PRESS RELEASE FROM THE OFFICE OF CHEROKEE COUNTY EMA DIRECTOR SHAWN ROGERS

The Future For Our Schools When It Comes to Safety

The most recent School Safety Committee meeting was held on August 7, 2018 with numerous Law Enforcement Officers, Emergency Management Personnel, School Administrators, Elected Officials, and concerned parents in attendance to discuss the ever-growing need for School Resource Officers. Cherokee County EMA Director Shawn Rogers was one of the guest speakers at this month’s meeting. Director Rogers discussed the need for School Resource Officers along with many other topics to include High Quality School Safety Emergency Operations Plans, the need for county-wide training with educators so they will know what to expect if an incident does happen, and why we plan and prepare for events even if they’ve never happened before.

A few examples Director Rogers used were “why does each school want and need tornado shelters? Statistically speaking, a tornado has never hit one of our schools. Why do we have fire alarms and practice fire drills? A fire has never caused an injury or death in one of our schools. So why the need for these safety measures?” Director Rogers explained, “it’s very simple. If there is a possibility that a tornado or fire could occur, we have to plan and practice our plan to make sure they are effective to ensure we know what we are doing in case it does happen. It’s the same with School Resource Officers. Sure its never happened here but that’s not to say that it won’t. You can pull statistics all you want and they look good on paper but when something happens and you become the statistic then statistics become useless. You have to plan and prepare for which statistic you want to be. A good statistic or a bad statistic. That’s really what it boils down to, Director Rogers stated. We have to plan and prepare for the possibility that it could. We have to train for incidents with the mindset of it is going to happen and we have to be ready for it. Just like the fire and tornado drills are practiced”. Director Rogers also explained to those in attendance what the Emergency Management Agency’s roles and responsibilities are when it comes to these type of incidents.

The Cherokee County Emergency Management Agency develops and maintains plans for all threats and hazards. Whether it be the ever so often severe thunderstorm or a terrorist attack. EMA plans for those and everything in between. We then have to prepare for all of those threats and hazards by organizing, conducting, and participating in training. Training can range from local county-wide training to training exercises with state and federal agencies. Training never stops. Planning and preparing are the proactive steps we take to make sure when something does happen we have plans in place and we have practiced those plans . Director Rogers explains that the next two phases which are the response and recovery phases are the reactive phases. When something does happen we have to react to it and we do so by responding. Whether it be a boating accident on the lake or a hazardous materials incident in the middle of Centre, we react to those by responding to the incident and making sure everyone gets the appropriate medical attention or we take the correct actions to protect and preserve life and property. The recovery phase is the last phase of any disaster or emergency. After the response has taken place first responders, county and municipal leaders, those affected, and the community begin the recovery phase by picking up the pieces and putting everything back together so everyday life can return to as close to normal as possible. Director Rogers says it’s a process but with everyone working together it can happen.

So where does School Resource Officers fall into this cycle? The answer is the planning and preparedness phases. School Resource Officers are a proactive step to prevent, deter, reduce, and address issues before they become an emergency situation. The school becomes their workplace and if something is out of place or someone is acting suspicious they are more susceptible to recognize this, thus being able to possibly prevent something bad from happening. A School Resource Officer becomes a mentor and someone the children are familiar with. They become someone the children learn to interact with. In the event an emergency does happen the School Resource Officer becomes the first responder who is already on-scene to provide the best and most accurate information possible to the other responding units. They are familiar with the school’s plans and they know what to expect from the students, faculty, and staff. Whether it be a fire, tornado, hazardous materials incident, earthquake, active shooter incident, or anything else School Resource Officers possess specialized training to deal with those type situations while keeping the students, educators, and administrators as safe as possible.

Cherokee County needs School Resource Officers in our schools every day. It’s an investment that will pay off in the future.