Keeping your campus safe and secure in a severe or lightning Storm
Severe lighting storms can affect a safety and security on campus. It’s important to have safety procedures in place, as weather can change unexpectedly. Lightning on campus is a threat to everyone whether, indoors, at your desk, or outdoors at a sporting event.
Here is information on lightning strikes and some safety guidelines to follow when lightning has been detected on your campus:
- When thunder roars, head indoors.
- There is no safe place outdoors when thunderstorms are in the area.
- Lightning can strike as far away as 10 miles. In extreme cases, lightning has been reported to strike in distances up to 20 miles away.
- If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning.
- The threat of lightning can last well after the rain has stopped. Wait 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder before leaving the safe shelter.
- Avoid using landline telephones during a thunderstorm.
- If you see someone who was struck by lightning, call 911 and immediately begin CPR if necessary.
How to perform CPR on a lightning strike victim:
1Tilt the patient’s head back and look for breathing. If the patient doesn’t take a breath in less than 10 seconds, start CPR.
2Push on the Chest.Imagine a line between the nipples and put your hands on the center of the chest right below that line. Push hard and fast—about twice per second.
3Rescue Breaths. If you have had CPR training and feel comfortable performing the steps, push on the chest 30 times then give 2 rescue breaths. Repeat cycles of 30 chest compressions and 2 breaths until help arrives or the patient wakes up.
IDentifyED is our solution for notifying campus personnel and everyone about lightning detected in your area and receiving assistance quickly in case of injury. Our system has the capability to receive severe weather warnings and disseminate them to everyone on campus quickly and efficiently with instructions on what to do.
IDentifyED helps keep your campus safe and secure during a severe or lightning storm.
1Do not put yourself in harm’s way for any reason, follow the campus lightning safety procedure.
2Typically, but not always you will be told to find shelter, get inside.
3Lightning storms can come quickly it is important to find shelter immediately.
4If you witness or experience a lightning storm make a help request immediately, if possible add text and a picture.
5Swipe up on your IDentifyED app to find your campus lightning safety procedures.
6Swipe left on the ID screen of IDentifyed and you will come to your campuses’ custom app, the campus/campus may have added additional links there as well as potential systems or sources of information.
7Lightning storms may affect only a small area or a large community. The IDentifyED system has integration into the I Love U Guys Foundation’s standard response procedures, these procedures will tell people how you need to respond and reduce panic during a lightning storm.
8If you need help use the IDentifyED 911 feature on the help request this will direct you to specific campus response personnel on IDentifyED and explain to the dispatcher the issue. Campus resources might be the best place to call for help on your campus. If for any reason you are not able to get in touch with campus resources, do not hesitate to dial 911 on your phone app.
9Emergency personnel during a lightning storm with IDentifyED can also involve or escalate to additional personnel as well as any emergency responders.
10Emergency responders will also maintain and update critical event message boards about the lightning storm, that will allow everyone in the campus to get the most critical and up-to-date information.
11If you need help or others need help during the lightning storm, you can make additional help requests that might document additional assistance and additional people who might be injured during the lightning storm.
12For IDentifyED schools only; During a lightning storm, it is possible that you will be in class make certain that attendance is taken by the teacher as you seek shelter and check the campus lightning safety procedures.
13Everyone check into a location, class, event, group or transportation so that emergency responders know where everyone is.
14Look for updates to the locations as well, perhaps the campus will add shelter locations so that you can accurately share your location with friends, family and of course emergency responders.
15If you check-in, and then need help — emergency responders will be able to respond to your specific location with much better detail. For example, during a lightning storm it is possible that you are on the 20th floor in room 2001 of a 20-story building. If you need assistance, your IDentifyED reported longitude and latitude will only tell the responders what building you are in, a good check-in will help them narrow it down the floor and room, so that they can find you.
16If you are handicapped and need help or are unable to access the elevators due to a power outage or other reasons. Make a handicapped help request with your specific checked in location (many organizations have designated handicapped assistance areas for you to check into.)
17Once the lightning storm is not a threat — emergency personnel will either broadcast out an all clear or begin reunification procedures.
18If an all clear is sent during a lightning storm assume that there will be additional information that may need to be shared, stay sheltered until you are able to get assurance that it is safe.
19After a lightning storm please report any and all personal injury or other issues through IDentifyED..
20After a lightning storm please report any damage to property or safety concerns via the IDentifyED Help request.
21For IDentifyED schools only; If a reunification process is called for after a lightening storm, monitor the IDentifyED critical event message boards as well as all emergency broadcasts.
22Follow the instructions from emergency responders, and check the IDentifyED App for Campus Lightning Safety procedures.
23For IDentifyED schools only; During a lightning storm reunification, you should be told where to report to. It is possible that traditional/anticipated buildings or rally points are not safe to shelter or meet at so it is important to listen to and follow the directions of emergency responders.
24For IDentifyED schools only; When arriving at a reunification area, make certain you check-in or are checked in to that location.
25For IDentifyED schools only; Parents should follow reunification procedures during a lightning storm reunification. Parents should be instructed as to what will occur by campus personnel please follow the directions you are being given.
26After a lightning storm, you may experience power outages and damage that may result in the campus or campus being closed. IDentifyED is housed offsite from your campus so IDentifyED should remain online during any and all emergencies. As long as you can get to internet services you should be able to get to IDentifyED. For this reason, during an emergency it is very likely that IDentifyED will be your campuses best means to communicate.
27Continue to monitor IDentifyED emergency broadcasts, news and alerts as well as critical event boards after the lightning storm because campuses will need to update you on when campus will resume and any other additional information.
28After a lightning storm, IDentifyed may also be used to update everyone activities in terms of events, projects and assignments, look for these updates on IDentifyED first in order to minimize and optimize communications. It is likely that everyone will update calendars, message boards, send messages and provide additional updates via a communication portfolios.
29IDentifyED’s many communication resources like user portfolios, messaging, message boards, calendars, chat, group chat, emergency broadcast, campus-wide news and alerts will all be used during and after a lightning storm. So, monitor IDentifyED and use IDentifyED as your primary source of information.