FEMA adds school shootings to disaster plans

Oatka · May 12, 2000, 08:22 PM

http://www.newsday.com/ap/topnews/ap882.htm

Feds Plan for School Shootings
by JEFF DONN
Associated Press Writer

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) -- Federal emergency managers added another potential disaster Friday to their long list of worries: school mass shootings.

Officials of the Federal Emergency Management Agency told about 250 educators, police, mayors and others to prepare for gunfire as they do for earthquakes, hurricanes and other natural disasters.

''We live in a society where you never know what's going to happen,'' said Setti Warren, the agency's New England director. ''We should be as prepared as we can, and our children should be as prepared as they can.''

The agency offered a glimpse of a new safety program for schools during a one-day conference at Worcester State College. The participants were from about 35 communities around New England.

The basic elements of the federal plan for violence are similar to planning for other disasters, FEMA officials said. School and community leaders are encouraged to think out such contingencies as who must be called, who will play what role, and where children will go. They are encouraged to train not just teachers and other adults, but the pupils as well, in emergency procedures.

However, Peggy Stahl, a FEMA community trainer, said school violence calls for some special preparations, too. She said staff and pupils can be taught some of the warning signs of impending violence. She said school officials also need to be ready for police and investigators to treat the area as a crime scene.

Some states require general emergency programs in schools. But the federal government does not, so FEMA can only recommend the procedures to schools.

Participants at the conference warned that no school in any community is immune to the possibility of violence. Brandi Varner, 15, of Jonesboro, Ark., who lost her 11-year-old sister in the 1998 shooting that killed five in her school, said her mother used to worry about her little sister getting hurt in sports.

''Never did Mom tell her to watch for the boy sitting next to her with a gun. Nobody thought that, because it always happens in a big city,'' she told the conference.

Last year, two students in Littleton, Colo., killed 12 students and a teacher before committing suicide inside Columbine High School.

Still, researchers say, given the handful of school mass shootings in a typical year, the statistical danger to a given child is tiny compared to many other hazards.

Some conference participants were skeptical about the effectiveness of planning, pointing out that such violence often breaks out without any warning.

''It's so unpredictable. You never know how, when, who, what,'' said Janet Perez-Vergne, a social worker at Springfield's Milton Bradley elementary school. ''My guess is even if we have an emergency plan, it is not going to go accordingly.''

Copyright © Associated Press.

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The New World Order has a Third Reich odor.

Jon K · May 13, 2000, 02:23 AM

FEMA is a joke. A joke with alot of power. They spend most of their money on building hardened shelters for their employees.
It would behove you to look up for yourselves and see just how much power FEMA has in a situation when given the green light by the president. They are given far more power than they should be, and are a danger to all freedom loving americans.

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May 12, 2000, 08:22 PM	#1
Oatka Senior Member Join Date: February 28, 1999 Location: Nevada Posts: 3,076	http://www.newsday.com/ap/topnews/ap882.htm Feds Plan for School Shootings by JEFF DONN Associated Press Writer WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) -- Federal emergency managers added another potential disaster Friday to their long list of worries: school mass shootings. Officials of the Federal Emergency Management Agency told about 250 educators, police, mayors and others to prepare for gunfire as they do for earthquakes, hurricanes and other natural disasters. ''We live in a society where you never know what's going to happen,'' said Setti Warren, the agency's New England director. ''We should be as prepared as we can, and our children should be as prepared as they can.'' The agency offered a glimpse of a new safety program for schools during a one-day conference at Worcester State College. The participants were from about 35 communities around New England. The basic elements of the federal plan for violence are similar to planning for other disasters, FEMA officials said. School and community leaders are encouraged to think out such contingencies as who must be called, who will play what role, and where children will go. They are encouraged to train not just teachers and other adults, but the pupils as well, in emergency procedures. However, Peggy Stahl, a FEMA community trainer, said school violence calls for some special preparations, too. She said staff and pupils can be taught some of the warning signs of impending violence. She said school officials also need to be ready for police and investigators to treat the area as a crime scene. Some states require general emergency programs in schools. But the federal government does not, so FEMA can only recommend the procedures to schools. Participants at the conference warned that no school in any community is immune to the possibility of violence. Brandi Varner, 15, of Jonesboro, Ark., who lost her 11-year-old sister in the 1998 shooting that killed five in her school, said her mother used to worry about her little sister getting hurt in sports. ''Never did Mom tell her to watch for the boy sitting next to her with a gun. Nobody thought that, because it always happens in a big city,'' she told the conference. Last year, two students in Littleton, Colo., killed 12 students and a teacher before committing suicide inside Columbine High School. Still, researchers say, given the handful of school mass shootings in a typical year, the statistical danger to a given child is tiny compared to many other hazards. Some conference participants were skeptical about the effectiveness of planning, pointing out that such violence often breaks out without any warning. ''It's so unpredictable. You never know how, when, who, what,'' said Janet Perez-Vergne, a social worker at Springfield's Milton Bradley elementary school. ''My guess is even if we have an emergency plan, it is not going to go accordingly.'' Copyright © Associated Press. ------------------ The New World Order has a Third Reich odor.

May 13, 2000, 02:23 AM	#2
Jon K Member Join Date: April 20, 2000 Location: Driggs, Idaho Posts: 74	FEMA is a joke. A joke with alot of power. They spend most of their money on building hardened shelters for their employees. It would behove you to look up for yourselves and see just how much power FEMA has in a situation when given the green light by the president. They are given far more power than they should be, and are a danger to all freedom loving americans. ------------------ NRA MEMBER? GREAT, NOW JOIN GUN OWNERS OF AMERICA