Communications systems are vital to allow staff, emergency responders, students, and parents to remain in contact during an emergency. There are a number of systems on the market. Many are designed to use existing cell phones as both notification systems and panic alerts to summon assistance.

If you are an administrator, do you have templates for parent and staff communication on a computer in your office? Developing templates for all types of crises will make things go much more smoothly in an emergency.

If your school uses two-way radios and you are an administrator or one of the staff members to use them, check to make sure batteries are fresh and that the radios are working. It's important to have a log to keep track of the location of persons using two-way radios when taking students out of the building. If an emergency were to occur, school staff members need a way to reach those who might be on the athletic field or in another outside location.

Remember, even though your administrator knows the communication protocol, there may be a time when he or she is out of the building or even incapacitated, and therefore unable to act. Someone will have to take action, and it could be you.