learning environment after a disaster and providing supportive services to students, families and staff to reduce the likelihood of secondary damage.