• Team SAFE-T (School and Family Emergency
Training): A California Partnership for Safety
and Preparedness is an alliance of public and
private organizations dedicated to integrating
safety and preparedness in schools throughout
California.
• Team SAFE-T’s annualized school-based
educational materials will teach age-appropriate
emergency information and preparedness skills
for students in grades K-12.
• The program is the first all-hazards approach
of its kind in America and is committed to building
generations of prepared children and adults.
Founded in 2001
• Team SAFE-T was founded in response to
the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 by
a group of concerned citizens who joined forces
to increase emergency preparedness education in
our schools.
• First Lady Maria Shriver has supported
Team SAFE-T, which is being hailed as a key education
component of the Be Smart. Be Responsible. Be
Prepared. Be Ready! campaign.
What Will Be Taught?
• Team SAFE-T, California State Superintendent
of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell, California
State Department of Education, American Red Cross
and educational material specialists have developed
age-appropriate educational materials approved
for use in all California schools.
• Educational materials include lesson plans,
discussion topics, activity worksheets and take-home
assignments. Each grade-specific lesson plan includes
five 45-minute lessons to be taught over five
days during the statewide School Safety Month.
• Each daily lesson focuses on a different
type of emergency situation, including: home and
family preparedness; fire safety and evacuation
drills; drop, cover and hold-on drills (for earthquake
and flood hazard); multi-hazard reverse evacuation
drills (i.e., school shooting); and community
preparedness awareness.
• Families will be invited to participate
in take-home activities and attend an assembly
where Emergency Responders will address how to
create a family emergency plan and improve preparedness
skills.
• The greater community also will benefit
from the program through outreach that involves
California Service Corps volunteer groups, programs,
partners and affiliates.
Overall Goals
• To teach awareness and responsibility
by empowering students and providing them the
knowledge and skills needed to effectively respond
in various emergency situations.
• To train and provide fully integrated
and easy to use educational materials at no cost
to teachers and administrators in the California
public schools system.
• To educate families how to use the safety
and preparedness information presented at school
to help them establish a family plan for the home.
• To help this and future generations of
California’s children grow into adults who
naturally integrate preparedness into their homes,
workplaces, and communities.
Pilot Program Launch
• Team SAFE-T will launch the first annual
weeklong program for California public school
students during October 3-7, a kick start to October
2005’s School Safety Month.
• The pilot program will be offered to more
than 30,000 students in five select schools [3
elementary, 1 middle, and 1 high school] in each
of the six California school districts identified
as pilot sites from across the state, and activities
in these schools will be evaluated.
• An extensive evaluation of the Team SAFE-T
pilot program will be conducted by the UCLA Center
for Public Health and Disasters under the oversight
of Kimberley Shoaf, DrPH. Results of this evaluation
will guide program improvements for future success.
Availability and Diversity
• In the first year of the program, all
9,000 California public schools will have access
to the Web-based educational materials developed
by Team SAFE-T at no cost. These materials will
be accessible and downloadable off the website
www.teamsafe-t.org for use in schools and classrooms.
• California has mandated that schools statewide
teach children skills necessary to help themselves
and those around them be safe when earthquakes
and fires strike. Northern California is also
mandated to ensure that schools equip students
with skills for winter weather preparedness. The
Team SAFE-T educational materials meet these mandates
and help schools comply.
• The statewide program is designed to serve
a diverse student body, and program materials
will be available in English and Spanish.
Coalition Partners
SBC
California Department of Education
American Red Cross
California Service Corps
Office of the First Lady, Maria Shriver
California State Alliance
Governor’s Office of Emergency Services/California
Office of Homeland Security
California Broadcasters Association
Univision Communications Inc./La Opinion
Channel One Network
University of California, Los Angeles - Center
for Public Health & Disasters
California Professional Firefighters
James Lee Witt Associates, LLC
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
California Highway Patrol
Contact Information
For more information, please contact Team SAFE-T at 866-71SAFE-T or
via e-mail at support@teamsafe-t.org.
