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Do You Know What To do?
Information on drills at Lindbergh High School from Dr. Brown
Savannah Millheim | Staff Writer
Safety drills. Natural disaster drills. These are common practices in high school’s these days, but why are they so important? Drills are in place to make sure people know exactly what to do when there is any sort of emergency. Where to go, who to talk to and what to do are all questions people might have should an emergency happen. With that in mind, Lindbergh prioritizes students’ safety. The district just hired a new director of safety, Randy Gimerson. Part of Gimerson’s role is to meet with Assistant Principal Dr. Brown to discuss safety drills and if they can be improved to maximize safety within the school district.
“Anytime we find a new way to keep people safe we will use it because safety is a priority at Lindbergh,” said Dr. Jason Brown (assistant principal). According to Brown, these meetings will result in updates to safety drills and procedures for students and staff, but Dr. Brown shared information about the district’s current emergency policies.
What Drills do Lindbergh have in place?
Dr. Brown said Lindbergh currently has three different types of safety drills for students. The first: Evacuation. Evacuation is where staff and students should find the safest way out of the building when necessary. The second: tabletop drills. Tabletop drills focus on what students and staff can do within the classroom, examples being intruder (lockdown) and earthquake drills. The last of the drills would be a combination of the two in which students might need to leave the classroom, but stay in the school.
Why is it important to practice drills?
“You always go back to what you’re trained how to do,” said Dr. Brown, emphasizing the importance of practicing safety drills. When put in a stressful situation, the brain triggers a physiological response: flight or fight. Practicing what to do when there is an emergency helps the brain stay calm when deciding what to do and what the best course of action may be in an emergency.
“Some might say you either rise to the occasion or fall to your level of training,” Dr. Brown said.
Practicing these drills ensures students know exactly where to go, who to talk to, and what to do during specific situations. The staff hopes that students can be confident in knowing what to do should an emergency happen.
What can students do to better educate themselves on Lindbergh’s Drills?
“A good place to start is to ask a teacher,” said Dr. Brown.
Making sure you know what route to take during an evacuation drill for every class, and even an extra is something Dr. Brown is highly encouraged. However, English Department Chair, Matthew Griner pointed out the fear of emergency situations can have a profound impact on students' mental health.
“Student safety is important to me because we have a responsibility to care for our students and provide a safe learning environment for them. Sometimes that means protecting them from common typical dangers like fires, and weather-related things. But also from potential harm, you know mental health issues.”
Matthew Griner (English Department).
It is important that everyone in the school has a plan in every class for a tabletop drill like a lockdown or earthquake. Using all resources in the classroom ranging from desks and chairs to window blinds can make a huge difference during an emergency.
