Want to share your commitment to school safety with your network and community? Participate in the REMS TA Center’s ongoing #SchoolSafetySelfie campaign by taking a “selfie” or photo of yourself or a group selfie with your school safety partners. Post it online for your school community, family and friends, and peers across the country to see all year long. Post your selfie along with our School Safety Selfie graphic that is downloadable from the REMS TA Center Creative Materials page to Twitter or the REMS TA Center Community of Practice.

Posting your selfie on Twitter will help you demonstrate to your followers and members of your school community that you support preparedness and are helping to promote a culture of preparedness. Be sure to use the hashtag #SchoolSafetySelfie and tag @remstacenter on Twitter so that the REMS TA Center can see your engagement. Make sure to follow us if you do not already, to receive the latest resources and information on emergency operations plan (EOP) development:

Posting your selfie on the REMS TA Center Community of Practice, which is a password-protected space, will help you connect and collaborate with practitioners from across the country who are also dedicated to EOP development. Our Community of Practice provides an opportunity for practitioners to share ideas, experiences, and lessons learned and engage with one another on emergency management planning. Register to join the Community of Practice today if you are not already a member.

EOPs are designed to help school and higher ed leaders, staff, faculty, and community partners understand their roles and responsibilities in the event a threat or hazard causes an emergency in the educational setting. Of all the EOP sections, the Functional Annexes that are integrated may be the most vital. Why? They outline key goals, objectives, and courses of action for cross-cutting functions and can apply to multiple types of emergency incidents. While the Basic Plan outlines the “Who,” “Where,” and “Why,” Functional Annexes help define the “How” and “What.”

There are a variety of emergency management functions that school and higher ed safety practitioners may need to plan for and train around to strengthen preparedness. This includes lockdown, shelter in place, communications and warning, family reunification, and continuity of operations. The goal is to understand how operational functions will be carried out and maintained in the event of an emergency and what courses of action each response team member will take based on the type of emergency. As EOPs are updated on a recurring basis, it is important to continually assess the school’s needs to determine whether there may be a need to prepare additional or different annexes.

This includes the first-ever training module for higher ed practitioners, which is featured within the REMS TA Center’s Specialized Training Package, as well as a Virtual Training by Request (VTBR). Both trainings focus on the recommended planning process outlined in the Guide for Developing High-Quality Emergency Operations Plans for Institutions of Higher Education and key considerations for creating, revising, or enhancing higher ed EOPs. Institutions of higher education (IHEs) and their community partners can utilize these trainings to help enhance their capacity and develop plans to prevent, protect, mitigate, respond, and recover from emergency incidents.

Download the new 60-minute training module Overview of the Six-Step Planning Process for Institutions of Higher Education and use its contents (presentation, instructions, resource list) to train your team and supplement your training program. Alternatively, practitioners can use the module as a self-paced independent learning opportunity.

Request that the REMS TA Center deliver the Developing Emergency Operations Plans (EOPs) IHE 101 Train-the-Educator VTBR to your campus community and partners. The REMS TA Center team and our cadre of highly qualified subject matter experts deliver this 2.5-hour virtual training to your site. To get started, review the eligibility requirements and submit a completed VTBR Host Application Form.

Preparedness takes participation from the whole community, including students and youth. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) maintains the Youth Preparedness Council (YPC) to engage youth from across the nation in preparedness-related activities. YPC members provide feedback, perspectives, and opinions to FEMA staff; attend an annual summit; and represent all 10 FEMA regions. The REMS TA Center fact sheet Building Youth Preparedness and School Safety Capacity by Integrating Educational Initiatives references how teens involved in YPCs support their families, school, and local communities. Meet the members that are currently serving on the YPC.

The YPC application period is now open until March 6. Eligible applicants are currently 8^th-, 9^th-, 10^th-, and 11^th-grade students who have participated in community activities, served in a leadership role, lived through a disaster and shared his or her experiences, and/or participated in a preparedness activity or training related to emergency preparedness. You are invited to spread the word and share this opportunity with youth in your state or locality. Find more information on the YPC, application instructions, member roles and responsibilities, and more online.

Last year, more than 2,500 practitioners in the field completed REMS TA Center online courses, which guide users on federally recommended information and processes for high-quality EOP development and related topics in comprehensive emergency management. Interested in learning more about how our online courses can supplement your emergency preparedness training program? Review the FAQs we have gathered for support and consider creating an online course account today.

What are the online courses? The REMS TA Center offers eight asynchronous virtual trainings on high-quality EOP development. Seven are for K-12 schools and school districts; one is for IHEs. Participants have the option to take notes and download job aids, checklists, and reference guides as they navigate through modules.

How do I sign up and get started? Create a profile using the online form. Once submitted, you will receive a confirmation email from info@remstacenter.org with your login credentials. If you cannot locate the email, check the spam folder. Then, use your credentials to log in and access the courses. Please note that your online course profile is a separate account from the REMS TA Center Community of Practice.

Is there a cost for these trainings? No, all REMS TA Center’s trainings, including our online courses, are offered at no cost. You can create a profile and immediately start taking courses for free!

Do all modules need to be completed in one sitting? No, online courses are self-paced and may be completed across multiple sessions. Your progress is saved automatically so that you can easily access the module or course page you visited when returning to the module. Previous modules and accompanying notes may be referenced at any time.

How and/or when do I receive a certificate of completion? Certificates of completion are available to print only after all modules are completed.

I can’t find my password; how do I find or reset it? First, check your email from info@remstacenter.org to find the latest generated password from the online course system. If you cannot locate it or the password doesn’t work, complete the Forgot Password? form. You will receive a new email with your new password.