Amador County schools are one step closer to being prepared for an emergency or disaster should one occur on school grounds.

On Jan. 28, Sheriff Martin Ryan presented the Amador County Unified School District Board of Trustees disaster preparedness kits for each one of the district's school sites.

The sheriff's office has been working with the school district this past year on disaster preparedness plans.

The 11 campus command kits are designed as an all-risk tool to help schools with their disaster response plans. The kits consist of 13 position vests with job assignments identified on the vests, checklists to assist with assignments, and five location flags to identify areas such as the command post, medical help or student release operations. They can be used by school staff during a disaster or emergency event as an organizational tool to instantly identify school personnel as well as identify designated locations at the school site. These kits will allow school officials to integrate seamlessly into the overall emergency response of fire, emergence medical or law enforcement personnel as they arrive on scene. The campus command kits can also be used during special events such as graduations, sporting events or for any planned event where school staff needs to be easily identifiable. Bullhorns, planning guides, teacher safety guides and school safety handbooks were added to each of the kits.

The equipment cost around $10,000 and was purchased by the Office of Emergency Services with grant funding from the California Emergency Services Association - Inland Chapter. The safe schools planning guides and handbooks were purchased by the county Public Health Department through Public Health Emergency Preparedness grant funding.

For more information, contact the Amador County Sheriff's Office of Emergency Services at 223-6384 or visit www.co.amador.ca.us/depts/oes. See the campus command kit at www.simplerlife.com/sccoki.html.