BHS, township police partner in safety training

In an effort to focus on preparedness training for both Bloomfield Hills Schools staff and the local police, firefighters and paramedics which service the schools, on Wednesday, August 30, the district will be partnering with Bloomfield Township police and fire on a comprehensive critical incident training at Bloomfield Hills High School.

In order to hold the training exercise, the high school, including all athletic facilities, will be closed until 4 p.m. The Bloomfield Township Senior Center will be closed until 12:30 p.m.; and Bloomfield Township Hall will be closed that day for all in-person business until 12:30 p.m., although staff will be available via phone and email all day.

Dr. Randy Liepa, interim superintendent, said that Bloomfield Hills Schools, in partnership with the Bloomfield Township Police Department, uses ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) protocols.

“All staff and students are trained to the ALICE protocols over the course of the school year, with portions of this training conducted by police. The purpose of ALICE is to prepare school staff to recognize and respond if there ever is an emergency/lockdown situation and the exercise occurring on August 30 is focused on expanding on that training. At the same time, police and fire will also be receiving valuable training for their response to a mass casualty event,” Liepa said.

The purpose of the Emergency Operations Plan is that it outlines an organized, systematic method to mitigate, prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from any potential incidents. Liepa explained the plan discusses expectations of staff; roles and responsibilities; direction and control systems; internal and external communications plans; training and sustainability plans; authority and references as defined by local, state, and federal government mandates; common and specialized procedures; and specific hazard vulnerabilities and responses and recovery.

Among those involved are an administrator of public safety, a district nurse, mental health professionals and therapy dogs. There are also plans to deal with cybersecurity, discipline process for school administrators, gun safety and storage, “No Place for Hate” and OK2Say, and other important reporting processes.

“We’re doing this exercise so that our first responders and school personnel are as prepared as possible in the unlikely case there is a tragedy, they can fall back on what they saw on August 30th and keep calm and respond appropriately,” said Bloomfield Township Police’s head of Reality Based Training, Lieutenant Mike Buczek.