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Regional Safety Services has contracted with several companies to provide expanded services through CoSER 698.110.
They are listed below in alphabetical order:
AF Investigations
Private Investigative Services
Anonymous Alerts
Patented antibullying and safety reporting app
Corporate Screening and Investigative Group, LLC
Private investigative Services
CPRed
American Heart Association provider of CPR training
Facilities Inspection Services LLC
Fire inspections, Preliminary fire inspections, Fire safety
Fred S. Lane
Speaker and expert on the impact of emerging technologies on society, with an emphasis on privacy and cybertraps
Hang Up And Drive
Powerful program about the dangers of distracted driving
Louis Berger U.S., Inc.
Industrial hygiene/IAQ/environmental testing services
Miller Environmental Group, LLC
Environmental and chemical management services
OmniWeather, LLC
Rapid Responder
All hazard emergency preparedness and crisis management system
If your district has a safety-related service that you would like to see offered under CoSER 698.110, please contact us at 914-248-3692.
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FACTS ABOUT HOLIDAY FIRES
- One of every four home Christmas tree fires is caused by electrical problems.
- Although Christmas tree fires are not common, when they do occur, they are more likely to be serious. On average, one of every 32 reported home Christmas tree fires results in a death compared to an average of one death per 143 total reported home fires.
- A heat source too close to the tree causes one in every four Christmas tree fires.
- The top three days for home candle fires are Christmas, New Year's Day, and Christmas Eve.
- Candles start two out of five home decoration structure fires.
Source: National Fire Protection Association
While most holiday fires occur in the home, holiday celebrations and decorations in schools can make our schools less safe. Remember that the fire code does not go on holiday during this festive season. We can help by performing informal walk throughs to point out where the decorations may have gone too far.
Contact us at 914-248-3692 for more information.
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HAPPY HOLIDAYS
The Regional Safety Services Team at PNW BOCES wishes you and your families a wonderful holiday season and a SAFE New Year. Please click the link below to enjoy this holiday song from the Centers for Disease Control.
holiday song
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Frank Guglieri
Regional Safety Coordinator
914-248-2457
Carol Sneyd
Regional Safety Technician
914-248-3854
Cynthia Braden
Sr. Office Assistant
914-248-3692
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Upon visiting the districts in our region, we have identified some areas of confusion regarding emergency planning. Every district in New York State was to have adopted the emergency plan template. See the
Quick Guide to Emergency Planning for the regulation that includes a mandate for adopting the Incident Command System (ICS).
The ICS framework is a st
andardized approach to the
command, control, and coordination of emergency response that is being used within the fire, police and EMS sectors. NYS has mandated that it is also used within our school system. This means that district and building-level personnel should be trained on its implementation and ready to assume an ICS role when an incident occurs.
Each school district was to supply their building-level plans to the NYS Police within 30 days of adoption by the board of education or by October 15 via the NYSED business portal. After entering the plans to the portal, there is an option to download the document in a PDF. This document includes only the information required by the NYS Police and does not include all of the information in the plans following the template. You still need to maintain the document that follows the template. It is of utmost importance that each building be responsible for their own plan as it contains building-specific information that is of vital concern to the safety of the building population and first responders.
Please contact us at 914-248-3692 or [email protected] if you need assistance or have questions.
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Safety and Student Searches
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With the legalization of marijuana in some states and an increase in vaping and drug-related activities, building-level administrators have frequently had to take on the role of investigator. Some of these newer substances are highly toxic in high concentrations and can cause an acute reaction, even through skin exposure. The strength of some of these substances are many times that of heroin. Administrators should use the utmost caution to protect themselves during a search.
Because of the potency of these drugs, law enforcement has evolved its search practices to protect officers. Unfortunately, school searches have remained the same. Often a principal, without gloves, will go through a student's bag, looking, feeling, and smelling for potential evidence. This is a dangerous practice as there could be residue, usually in the form of oil or powder, that the searcher can come in contact with, which can cause harm.
At the bare minimum, anyone who is conducting a search should always wear
gloves and be wary of handling anything suspicious. At the first sign of suspected drug activity/possession, law enforcement should be contacted immediately.
Please contact us at 914-248-3692 if you have any questions or to schedule training.
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I
n this month's segment, we will focus on programs and seminars presented by the Regional Safety Services
CoSER 698.
As part of your Level I or base service, your district has access to a variety of programs held here on our Yorktown campuses. In September, we hosted a program titled Everyday ICS. Attendees were provided with information regarding the use of ICS in schools for events such as the prom, a football game, graduation or other big event. School districts are encouraged to use the ICS terminology during drills and exercises.
In the month of November, we held a chemical-hygiene-officer training program in two half-day sessions. The participants were provided training in current regulations regarding chemical management in schools. During the second session, Noel Russ from Miller Environmental Group, LLC, and William More of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) presented material regarding spill response, waste management and what to expect from a NYS DEC waste-management inspection. The program was well received by the attendees.
In addition to these bimonthly seminars, beginning in January, we will offer a series of workshops to help our districts evaluate and improve the functional annexes in their building-level emergency response plans. The first session will be on January 11 as a Lunch 'n Learn in our conference room on the Fox Meadow Campus. Participants will be asked to bring their lunch, and we will provide light refreshments. More information will be coming.
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Is your aerosol can a hazardous waste?
- Are you finished using it?
- Are you ready to discard it?
(a) All waste has been removed using the practices commonly employed to remove materials from that type of container, e.g. pouring, pumping, and aspirating
and
(b) no more than 2.54 centimeters (one inch) of residue remain on the bottom of the container or inner liner
or
(c)(1) no more than 3% by weight of the total capacity of the container...
(ii) A container that has held a hazardous waste that is a compressed gas is empty when the pressure in the container approaches atmospheric.
Please note that flammable and combustible spray cans frequently contain hazardous waste.
To avoid this problem, limit the use of spray cans in your school whenever there is an alternative delivery method. If you have a large number of spray containers, you must develop a protocol for their disposal.
Contact us if you have questions.
Districts that participate in the CoSER may receive as many copies of this newsletter as needed.
A complete description of all of our services may be found in our
Services Guide.
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