Protocolo de Incidentes Críticos en Excursiones

Protocolo de Incidentes Críticos en Excursiones

1. Introducción

Social Programme activities and excursions are an indispensable part of a broad and balanced curriculum. They are an opportunity to extend the learning of all students, including an enrichment of their understanding of British culture and values.

Social Programme activities should be available to all students and be organised accordingly, with particular consideration being given to any students who are under 18 and/or with a disability, especially when selecting venues and organising transport.

Our Social Programme activities are local and within the UK. The guidelines and procedures below should be followed when staff are taking any students outside of the main premises, whether within the local environment or further afield. Good planning ensures the safety and well-being of students and staff.

This protocol is the excursion-level operational layer of the LiA Critical Incident Response Policy. Where an incident on excursion meets the definition of a Critical Incident, the escalation chain, alert thresholds and Critical Response Team arrangements of that policy apply in full. Where a student cannot be accounted for, the Missing and Unaccounted Student Policy (Section 5.A, On Excursion) applies immediately.

2. Roles y Responsabilidades

Prior to any excursion, the Tour Coordinator, with the Centre Manager, will:

• Ensure that visits comply with the guidelines in the Health and Safety Policy
• Ensure that the Tour Guide leading the excursion is competent to oversee the coordination of all off-site education, support them in understanding the excursion and the related Risk Assessments, and support them in attending relevant training courses, including First Aid when required
• Ensure all agency Group Leaders have the excursion sheet and a clear understanding of the itinerary and Health & Safety guidelines and procedures
• Ensure that, in the event of a major incident or accident, the school’s guidelines are adhered to in terms of informing parents, staff and the media, in line with the LiA Critical Incident Response Policy

Role of the Tour Guides:

The lead (primary) Tour Guide has full responsibility for the safe running of the excursion, including pre-planning and following guidance during the visit. To achieve this the Tour Guide, in accordance with the Tour Coordinator, will:

• Plan the itinerary in such a way as to account for all times on the visit, including travelling time
• Complete any pre-visit documentation or bookings required by the Tour Coordinator
• Have prior knowledge of the venue, through desk research or a pre-visit
• Ensure they have reviewed and signed the Risk Assessment for any planned visit
• Have a full list of students and their mobile phone numbers/contact details (or of the agency group leaders if part of a closed group)
• Maintain awareness of health and safety and security throughout the trip, and continuously monitor the appropriateness of the activity during the prevailing conditions
• Carry the emergency mobile phone and the excursion first aid kit, and have the number of the Centre Management staff. The telephone number for Emergency Services in the UK is 999
• Conduct head counts at departure from the centre, on arrival at the destination, before and after any group split, and on return, with end-of-excursion reconciliation recorded in the centre’s Daily Welfare Log
• Inform students of the itinerary and meeting points. Ensure students wear their lanyard (with ID card and school emergency phone number) at all times and are aware of the school emergency phone number and the procedures to follow in case of emergency

3. Security Awareness Guidance

Counter-terrorism policing has significantly increased its presence in recent years. Related to this, security in the areas and venues that we visit has an increased presence and we all have a role in maintaining vigilance to protect ourselves and others from the global terror threat.

Although exceedingly rare, terrorist attacks do still occur around the world. These have included explosive devices left at venues and Marauding Terrorist Attacks (MTAs). MTAs are fast-moving, violent incidents where assailants move through a location aiming to find and kill or injure as many people as possible. Most deaths occur within the first few minutes of the attack, before police are able to respond. MTAs can take many forms and include a combination of the following:

• A lone attacker, multiple attackers or multiple groups of attackers
• Arrival at a location on foot, in a vehicle or an attack perpetrated by insiders
• Entering a venue without using force, or forcing entry using an explosive device, a vehicle, coercion of someone with access or a combination thereof
• Attackers armed with bladed weapons, firearms, pipe bombs, petrol bombs, suicide vests or multiple weapons

Signs to look for

• People in stationary vehicles watching a building or structure
• Vehicles moving slowly near public buildings, structures or bridges, or parked in suspicious circumstances
• People using recording equipment, including camera phones, or seen making notes or sketches of security details
• Someone suspicious paying close attention to specific entry and exit points, stairwells, hallways or fire escapes
• People loitering at or near premises for long periods and watching staff, visitors and deliveries for no apparent reason
• People asking detailed or unusual questions about buildings and business operations, facilities (such as room layouts), security or parking for no apparent reason
• People acting suspiciously (apparent nervousness, extreme agitation), perhaps wearing bulky clothes or carrying a backpack that they keep fiddling with
• Anyone in “off limits” areas, plant rooms and staff-only areas

If you have any concerns, report them immediately to the security manager at the venue, a Police Officer nearby, or call 999.

In the case of incident

The UK Police guidance if you become involved in an incident is “Run, Hide, Tell”.

• RUN: to a place of safety. This is a far better option than to surrender or negotiate. If there’s nowhere to go, then…
• HIDE: it is better to hide than to confront. Remember to turn your phone to silent and turn off vibrate. Barricade yourself in if you can. Then finally, and only when it is safe to do so…
• TELL: the police, by calling 999.

4. Evacuation

Emergencies can develop very rapidly. Staff must be equipped to move the students to a total or relative place of safety without delay. Tour Guides should familiarise themselves with escape routes, exits and evacuation signage at all points during the excursion, and particularly on arrival at the venue. These should be pointed out to students upon arrival at a new venue. The following actions will help:

• Escape routes: plan escape routes and make sure they remain available and unobstructed
• Signs and lighting: consider signage for people unfamiliar with escape routes; ensure that students understand the signage on display, with particular attention paid to students with disabilities
• Places of safety: identify places of safety in the immediate surroundings; plan how you will evacuate people to a place of relative safety from where they can make their way to a place of total safety
• Vulnerable people: plan to provide additional assistance to people with a disability, people with learning difficulties, those with limited mobility and children
• Communicating with the emergency services and the centre: do not assume somebody else has already called the emergency services; call them as soon as you are able, and call the Tour Coordinator or Centre Manager as soon as it is safe for you to do so

5. Transfer of Authority for an Emergency/Major Incident

If the emergency services declare an emergency/major incident, the Tour Guide will work under the command of the police and emergency services. However, the police may declare one part of the incident location safe enough to return authority to the Tour Guide so that they can respond to the emergency/major incident. The Tour Guide should return the entire group to the centre.

6. After the Incident

The school will debrief the Tour Guides and the students. The school will have been in contact with parents/guardians throughout the incident and will update them after the incident, in line with the parent communication arrangements of the LiA Safeguarding Addendum (Section 7.5). Counselling services will be offered to all students and staff. Where the incident involved police contact or was deemed serious, the post-incident review requirements of the Critical Incident Response Policy and the Missing and Unaccounted Student Policy apply.

7. Communicating with the Media

In line with the LiA Critical Incident Response Policy, only the Managing Director ELT, the Group COO or a delegated member of the Critical Response Team may communicate with media outlets. Language in Action staff must not discuss any aspect of an incident with representatives of the media.

8. Language in Action Emergency Plan of Action (EPoA)

This EPoA is to be executed by the lead Tour Guide, appointed by the Tour Coordinator. In the event of an emergency:

• Establish the nature and extent of the emergency
• If there are injuries, establish their extent and have first aid administered (if you, or another member of the group, have been trained or feel capable, but be aware of the consequences that might follow were you to give incorrect treatment)
• Telephone the relevant emergency services: 999 (or 112)
• Establish the names of the injured and ensure that all other members of the group are accounted for and safe
• Advise other staff and Group Leaders of the incident and that emergency procedures are in operation
• Ensure that an adult from the group (agency Group Leader or LIA staff member) accompanies casualties to hospital, or if on your own, go with the injured student(s) or staff member(s); the Emergency Services will look after the rest of the party until another member of staff arrives
• Ensure that the remainder of the group are adequately supervised by Group Leaders and any other LIA staff throughout, and arrange for their early return to the accommodation, accompanied by Group Leaders
• Arrange for one adult (LIA staff member or Group Leader) to remain at the incident site to liaise with the emergency services until the incident is over and all students, Group Leaders and staff are accounted for
• Control access to telephones until contact is made with the Centre Manager and until they have had time to contact those directly involved. Pass on full details of the incident (name, nature, date and time of incident, location, details of injuries, names and telephone numbers of those involved, action taken so far). The Centre Manager escalates in line with the Critical Incident Response Policy
• Identify alternative telephone numbers in case telephone lines become jammed
• The Company will arrange to contact the parents or next of kin of those involved, in line with the Safeguarding Addendum (Section 7.5); in serious incidents the parents or next of kin of all party members should be informed
• Write down accurately and as soon as possible all relevant facts and witness details, and preserve any vital evidence
• Complete an accident report form as soon as possible
• No one in the group should speak to the media. Names of those involved in the incident should not be given to the media, as this could cause distress to their families
• No one in the group should discuss legal liability with other parties