John Barsby Secondary is building roots in the community with its new vibrant community garden. Emergency Preparedness By Shauna DeBodt Page 10 You will be happy to hear that Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools are progressive with their emergency plans and preparedness. For the second year in a row, there has been an emergency operations centre (EOC) or command centre set up at the District Administration Centre during the ShakeOut BC event in October. The EOC is a central command centre and control facility set up to organize emergency or disaster management in the event of an earthquake or major emergency. The responsibilities of the EOC include providing strategicdirection,afteranalyzingtheinformation received. The centre is then responsible for relaying that information to local authorities and media sources. Due to the possibility of power outages and cell tower interference or damage, this is done through a 2-way radio system. Schools also have their own emergency preparedness plans and have been practicing earthquake drills twice a year for many years. Roles and responsibilities are identified for staff and areas are determined for the student assembly and release stations. The Occupational Safety & Wellness department has provided schools with identifying tags for their specific roles – such as Radio Operator, Student Release Station Leader, Shelter and Logistics Leader, First Aid Team Member and Site Incident Commander. During this year’s ShakeOut BC event, schools made the earthquake drill as authentic as possible in preparation for a real earthquake. Principals, Vice-Principals or Teachers-in-Charge used 2-way radios to communicate with the Emergency Operations Centre. They identified any concerns