ARLINGTON — A team from the city of Arlington, the Arlington School District and the Snohomish Health District recently attended a four-day “Multi-hazard Emergency Planning for Schools” course at the FEMA Emergency Management Institute in Maryland.

The goal of the June 20-23 course was to provide school district teams with the knowledge, skills and tools needed to review, enhance and sustain an all-hazard school emergency operations plan. FEMA covered the travel, registration and lodging fees for the 10-member team.

The multi-disciplined team consisted of Raymond Malunay of the Snohomish Health District, Deputy Chief Tom Cooper of the Arlington Fire Department, School Resource Officer Seth Kinney of the Arlington Police Department, city of Arlington Emergency Management Coordinator Christine Badger, Arlington High School Athletic Director Tom Roys, Kent Prairie teacher Allen Larson, and Arlington School District Executive Director of Operations Sid Logan, Director of Transportation Cheryl Power, Director of Food Services Ed Aylesworth and Public Information Officer Andrea Conley.

The course allowed the team’s members to discuss and view emergency situations, as well as understand the different roles and responsibilities between public safety and the school district staff. The team also had the opportunity to build partnerships and develop working relationships between themselves and other school districts from around the country.

“I found the training was invaluable to our school district and public safety preparation for any type of emergency,” Cooper said. “The group worked together very hard on all projects put before us during the week. The communication and collaboration between the team members will continue to help strengthen our preparedness and response strategies as we move forward.”

“This was a great opportunity to work with our local first responders to improve our emergency plans,” Logan said.

The course served as an opportunity to fulfill the Arlington School District’s Strategic Plan focus on providing a safe and caring environment to help students achieve their full potential.

“Using the collective knowledge and expertise of the instructors and participants, the school teams strengthened their school emergency operation procedures and gained a broader understanding of emergency preparedness and planning,” Conley said.