Page 3 - School Planning & Management, September 2017

NEWS & VIEWS { FACILITIES | SECURITY | TECHNOLOGY | BUSINESS } New School Dedicated
>> Mary D. and F. Howard Walsh Elementary School recently held a grand opening. This new elementary school, serving students in kindergarten through
5th grade, will be the first Aledo ISD campus within the City of Fort Worth, and the first school located in the new Walsh development. A dedication ceremony was held on August 25th, the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year in this new state-of-the- art campus. The school was designed to promote professional staff development through teacher planning rooms, contain flexible learning spaces, and include ample outdoor learning opportunities through local parks and trails. This innovative 100,132-square-foot school will also feature a geothermal well system, collaborative break out spaces, and 30 standard classrooms. It was designed by VLK Architects. To read more, go to webspm.com/articles/2017/08/28/walsh-elementary.
Ask the Expert
This Month
Response Plans
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN EMERGENCY
RESPONSE AND
PRE-INCIDENT PLAN?
EMERGENCY SITUATIONS COME IN MANY
forms. While some are predictable (such as hurricanes and severe winter storms), others (such as tornadoes, active shooters, biohazard incidents) happen with little or no warning.
In any of those cases, excellent emergency response is critical to saving lives and property.
We are often asked, or find ourselves need- ing to clarify, the difference between an emer- gency response plan and a pre-incident plan. An emergency response plan defines the roles, responsibilities and procedures that need to go into effect during an emergency. It should include evacuation and lock-down procedures, as well as focus on communications processes both internally and with external parties. Regularly scheduled drills also are essential for optimum preparation.
The pre-incident plan (or pre-plan) is
a tool that centralizes all critical building
and property information required by first responders so they can act with knowledge. This should include site plans, floor plans, hazardous material details, locations of utility shut-offs and fire hydrants, geographical maps and other critical building and infrastructure details. Hosted either by property manage- ment or a municipal fire department, an up-to-date plan is essential to reduce the risk to occupants, responders and the property.
A digital pre-plan makes the information highly shareable between property manage- ment, first responders and mutual aid stations. This is critical if there are occupants with special needs, such students with cognitive
or developmental disabilities. Your pre-plan should supplement and complement any emergency response plan.
>> Len Karson is an account executive at RealView, LLC, developers of digital pre- incident plan technology. He can be reached at len.karson@realviewllc.com.
in Ft. Worth
EDspaces Conference and Expo 2017
EDspaces is the gathering place for architects, dealers, preK-12, colleges and universities, independent manufacturers’ representatives, exhibitors and corpora- tions to learn about trends and experi- ence the latest products and services to enhance student learning. It is organized
by the Education Market Association. If you’re planning education spaces for the future, this is the conference where you can get a year’s worth of CEU credits, training on new products, and network with the industry who’s who. Numerous education sessions, tours, and hands-on learning experiences have been devel- oped to meet your needs by architects of
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WEBINARS
Supporting Technology in Education with Structured Cabling —
To register, go to webspm.com/1710
30 Days to Healthy Schools at Lower Cost — To register, go to webspm.com/1711
NOW ON DEMAND
Safe & Secure Schools —
To register, go to webspm.com/1707
SEPTEMBER 2017 / SCHOOL PLANNING & MANAGEMENT 3