Emergency Operations Center
The KHSD Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is a function of the Office of Emergency Preparedness and Safety, which also coordinates with the Kern County Office of Emergency Services (OES), Cal OES and local first responders in the case of a large-scale emergency.
Incident Command System
Federal and state requirements for emergency management include the use of the Incident Command System. This is a standardized approach to the command, control, and coordination of emergency response in which school staff and emergency responders from multiple agencies can be effective. During an emergency incident at a site, the impacted schools and offices will coordinate emergency response under site administration, working with law enforcement, fire departments, and emergency medical response to manage the incident. While first responders address the incident, the chief strategic goals of the school or office may include one or more of the following:
- Ensure safety of students, staff, and visitors
- Account for students, staff, and visitors
- Reunify students with their guardian(s)
The Emergency Operations Center will function similarly to maintain situational awareness during an incident, maintain support for the incident while also requesting support from outside agencies.
Office of Emergency Services
The Emergency Operations Center at Kern High School District coordinates efforts with the county Office of Emergency Services. This coordination provides access to assistance from all coordinated county first responder resources and other resources during emergencies. This coordination also provides access to state and federal aid through California Office for Emergency Services (CalOES) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In addition to emergency response, KHSD contributes to the Kern County Office of Emergency Services requirements for community hazard mitigation. KHSD facilities are included every 5 years in the development of the Kern County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan. The most recent version of this plan was developed in 2020 and the process for updating it is beginning soon. KHSD will continue to provide input in this process. The overall mitigation plan and KHSD annex are available at the links below: