Emergency Response

Evergreen and Vancouver School Districts improve emergency response planning with Sheriff’s Office, Police and Fire Departments

Police, fire, and school agencies formed The Unified Area Command to better coordinate preparations and responses to emergencies. The Evergreen and Vancouver School Districts and public safety agencies share a strong understanding of the need and a commitment to work together.

The Unified Area Command works across school district and jurisdictional lines. Essentially, the plan puts trained people and their equipment in the right place at the right time. The long-term goal is to develop coordinated strategies for early identification of possible problems, to develop policies for early intervention and prevention, and to plan for effective response by emergency services and school district personnel in case of school related incident(s) which cross jurisdictional boundaries.

The Unified Area Command concentrates on emergency preparedness, prevention, and mitigation and is used for planned events such as graduations and proms. Training, and emergency and area command plans are in place, which are regional in nature as opposed to building and/or district specific. The Unified Area Command wants to instill a high degree of confidence in elected officials, teachers and parents, and the community, that public safety agencies are prepared and have a plan.

The Unified Area Command planners developed a procedure for notifying each other in emergencies and agree to schedule multi-agency emergency exercises.