Every so often, Guy Bliesner pulls together teachers and staff for scenario training. What if a school bus crashes? Or the power goes out on a snowy day? Or a kid goes into anaphylactic shock on the playground? As Analyst for the Idaho Office of School Safety and Security (IOSSS), he says tabletop exercises and other forms of scenario-based training are key to business continuity. For schools to keep functioning, people need to know what to do in an emergency, and they need to practice.
“Most schools, certainly in Idaho, do not have paid security staff. The reality is these guys are the first responders — and for many events, they are the only responders,” Bliesner says.