Jenks Schools Emergency Response Training Pays Off

By Ashli Sims, The News On 6

JENKS, OK -- All of the students injured in a South Tulsa school bus crash yesterday have now been treated and released.

It is the kind of scene parents wish they'd never see but it is exactly what school officials plan for and they say their efforts paid off.

When two Jenks school buses crashed into each other Tuesday afternoon, it was not just first responders who scrambled to the scene.

"I got a call from our transportation department that there had been a bus accident near 91st and Harvard and so I headed this way. As did our School Emergency Response Team and all of the emergency responders that you can see behind me," said Tara Thompson, Jenks Spokesperson.

Jenks activated its School Emergency Response Team (SERT). Their mission, spearhead the district's efforts during a crisis.

The 20-member team includes the superintendent, administrators and principals. They train at least once a month for precisely this kind of event.

Two years ago, they practiced their response to a bio-hazard.

Derek Dixon, Jenks Safety Compliance Officer, who is second-in-command of the team, says the practice comes in handy when the real thing strikes.

In fact, the team's last major drill centered around a school bus.

"We had the same issues with students going to hospitals trying to track those students and trying to assist first responders with how many students do we have on the bus, so on and so forth and that same scenario played out yesterday," Dixon said.

Fifteen kids were taken to area hospitals on Tuesday but no one had any major injuries. Even the police officers were complimentary of Jenks' effort.

"It did go well. We're very pleased. Our next SERT meeting we'll look at the things that we didn't do so well and we'll try to improve on those but all in all I think it turned out pretty well," Dixon said.

One hiccup from Tuesday was communicating with parents who did not speak English.

The district is now considering adding a Spanish speaker to the School Emergency Response team.