Emergency preparation in schools: A snapshot of a rural state

Objective: To study emergency preparedness in public schools in a rural sta te. Method: Questionnaires were mailed to school nurses registered with the Sta te Department of Education. Data collected included school nurse and staff training, school location, emergency equipment available, and Emergency Med ical Service (EMS) access. Results: Seventy-two percent of the surveys were returned after one or two mailings. They report little emergency training for both school nurses and school staff. Emergency equipment available varies widely: oxygen 20%, arti ficial airways 30%, cervical collars 22%, splints 69%. Equipment was more l ikely to be available in communities with populations of less than 200,000. Sixty-seven percent of schools activate EMS for a student and 37% for an a dult annually. Eighty-four percent of schools have a less than 10-minute EM S response time. Conclusions: EMS activation to schools is a common occurrence. Schools are ill prepared to care for this acuity of student or staff as assessed by equ ipment and emergency training. Schools in smaller communities, however, are better prepared for emergencies.