SRT on School Safety

In the Summer of 2003, the Center for Unconventional Security Affairs convened a special research team (SRT) to examine school safety in Orange County. The team included Richard Matthew, UCI associate professor and director of CUSA; the coordinator for the Orange County Department of Education’s Crisis Response Network; local first response providers and business community members. The team developed a theoretical model of a school crisis incident and used specially designed software to map out the process of events. They focused on the considerable period of vulnerability for schools between the occurrence of an incident and the arrival of law enforcement and fire and medical responders. Results from this research were presented at a UCIthink community forum on January 12, 2004, and included recommendations for better preparing schools’ crisis response teams to handle this and other types of incidents. Presentations also focused on existing resources available to help schools as they prepare for crises. Publication of the results of this SRT are forthcoming.

Visit the website for the UCIthink.community Forum: Are Schools as Safe as They Should Be?

Members

Arthur A. Cummins, M.Ed.
Coordinator, Crisis Response Network, Orange County Department of Education

Elizabeth Delgado
Research Assistant, Center for Unconventional Security Affairs

Daniel A. Drake
Battalion Chief, Emergency Planning & Coordination Section, Orange County Fire Authority

Terre Duensing
Assistant Manger, Emergency Management, Orange County Sheriff-Coroner Department

Mark Mansfield
Senior Partner, Kappa West

Richard Matthew, PhD
Director, Center for Unconventional Security Affairs

Stephen Marlow
Executive Vice President, Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc.

Bryan McDonald, MA
Assistant Director, Center for Unconventional Security Affairs

Alon Stivi
President and founder of Direct Measures Inc.

Ronald T. Williams
President and CEO, Talon Executive Services, Inc.; U.S. Secret Service, ret.

Catherine Zurn
Captain, Operations Support Division, Orange County Sheriff-Coroner Department

Resources and Links

American Academy of Pediatrics

American Psychological Association Help Center

American Red Cross School Safety Initiative

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Response Association

Education World

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

National Education Association

National School Safety Center

Orange County Sheriff's Department

Orange County Department of Education Emergency Preparedness

U.S. Department of Education