Disasters cue for schools to adopt new alert system

Emergency services are backing a new red alert checklist for schools after overseas hostage dramas and flooding disasters.

The system, promoted by the School Trustees Association, enables police and the fire service to tap into a secure website containing a school's contact details, evacuation plans and satellite tracking co-ordinates.

Until now, many schools had kept emergency plans on paper or in their own computers, which made them time-consuming to retrieve in an emergency, said Matthew Nolan, one of the directors of the New Zealand company behind the software.

Under the system, schools use a template to assess their risk of earthquake, fire and flood, the chance of becoming a target for armed intruders, the victim of a chemical spill or the recipient of suspicious parcels and work out an action plan for each event.

Schools were more aware of emergency planning and security after this year's flooding, the Beslan school siege in Russia, and incidents closer to home involving armed students, Mr Nolan said.

School Trustees Association general manager Ray Newport said the emergency preparedness system was also a form of insurance, showing that schools and trustees had taken steps to manage emergencies.

"We're very lucky that we don't get instances of hostage-taking and people running riot with a handgun," he said.

"But we can't be complacent about it."

The system costs schools $100 to $200 a year, depending on their roll, and has been tested in Australia.

- NZPA