EdNews Parent Backgrounder
The term first responder refers to the professionals who are first to arrive in a crisis situation. Typically, these are firefighters, law enforcement officers and paramedics. It is important that schools and first responders are on the same page when it comes to preparing for safety incidents to prevent confusion and to ensure that problems are contained as quickly as possible.
In 2005, all Colorado public schools were required to implement a program for incident management called the National Incident Management System. This system ensures that first responders and school staff will be able to work together more smoothly in the case of a safety incident (to read more about NIMS click here).
– Laura Hampton
About our First Person series:
First Person is where Chalkbeat features personal essays by educators, students, parents, and others trying to improve public education. Read our submission guidelines here.