title: Accountability and assessment of emergency drill performance at schools.
abstract: Many schools throughout the United States are mandated to hold drills, or operational exercises, to prepare for fires, earthquakes, violence, and other emergencies. However, drills have not been assessed for their effectiveness in improving preparedness at schools. This mixed-methods study measures the quantity and the quality of drills in an urban school district in Los Angeles. Compliance with California mandates was fair; most schools barely met requirements. Drills were not used as opportunities to improve procedures. Sites neither conducted any self-assessments nor made changes to procedures on the basis of performance. Suggestions include developing realistic simulated exercises, debriefing, and better school accountability for drills.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Injury Prevention Research Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. marizen-ramirez@uiowa.edu
authors.forename: Marizen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ramirez
authors.forename: Katrina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kubicek
authors.forename: Corinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Peek-Asa
authors.forename: Marleen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D000056:Accident Prevention / Q000379:methods*; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D004189:Disaster Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015141:Los Angeles; D008297:Male; D016544:Patient Simulation; D012574:Schools / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014218:Triage / Q000458:organization & administration; D014505:Urban Population