What are the things that you worry about when thinking about safety? What about with your family? With my background and interest areas, stuff that comes to mind for me includes fires, violent people, and medical emergencies.
The basics of home and family safety include some things like working smoke detectors (one per floor and one in every bedroom) and “EDITH” (Exit Drills In The Home). And in today’s world, the basics need to include what to do when there is a violent person/active shooter (lockdown drills and something like “Avoid, Barricade, and Confront” or ABC).
These types of situations, and many others, need a parent/adult to take control and direct the family to safety. Rapidly getting the attention of a group of people, especially kids can be difficult. In emergency situations, taking action and getting to safety quickly is important. Generally, plain language is preferred to codes but in a family situation “codewords” can be a way to get everyone to focus and follow the adult.
Choosing a codeword should be done with the family and the word should be something that does not come up in routine conversations but, it should be recognizable. It is important to spend some time talking about it and ensuring that it is treated seriously.
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Published by mcolpitts
Dr. Matthew W. Colpitts is currently the Head of School and President of Ventures Academy, a unique high school for students who want to create startup businesses while in school! He is also currently on the Board of Directors for Studio East, a non-profit for youth theatre and performing arts education.
Previously, he served at Léman Manhattan Preparatory School as the Director of Residence Life & Campus Safety where he lead the educational, operational, and student support aspects of the boarding program and security for the whole school. Matt has been an educator, administrator, and leader in higher education and K12 independent schools for over 10 years serving in the areas of residence life, university housing, student conduct, campus safety and security, emergency management, enrollment management, and student affairs. Matt has also served in educator-leader roles at diverse educational institutions including Clark University, Landmark College, Southern Oregon University, Utah State University, and Interlochen Center of the Arts. He also does independent risk and safety management consulting.
A first-generation college student from rural Maine, Matt is a proud graduate of Clark University in Worcester, MA with a B.A. in English and Philosophy. He holds an Ed.D. from Fielding Graduate University where he researched emergency management in educational institutions. Outside of school, Matt enjoys reading, traveling, and learning Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
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