teachers and focused on prevention with our
community partners. In phase
5,
we supported
community partners and engaged our students
in the creation of a commemoration event that
preserved memories and restored what was
important to the community. We also prepared
to handle any resurgence of student stress and
highlighted the importance of self-care for
families and staff
Other Episodes
We were not the only school system to deal
with an event of this magnitude. Colleagues
in two other Colorado districts faced similar
challenges in providing support in response to
devastating wildfires that tore through their
communities.
WALDO CANYON FIRE.
Colorado Springs
School District 11 found itself
directly involved
in emergency response to tragic wildflres in
2012.
“When we learned about
the Waldo Canyon
fire, many people felt that the
fire wouldn’t
impact our school district because the geogra
phy and
distance
from the fire made
it unlikely
to reach us,” said Devra Ashby, the public
information
officer. “Not only
did the fire move
quickly due to high winds, but we also opened
our schools as incident command centers, and
we became active in providing resources, help
ing with fundraisers and providing general
support.”
The district organized its
response into three
phases. The first lasted the duration of the live
fire. The second phase focused on supporting
families as they returned to
their homes or
found alternative living arrangements. The final
phase focused on
preparing buildings
for the
first day of school.
“Although no district property was lost, we
had to deal with nearly
100
families and
20
staff members who lost homes and were now
displaced,” Ashby said. “It was important for us
to support staff and students who had lost their
homes and their sense of security”
The impact, however, did not end when
school started. Instead, Ashby and her col
Top:
During
a wildfire In Fort Collins, Cob., In June
2012, the Poudre School
District
lent suppàrt to
displaced families and staff. Bottom: Community
members raised money for those whose homes
were damaged or destroyed by the fire.
leagues faced additional challenges when
another fire broke out a year later and mud-
slides resulted. “This experience:’ she added,
“has reinforced how much people depend on
our schools. Our school district has systemic
methods for reaching families and
staff.
These
established measures continue to be helpful for
our community.”
HIGH PARK FIRE.
The
Poudre School District
faced similar
experiences
when a wildfire broke
out in June
2012
near Fort Collins, Cob., but
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OCTOBER 2013 SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR
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