Crane Middle School holds mock disaster drill

In case of emergencies, the first line of response always is to get people as far away as quickly as possible from any threat, which was the guiding light behind Crane Middle School's evacuation drill Tuesday.

While many were in preparation for a long holiday break, emergency preparedness can never rest, noted Chris Weigel, Crane communications director. Taking advantage of ideal weather, Crane organized 519 students and their parents in a critical safety rehearsal in the event of an actual disaster, Weigel said.

Crane Middle School students boarded buses at noon that took them to their reunification site at Ray Kroc Stadium. Also assisting were 20 Crane District office staff as well as the Yuma Police Department, Yuma Fire Department and Yuma Civic Center staff.

This was the first safety exercise of its kind that included the evacuation, relocation and reunification of students and their parents who were fine-tuning their skills to confront possible emergencies, Weigel said.

"I think it went extremely well - the student demeanor was exceptional and parent participation was critical to success of this event."

It was a year and a half ago that Weigel submitted an application for a Readiness and Emergency Management grant from the Department of Education.

Recently he secured $128,000 that allowed him to purchase emergency supplies that includes a five-gallon "go kit" now installed in all 10 Crane schools. The go kits have, among other vital supplies, first aid kits to serve critical needs in a lock-down situation.

Weigel also praised the efforts of administrators who performed above and beyond duty in organizing the evacuation, including Laurie Doering, Crane Middle School principal, and assistant principals Neil Johnson and Norine Bowers.

"They did a phenomenal job of organizing and implementing the plan. This is a big deal for us and I think we're making it safer for our kids."

Doering, the incident commander, said staff has two major roles in education. The first is assuring the safety of students and the second is providing quality education.

"We see the drill as a learning experience where afterwards we do a debriefing to make any necessary changes. And we especially appreciate the participa- tion of all the parents who took time from the middle of their day."

Johnson, operations commander, noted though speed was at the core of the exercise, it was not nearly important as accuracy, making sure all participants were accounted for and reunited with proper parents or guardians.

"I think the drill went very smoothly," said Johnson. "We allowed for a lot of adaptability. But we still had to make adjustments moving people around to areas of most need."

Aaron Swisher, 14, an eighth-grade student, said the exercise taught them how to remain calm in a tense situation.

"They explained it very well. The drill was totally worth it and in a real emergency, we'll be way better prepared."

Waiting patiently for Aaron was his grandmother, Karen Starkey, who said she was impressed with the turnout of all the parents and that the drill's preparation was terrific.

"It seems very orderly and organized and that makes me feel more secure. I thought with all these kids, it would take quite awhile but it went so quickly. So when you're thinking about your own child, this drill is reassuring it moves so promptly because in a real emergency you want to get back with your child right away."