June 2019 - Parks & Recreation - 91

area, as well as those who live or
work nearby and may be heading
toward the scene.

Encourage Emergency
Notification Sign-ups
Work with your public safety office to encourage citizens to sign
up for your emergency notification system. Together, you can
expand the reach of sign-up reminder education and increase
the number of citizen subscribers.
Include a sign-up link in all facility
registration materials and educate
citizens, especially parents, about
the importance of receiving emergency notifications if an emergency unfolds in your public areas or
during a community event.

Prepare to Provide Details
to Emergency Responders

Hold Regular Active
Shooter Drills

Make sure all coaches, facility supervisors and public park staff know
who to contact in the event of an active-shooter event. Personnel should
first ensure they are in a safe location
and should then call 911 and provide
as much detail as possible, including:
* The location and number of
shooters
* A detailed description of the
shooter(s)
* Their current location
* A description of the events that
are occurring
* The number and types of weapons used
* The number of people in the impacted area
* Any actions taken
By sharing this information
with all employees during required safety training seminars,
you maximize the opportunity for
a life-saving phone call to quickly
reach emergency responders.

Coordinate an active shooter
drill with your local law enforcement to allow staff to practice the
safety precautions and responses
outlined in your emergency response plan. Like a fire drill, an
unexpected active-shooter drill
will test employees' recollection
of the safety skills they learned
and will be an impactful way to
recall safety measures in the event
of an actual emergency. Involving
citizens so they can also become
familiar with the steps needed to
take cover and safely evacuate in
a dangerous situation.

Final Advice
No community can predict a
mass-casualty event, but every
community should be prepared
for one. By developing an emergency communication plan you
hope never to use, you can confidently focus on delivering en-

gaging, educational and valuable
public events, activities, leagues
and classes to citizens, so they
can safely take part in your community offerings.

Additional Resources
For more information and expert
guidance on how to protect your
community from an active shooter,
visit the resources below:
U.S. Department of Homeland
Security Active Shooter: How to
Respond (www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/
assets/active_shooter_booklet.pdf)
Ready.gov Active Shooter
Guidance (www.ready.gov/
active-shooter)
FEMA Active Shooter Training
(https://training.fema.gov/is/
courseoverview.aspx?code=is-907)

Jennifer Elliott is the Product Marketing Manager for CivicRec®
and CivicReady®, both part of the CivicPlus® (jelliott@civicplus.
com). @CivicRec_CP

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June 2019 - Parks & Recreation

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