ducted an overall hazard analysis. The results showed that
New Hampshire is vulnerable to all technological and natural hazards except for one--the state has no active volcanoes.
We found that all natural hazards, like earthquakes, can
cause considerable damage but occur infrequently~so infre-
Drop, Cover, and Hold" How A Moderate
Earthquake-hazard State Implemented
Earthquake Preparedness in Schools
seriously and to aid them in the development of emergency
response plans.
Rather than focus on just the earthquake threat, we conducted an overall hazard analysis. The results showed that
New Hampshire is vulnerable to all technological and natuDrop, cover, and hold drills are an easy sell in high earthral hazards except for onemthe state has no active volcanoes.
quake-hazard areas such as California and the Pacific NorthWe found that all natural hazards, like earthquakes, can
west. School administrators and staff have few problems
cause considerable damage but occur infrequently~so infrededicating time and resources preparing for earthquakes
quently, in fact, that people forget they can happen here or
because everyone understands that earthquakes are a real and
how destructive they can be.
daily threat. But how does a state with moderate earthquake
New Hampshire has had and will have California-sized
hazard get schools to start preparing for the next "big one"
earthquakes (the largest, which occurred in 1638, is estiwithout sounding like Chicken Little?
mated to have had a magnitude of
In 1990 the New Hampshire
6.5), but those quakes don't have
Office of Emergency Management
anywhere near the frequency as they
[Hlow does a state with
(NHOEM) joined the other New
do in California. Likewise, the largEngland states in becoming part of
moderate earthquake hazard
est tornado reported to have struck
the National Earthquake Hazard
New Hampshire had a reported
get schools to start preparing
Reduction Program (NEHRP). We
path a half-mile wide and fifty miles
for the next "big one" without
set about learning all we could
long. It killed six people and left
about earthquakes. We studied the
hundreds homeless. But that was in
sounding like Chicken Little?
science, history, impact on build1821. Tornadoes of that intensity
ings and the infrastructure, and
are rare in New Hampshire,
how to mitigate and prepare for them, and, probably most
although they are nearly an annual occurrence for states
importantly, convinced ourselves that earthquakes do pose a
located in Tornado Alley. Rather than dwelling on the low
major risk to our own states and to New England as a region.
probability of the occurrence of a particular natural disaster,
We were greatly aided in this process by the staff of the New
we simply state that in New Hampshire we sufferfrom low-freEngland Seismic Network, the New England States Earthquency-high-risk events.
quake Consortium, and the Federal Emergency ManageBut the question remained: How do we prepare our
ment Agency (FEMA).
schools to respond to almost any hazard?
Once the earthquake hazards and risks to our area were
In our first attempt we developed planning guidelines
understood, we set out to accomplish as many of the goals
for schools that would cover all hazards. This effort met with
set forth by NEHRP as possible. I believe most of us slowly
very limited success. We found that school administrators
came to the realization that nothing could be done if people
had no idea how to develop an emergency response plan.
weren't convinced of the risk. At NHOEM we focused part
Few involved local emergency responders, such as police and
of our attention on an outreach program to educate the pubfire fighters, in developing a plan. Many school officials simlic and key professionals such as emergency responders, engiply gave the computer disk we provided as an outline to a
neers, building code officials, and educators. We joined with
secretary and had her fill in the blanks. The school could say
the NH Association of Broadcasters to reach the general
that it had a plan, but it probably would not work in a real
public with earthquake public service announcements
emergency. Even fire drillsmthe only type of emergency
broadcast on all New Hampshire radio stations.
exercise that school staff and students were familiar w i t h ~
One of the goals of NEHRP is to get earthquake planwere not done properly. Staff did not take attendance followning and drills included in school emergency response plans.
ing evacuation of the building. There was typically no proviThis proved to be impossible. Not only were earthquakes not
sion for cold-weather evacuation, and few schools had
included in school emergency plans, none of the schools
designated an off-site building where evacuated students
contacted had any emergency plans at all. This fact was, and
would be taken in an emergency. And, though recomis, of great concern to NHOEM. It was obvious that more
mended, none of the schools practiced drop, cover, and hold
effort was needed to get schools to take emergency planning
drills.
Seismological ResearchLetters Volume72, Number5 September/October2001 499
We reassessed the program and developed some basic
understandings:
Drop, Cover, and Hold." protection from falling objects and
any other perceived threat.
1. The education of our children is the primary responsiThis is a true all hazards approach to school emergency planbility of school personnel.
ning. With these five drills, school personnel are able to react
2. Emergency personnel are duty-bound to aid schools in
and respond to any hazard by utilizing one or a combination
emergency planning.
of them. They are also user-friendly and can be put into
3. The plan must cover all hazards.
effect easily. Many organizations have produced "flipcharts"
4. The plan must be user-friendly and created by the team
for teachers that cover everything from a broken leg to a terthat will use it.
rorist attack and are usually long and
5. During emergencies school percomplex. In New Hampshire we
sonnel are emergency responders.
decided that it was much more imporOur efforts to prepare New
6. Everyone (including students and
tant to give school personnel and stuHampshire schools better
parents) must know his role in
dents the ability to respond instantly
advance.
for earthquakes yielded
without having to look up what to do.
7. Roles and procedures are tested
For example, the first warning a
much more than we
and refined through drills and
teacher may have of a tornado strike in
anticipated. What started
exercises.
New Hampshire may be looking out a
window
and seeing pine trees flying
as an exclusive focus on
For course materials, we adapted
through the air. This scenario does not
earthquakes broadened
the Federal Emergency Management
leave any time to look through a flipAgency's Multi-Hazards Emergency
chart. Instead the teacher gives the
into a comprehensive allPlanning for Schools course materials to
drop command. As with an earthhazards approach to
reflect New Hampshire situations. The
quake the students (and teacher) drop
emergency planning.
backbone of this material is the Inciunder their desks. After the danger has
dent Command System (ICS). ICS is a
passed, an assessment is done of dammethod of managing emergency situaages and injuries. Based on these findtions, utilized internationally by emergency responders. By
ings the next step could be any action, from an evacuation
instituting a simplified ICS format school officials are able to
(on- or off-site) to nothing at all. The same response would
exercise effective command and control, and increase coordibe used for an earthquake. That same teacher could see
nation with outside organizations involved in an emergency
someone walk onto school property with a firearm. The
response.
response in that situation would be pretty much the same.
The use oflCS addressed one important aspect of emerThe teacher would give the drop command to protect the
gency response, but we were still concerned with how the
students, but in this case the teacher would also notify the
school staff would protect students and themselves during
office of an intruder on campus and go into lockdown.
the first critical moments of an emergency.
We cannot expect school personnel to spend many
The state fire marshal initiated a key development sevhours in practicing procedures. The drop, lockdown, and
eral years ago by changing the fire drill regulations to encourshelter in place drills do not have to be practiced by the
age the implementation of other types of drills. Schools were
whole school at the same time. We recommend that teachers
required to complete ten fire drills a year. The change allows
practice these with each of their classes. They can be accomthem, with the permission of the local fire chief, to replace
plished anytime the class has a spare moment. With this
two of these drills with drills that address other types of
approach emergency drills don't cut into class time. The
emergencies. We recommend five types of drills that schools
reverse evacuation drill can be practiced just before the norcan use to respond to any emergency:
mal end of recess or physical education, again to save time
and reduce complications. Only after the students and staff
Evacuation: get out if interior of building is not as safe as
are comfortable with them should drills be held involving
outside;
the entire school.
Flexibility is one of the keys to an effective response. We
Reverse Evacuation: go into the building if threat is perceived
cannot script emergencies, whether they are man-made or
outside of building;
natural. The next emergency is never going to be like the last
one. But with these five drills in place a school can respond
Shelter in Place: protection against a toxic plume (hazardous
to any hazard. For example, in the case of a shooter on cammaterial, radiological, or smoke);
pus, school personnel may utilize several of these drills at
once. Personnel close to the shooter may institute evacuation
Lockdown: protection from an intruder incident; and
and/or drop in order to protect personnel in or to clear the
kill zone, while others not in the immediate vicinity of the
500 SeismologicalResearchLetters Volume72, Number5 September/October2001
shooter may lock down. One elementary school in New
Hampshire called a lockdown when a teacher suffered a
heart attack in a hallway. Emergency medical personnel had
free access to the patient and no children were exposed to the
situation. The bottom line is that school personnel are given
the tools they need to protect the students and themselves
and have more confidence in handling dangerous situations.
It should be said that schools still are one of the safest
places for our children to be, but schools still have to be prepared for a variety of hazards. By instituting the Incident
Command System, school administrators have a key tool to
aid them in organizing, controlling, and coordinating the
school's response to any situation. By the adoption of the five
drills, school staff and students are given the tools to be able
to react immediately to any emergency. This basic approach
to school emergency planning will work anywhere, whether
a school is located in a high- or moderate-hazard location.
Of course, if a school is located in a high-hazard tornado or
earthquake zone, administrators will need to put more time
and effort into hazard-specific drills and exercises.
Our efforts to prepare New Hampshire schools better
for earthquakes yielded much more than we anticipated.
What started as an exclusive focus on earthquakes broadened
into a comprehensive all-hazards approach to emergency
planning. What started as an effort to introduce drop, cover,
and hold drills in schools led to teaching five different drills
that can be used to respond to any emergency. It also showed
how many schools lacked any effective emergency response
plan and helped to remedy that situation. Nine years after we
started, the project has been well worth the effort. And yes,
New Hampshire schools are better prepared for when the
next major earthquake strikes. El
GregoryB. Champlin
Natural Hazards Program Specialist
New Hampshire Office of EmergencyManagement
Seismological ResearchLetters Volume72,Number5 September/October2001 501