When a school bus driver faces a crisis situation, taking a few extra seconds to make sure the right help is on the way to the correct location can be critical.
A simple miscommunication can result in the fire department being dispatched when law enforcement officers are needed. A simple misunderstanding can also result in five police cars rushing to the wrong location resulting in a five minute delay in help arriving.
Teaching drivers to quickly repeat their location, the type of incident and the help needed can dramatically reduce the chances that these types of problems will occur. Training transportation dispatch and office personnel to quickly repeat the information back to the driver and to 9-1-1 operators can also help to reduce the chances of a deadly miscommunication.
Mike Dorn is the executive director of Safe Havens International, a global, non-profit school safety center for kindergarten through 12th grade. He is a former school district police chief for Bibb County, Ga., a former school safety specialist for the Georgia Emergency Management Agency and a former anti-terrorism planner and lead program manager at the Georgia Office of Homeland Security.
