Fifth-Graders Learn about Emergency Preparedness As Part of National Program; 11 Elementary Schools Participating Statewide

Contact: Nicole Lisabeth, MSP/EMHSD Public Information Officer, (517) 336-6464

Agency: State Police

LANSING - More than 350 fifth-grade students in 11 schools across Michigan are learning how to prepare for disasters, react during emergencies and develop a supply kit as part of a national program, called the Student Tools for Emergency Planning (STEP).  Today, the Pansophia Academy in Coldwater, Michigan was the first of 11 schools to teach the curriculum to fifth-graders during the 2011-2012 school year.

"This is the first year Michigan was selected to participate in the STEP Program, which is instrumental in educating students about how they can prepare and stay safe during an emergency," said Capt. W. Thomas Sands, commander of the Michigan State Police, Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division (MSP/EMHSD).  "Students can then take that knowledge home and share it with family and friends making their communities better prepared when a disaster strikes."

STEP is a ready-to-teach classroom curriculum designed for teachers to help prepare fifth-grade students for various emergencies including tornadoes, flooding and storms.  As part of the program, students also put together their own emergency supply kit and learn how to develop a family emergency plan.

The STEP program provides teachers with materials at no cost to the school, including instructor guides, copies of student handouts and starter emergency supply kits for each student.  The basic lesson includes one hour of instruction, but teachers have the option of expanding the lessons to include eight hours of material.   STEP curriculum can be taught by teachers, school officials, first responders or volunteers.

This past fall, teachers from 11 schools statewide signed-up to participate in STEP and teach the curriculum by the end of the 2011-2012 school year.  Michigan is one of only a few states selected to participate in the STEP Program, which will be offered again next year with the hopes of educating at least 2,000 fifth-graders statewide.  The STEP Program was initially piloted in the New England states and was offered in Wisconsin last year. 

STEP is sponsored by the MSP/EMHSD and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).  It is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Schools participating in STEP include:

Additional information about emergency preparedness can be found online at www.michigan.gov/beprepared.  To learn how to develop an emergency supply kit, visit the MSP/EMHSD's YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/MichEMHS. 

The Michigan State Police, Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division is responsible for coordinating state and federal resources to assist local government in response and relief activities in the event of an emergency or disaster, as well as coordinating homeland security initiatives and various federal grants.

Follow MSP/EMHSD on Twitter at MichEMHS and visit our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/MichEMHS.