Emergency Procedures

What are your plans in the event of a:

BLIZZARD
Monitor the local radio station or television for closure information.
Notify parents to pick up children in the event the facility will be closing.
Ensure walkways are cleared of snow for parents leaving the facility.
Follow the power outage plan if needed.

BOMB THREAT
Check caller ID if available.
Signal to another staff member to call 9-1-1.

Before you hang up, get as much information as you can and write it down:
  Where is the bomb?
  When is it going to explode?
  What will cause the bomb to explode?
  What does the bomb look like?
  What kind of bomb is it?
  When did you place the bomb?

Note the following:
  The exact time of the call.
  The exact words of the caller
  Caller’s voice characteristics (tone, male/female, young/old, etc.)
  Background noise

Avoid touching any suspicious packages or objects (pipes, propane tanks, etc.).
Avoid running or anything that would cause vibrations in the building.
Avoid the use of cell phones and 2-way radios.
Evacuate if necessary for the safety of staff, children, volunteers, and visitors.
Calmly exit the building to the bank.

CHEMICAL SPILLS/HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
Contact Emergency Management or the Fire Department to find out what is already planned for the community.
Listen to the radio or television for information.

In-place sheltering:
To reduce air drawn in from outside, close the windows, vents, and fireplace dampers and turn off the A/C or heat and fans.
Keep a radio with you at all times.
Move to a sealed room. Close off all non-essential rooms such as storage areas, laundry rooms and unused rooms.
Seal gaps under doorways and windows with wet towels or plastic and duct tape.
Evacuate if told to do so.

Outdoors:
Stay upwind and uphill from the disaster.
Move at least a 1⁄2 a mile away or as far away as possible.

In a vehicle:
Get away from the accident site.
Close your windows and shut off vents.

EARTHQUAKE
In-place sheltering:
Quickly move away from windows, unsecured tall furniture, and heavy appliances.
Everyone DUCK, COVER, and HOLD.
  DUCK to the floor
  COVER your head and neck with your arms and take cover under heavy furniture or against an internal wall.
  HOLD ON to furniture if under it and hold the position until the shaking stops.
Keep calmly talking to the children until it is safe to move.
Do not attempt to run or attempt to leave the building while the shaking is occurring.

Outdoors:
Move to a clear area, far away from glass, brick, and power lines.
DUCK AND COVER.

After the earthquake:
Account for all children, staff, and visitors.
Check for injuries and administer first aid as necessary.
Call 9-1-1 for life-threatening emergencies.
Expect aftershocks.
Determine if an evacuation is necessary and if the outside areas are safe.
Escort the children to a designated meeting spot outside and account for all children, staff, and visitors.
If you smell gas or hear a hissing sound, shut off the main gas valve at the meter outside of the building. (This might require a tool like a wrench to shut the valve off.)
Monitor the radio for information and emergency instructions.
Do not use the phone except for emergency needs.
Remain outside of the building until it has been inspected for re-entry.

EMERGENCY MEDICAL CONDITIONS
Below are some examples of conditions that are considered serious medical emergencies requiring immediate medical care by a healthcare professional. Call an ambulance and then notify the child’s parent immediately for any of the following:

Semi-consciousness (able to arouse but extremely lethargic) or unusual confusion
Breathing difficulties include:
Rapid, noisy breathing (barking, gurgling, or severe wheezing)
Labored breathing (takes so much effort that the child cannot talk, cry, drink, or play)
Severe bleeding (cannot be controlled with direct pressure)
Unequal pupils
First-time seizure or seizure lasting more than 15 minutes in a child with a known seizure disorder
Injury that causes loss of consciousness
Neck or back injury
Continuous clear drainage from the nose or ears after a blow to the head
Non-injury-related severe headache, stiff neck, or neck pain when the head is moved
Hives that appear quickly and involve the face, lips, tongue, and neck
An ill child that continues to get worse quickly
An infant under the age of four months who has repeated forceful vomiting
Severe abdominal pain that causes the child to double up and scream
Abdominal pain without vomiting or diarrhea after a recent blow to the abdomen or hard fall
Possible broken bones, especially if the child shows symptoms of shock or the body part cannot be adequately splinted or immobilized for transport by the parent.

EVACUATION
Stay tuned to a radio or television for information on evacuation routes, temporary shelters, and procedures.
Follow the routes recommended by the authorities-shortcuts may not be safe. Leave at once.
Move children to a safe location, taking:
  Attendance sheets with emergency contact information
  First Aid Kit
  Emergency Medical release forms
Additional items:
  Necessary medications
  Cell phone
  Food, water, diapers
If safe to do so, search all areas of the building to ensure that no one is left behind.
Conduct a head count for all children, staff, volunteers, and visitors.

FIRE
Staff should be alerted to the emergency.
Evacuate the building to the post office in Burns, the Commerce Building in Pine Bluffs, 1705 Albany Avenue in Cheyenne.
Take the attendance sheets and emergency contact information.
If caught in smoke, have everyone crawl to the exit.
Pull clothing over your nose and mouth to reduce the amount of smoke you may inhale.
If clothes catch fire, STOP, DROP, AND ROLL.
Account for all staff and children immediately.
Call 9-1-1 from outside the building.
Do Not re-enter the building until cleared by the Fire Department.

INTRUDER/DANGEROUS PERSON
If a suspicious person or vehicle is at or near the center, monitor the situation carefully, communicate to other staff, and be ready to take action.
Immediately notify staff of the potentially dangerous individual.
Initiate the LOCKDOWN procedure.
Call 9-1-1 from a safe location.

If the person is in the building:
Try to isolate the person from the children and staff or keep the individual in one area.
Do not try to physically restrain or block the person.
Remain calm and polite; avoid confrontation.

If the children are outside:
If the dangerous person is outside; quickly gather the children, return to the center, and initiate lockdown procedures. If this is not possible, evacuate to the sheriff’s office or fire station.

If the dangerous person is in the center: 
Quickly gather children and evacuate.

If the children are inside:
Keep the children in the center and initiate the LOCKDOWN procedures.

LOCKDOWN
Lock outside doors and windows.
Close and secure interior doors.
Close any curtains or blinds.
Turn off the lights.
Keep everyone away from doors and windows. 
Stay out of sight, preferably sitting on the floor.
Account for all children. 
Read books to the children, or provide comforting items to keep them calm and as quiet as possible.
Call 9-1-1.
Remain in lockdown until the situation has been resolved.
Notify parents of the lockdown procedures and any drills that are performed.

MISSING OR ABDUCTED CHILD
Missing Child:
Search the program site, including all places a child may hide and nearby bodies of water.
Contact the parents to determine if the child is with the family.
Have the parent bring a current photo of the child.
Call 9-1-1 with:
  Child’s name and age.
  Address of the program.
  Physical description of the child.
  Description of the child’s clothing.
  Any medical condition the child may have.
  Time and location of when the child was last seen.
  The person whom the child was last seen with.
Continue to search the site and surrounding area for the child.
Contact Licensing.

Abducted Child:
CALL 9-1-1 with:
  Child’s name and age.
  Address of the program.
  Physical description of the child. (including a photo)
  Description of the child’s clothing.
  Any medical condition the child may have.
  Time and location of when the child was last seen.
  The person whom the child was last seen with.
  Parent’s contact information.
Contact the parents.
Contact Licensing.

Preventing child abductions:
Do not release a child to anyone without parental permission and photo ID.
Call 9-1-1 and report any suspicious individuals.
Encourage parents to advise you of custody disputes and provide a copy of court documents stating restraining orders.
Include the facility on the court order for additional protection.

POWER OUTAGE
Determine why the power is out.
If there is an electrical problem in the facility, take out the flashlights and prepare to contact parents if the power does not return promptly.

If severe weather caused the outage:
Take out flashlights. (Avoid using candles or any light source that has a flame.) 
Account for all children and staff.
Report the power outage to the power company.
DO NOT call 9-1-1 unless there is an emergency.
Turn off or disconnect any appliances, electrical equipment, or electronics that were in use at the time of the outage.
Leave one light on to indicate when the power returns.
Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed.
DO NOT use gas generators inside the facility or near open windows and doors.

If the weather is cold:
Ensure everyone is wearing several layers of warm clothing.
Have everyone move around to generate some heat.
NEVER use a heating source that requires a blower fan or exhaust fan to circulate heat.

If the weather is hot:
Move to the lower floors.
Remove excess layers of clothes.
Ensure everyone is receiving plenty of fluids.

SEVERE STORM/TORNADO
Be aware of any watches or warnings:
Storm watch: when a severe storm is possible.
Storm warning: when a severe storm is occurring, expected to occur within a matter of minutes.
Tornado watch: means that conditions are favorable for severe thunderstorms that could produce a tornado.
Tornado warning: means a tornado has been sighted or is imminent based on radar indications.
Shelter-in-place: the vault in Burns, designated bathrooms in Pine Bluffs, and designated bathroom in Cheyenne.
Gather everyone inside, and account for all children, staff, and visitors.
Close doors and close and lock windows.
Gather all children and staff in the room(s) with the fewest doors and windows towards the center of the building.
Bring attendance sheets, first aid kits, and emergency supplies to the room.
Close off all non-essential rooms.
Monitor the radio for information and emergency instructions.

WINDSTORMS/MICROBURSTS/STRONG WINDS
Microburst: means a strong downdraft that induces an outburst of damaging winds on or near the ground. Microburst winds can cause tornado-like damage without warning.
Be aware of any Air Quality Alerts.
Air Quality Alerts advise that young children and adults with respiratory concerns should have minimized outdoor activities and avoid prolonged exposure to poor air quality conditions.

In-place sheltering:
Move away from windows. Cover windows with shades or blinds.
Consider moving to interior rooms, halls, or lower floors.

Outdoors:
Move indoors if possible.
Stay clear of power lines or trees.

Non-mobile infants, toddlers, and preschoolers will be safely evacuated from the building, not to exclude children with special needs. Parents will be notified by text, email, and or childcare management program.
We will stay at the evacuation site until parents/emergency contacts pick up the children.
If the building has been damaged and needs repairs we will offer services at one of our other locations.