SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - San Diego County officials announced a new plan Wednesday to help keep local schools safe during wildfire emergencies.
The county’s School Protection and Evacuation Plan (SPEP) goes beyond the state’s requirement that schools have a safety plan for emergencies in place.
The SPEP is an addendum to a school’s existing safety plan, specific to preparing for wildfires.
The scenario officials hope to avoid with this plan is one in which a school is threatened by wildfire, and hundreds -- even thousands -- of parents arrive to pick up their children, clogging roads that emergency personnel need to use to fight the fire.
The first phase of implementation at schools throughout the county is a site walk-through with emergency personnel to identify and lay out a plan to protect lives, property, and significant infrastructure.
It’s a joint effort by the San Diego County Office of Education, the County Office of Emergency Services, fire and law enforcement agencies.
The SPEP template can be found at www.readysandiego.org under the “schools” tab.
