Critical Incident and Crisis Management Policy and Procedures

Policy Statement

This policy was developed to:

• • Provide all students, staff, faculty and visitors information on how to report a critical incident and for students in crisis and urgent situations to receive a timely and coordinated response, and support.
  • Create an evaluation process for critical incident response and make changes to the response process as necessary.
  • While implementing our policy, we aim to approach this with trauma-based understanding and consideration of the pervasive nature of trauma and promoting an environment of healing and recovery rather than practices and services that may inadvertently re-traumatize.

Critical Incident and Crisis Management Evaluation Process

Definition

Critical incidents and urgent situations are those that have potential for serious injury, significant property damage, or major disruptions to operations.

• • Accidents or injuries
  • Attempted violence
  • Drug/alcohol abuse
  • Missing students
  • A significant security threat onsite

A crisis is usually a critical incident that has escalated, affecting more people and on a larger scale. 

• • Accidental deaths
  • Violence or abuse
  • Natural disaster
  • Data breach

Roles and Responsibilities

Designated individuals and teams responsible for incident management:

Building Security/Facilities: to assess and advise on the state of the building and any issues that may affect the safety of staff or students, including student security within the building.

Senior Artistic Staff: designated experienced instructors onsite who would assume the role of Crisis Incident Lead. These persons are Emergency First Aid certified, are responsible for the safety of the students onsite, and work closely with the rest of the Critical Incident Response Team providing leadership and guidance to the team.

Critical Incident Response Team:

Building Security/Facilities

Senior Artistic Staff

Student Support Services: to provide emotional support to students affected by the incident. May coordinate post-incident recovery and well-being services.

Operations/Administrative: to provide communication with students and staff during and after the incident, and ensures that clear, accurate information is shared promptly.

1. Incident assessment – the Crisis Lead onsite will be identified and they will assess the incident and its severity.
2. Action/Intervention – The Crisis Lead communicates with Building Security/Facilities and the Crisis Incident Response Team, if necessary.
   1. Administer First Aid and/or provide emotional support
   2. Call 911 for emergency responders if needed
   3. Communicate with Student Services and CIR Team
   4. Initiate safety protocols, lockdown or evacuation procedures if required
3. Secondary response – in the case of escalation, additional resources will be contacted such as Police/Emergency Mental Health Response, calling 911.
   1. Evacuation or lockdown protocol initiated
4. Case management – during the incident
   1. Crisis Lead and Building Security/Facilities assess damages and determine to resume classes if it safe and practical to do so.
   2. Student Services provide support to students, staff and parents (if needed). Provide recommended resources and facilitate counselling sessions and support to affected individuals.
   3. Operations/Admin to provide updated internal communication to staff and students (parent if necessary) as well as external communication to those not onsite, including parents.
5. Follow-up reporting – after the incident
   1. Crisis Lead and Building Security/Facilities to create a document that summarizes the incident; the cause, the actions that took place to resolve the situation and people that were involved no later than one week after the incident.
   2. Student Services to provide recommended resources, facilitate counselling sessions and support to affected individuals if needed minimum two days after the incident and no later than one week after the incident.
   3. Operations/Admin to provide updated internal communication to staff and students as well as external communication to those not onsite, including parents minimum two days after the incident and no later than one week after the incident.
6. Post-incident analysis and responsibilities – The Crisis Lead and Building Security/Facilities will conduct a post-incident debrief with the CIR Team and any other relevant staff. Any changes made to the policy and/or procedures will be documented and communicated to all onsite staff and students within two weeks of the incident.

 This policy and its procedures will be reviewed annually and included in staff and student orientations with our Safety Policies and Procedures.

Examples of a Critical Incident:

• A person from the general public, who appears to be under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol gets into the building and is disrupting classes is considered a security threat onsite.
• A student has a serious fall requiring an ambulance is considered a medical emergency.
• A student has not checked in for their regular classes, is unreachable after a number of attempts at Student Services trying to contact them throughout the day, friends are not receiving communication, parents are not able to get in touch. Can be considered a missing student.
• Physical, mental abuse, and bullying (including online) towards someone that has continued over time. Is considered

Examples of a Crisis:

• A natural disaster
• A data breach that has affected all stakeholders and the business.
• A serious fall causing death