TESTIMONY OF DR. DINO P. RUMORO ON BEHALF OF THE D.A.R.T.

INSTITUTE BEFORE THE 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION COMMITTEE AMENDMENT TO PUBLIC ACT 094-0600 DECEMBER 2, 2013
(THIS DOCUMENT IS PREPARED FOR A GRADUATE LEVEL HEALTH POLICY COURSE - HPA 430 AND NOT INTENDED TO BE REFLECTIVE OF ACTUAL TESTIMONY OR PARTNERSHIPS EVEN THOUGH ACTUAL NAMES ARE MENTIONED)

HONORABLE

CHAIRPERSON,

CHAPA

LA

VIA,

VICE-CHAIRPERSON

CRESPO,

SPOKESPERSON PIHOS AND ESTEEMED MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO TESTIFY IN SUPPORT OF AMENDING PUBLIC ACT 094-0600 ENTITLED THE SCHOOL SAFETY DRILL ACT IN REFERENCE TO MANDATING ANNUAL SCHOOL SAFETY DRILLS. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK FELLOW BENEDICTINE UNIVERSITY ALUM AND DEMOCRAT REPRESENTATIVE RITA MAYFIELD AND MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER REPUBLICAN

REPRESENTATIVE BARBARA WHEELER, WHO, AS PARENTS AND LEGISLATORS, UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF PROVIDING A SCHOOL SAFE HAVEN UNDER THE WATCHFUL EYES OF PROFESSIONALLY TRAINED AND WELL PREPARED TEACHERS. I AM AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BY TRAINING, A FATHER OF FOUR AND THE FOUNDER OF A PROGRAM KNOWN AS THE ADVANCED TRAUMA TRAINING PROGRAM OF RUSH UNIVERSITY THAT HAS SUCCESSFULLY TRAINED 1,000 MILITARY MEDICS FOR MEDICAL EMERGENCIES AND DISASTER RESPONSE BEFORE BEING DEPLOYED OVERSEAS. TODAY I AM HERE REPRESENTING THE D.A.R.T. INSTITUTE, AN ACRONYM FOR DISASTER AWARENESS AND

RESPONSE TRAINING. D.A.R.T. IS FOCUSED ON ESTABLISHING GUIDELINES FOR PREPARING CIVILIANS TO RESPOND TO DISASTERS AND MEDICAL EMERGENCIES IN AN ATTEMPT TO AUGMENT OUR HOMELAND FIRST RESPONDER POOL. D.A.R.T. IS A STRATEGIC

COLLABORATION WITH SPECIFIC PARTNERS OF THE ILLINOIS MEDICAL DISTRICT (A.K.A. IMD) IN CHICAGO AND INCLUDES: RUSH UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER, COOK COUNTY HOSPITAL, THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, THE AMERICAN RED CROSS AND THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF THE IMD COMMISSION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WARREN RIBLEY. D.A.R.T. IS DEVELOPING FORMAL GUIDELINES FOR CIVILIAN, AND IN THIS CASE TEACHER, DISASTER AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE TRAINING IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING THE EXPERTISE FOR TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION. D.A.R.T. WILL BE A MODEL FOR FUTURE TRAINING PROGRAMS AS WELL AS A RESOURCE FOR OTHERS TO ADVANCE THE LEVEL OF PREPAREDNESS FOR ALL TEACHERS AND CIVILIAN FIRST RESPONDERS IN ILLINOIS AND BEYOND. ONCE ITS WORK IS COMPLETED, D.A.R.T. WILL PRESENT ITS FINAL PRODUCT TO LEGISLATORS IN AN ATTEMPT TO INTEGRATE ITS FINDINGS INTO OTHER IMPORTANT LEGISLATION RELATED TO FIRST RESPONDERS. EACH YEAR, CHILDREN SPEND 25% OF THEIR WAKEFUL HOURS IN SCHOOL DURING THEIR ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION. FOR THIS REASON, TEACHERS NEED TO BE AS PREPARED TO CARE FOR CHILDREN WITH THE SAME FOCUS AS WOULD THEIR PARENTS. THIS MEANS BEING PREPARED FOR A VARIETY OF MEDICAL EMERGENCIES OR DISASTERS THAT MAY ARISE AT ANY TIME.
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IN 2008, A SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATION IN THE JOURNAL PEDIATRICS NOTED THAT INJURIES ARE THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH AND DISABILITY IN THE U.S. WITH 70% OCCURRING IN SCHOOL AGED CHILDREN AND UP TO 25% OF INJURIES OCCURRING DURING SCHOOL TIME. THIS DOES NOT EVEN TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE LARGE NUMBER OF MEDICAL EMERGENCIES INVOLVING SUCH CONDITIONS AS FOOD AND BEE STING ALLERGIC REACTIONS, ASTHMA ATTACKS, DIABETIC REACTIONS, AND SEIZURES. IN ANOTHER STUDY, ALMOST 90% OF TEACHERS SURVEYED AGREED THAT THEY SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR MEDICAL AND TRAUMATIC EMERGENCIES. BUT, MORE THAN A THIRD HAD NO TRAINING IN FIRST AID OR CPR; OF THESE A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER TREATED MORE THAN 20 SICK OR INJURED STUDENTS PER YEAR AND ATTENDED TO ONE LIFETHREATENING STUDENT EMERGENCY IN THEIR CAREER. TO COMPLICATE MATTERS FURTHER, INTENTIONAL INCIDENTS SUCH AS SCHOOL SHOOTINGS HAVE INCREASED OVER THE YEARS. SINCE THE 1970S SCHOOL SHOOTINGS HAVE INCREASED 1,300% AND DEATHS FROM SHOOTINGS 700%. DISASTERS ARE A CONSTANT THREAT. FURTHERMORE, NATURAL

THE RECENT WASHINGTON, ILLINOIS TORNADO

STRUCK THE HEART OF THAT TOWN DURING THE MIDDAY HOURS. THIS WOULD HAVE OCCURRED WHILE THE STUDENTS WERE IN CLASS BUT FORTUNATELY THE TORNADO STRUCK ON A SUNDAY WHEN STUDENTS WERE WITH THEIR FAMILIES AND NOT IN THE CLASSROOM. TEACHER PREPAREDNESS FOR MEDICAL EMERGENCIES AND DISASTERS IS ESSENTIAL TO IMPROVE THE LIVES AND ENHANCE THE SAFETY OF OUR CHILDREN.
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THERE IS A SOLUTION. THE SCHOOL SAFETY DRILL ACT IS GOOD LEGISLATION THAT MANDATES REGULAR SCHOOL DRILLS (AND I UNDERSCORE THE WORD DRILLS) WITH A FOCUS ON FIRE DRILLS, EVACUATION AND SHELTERING IN PLACE. SCHOOLS ARE REFERRED TO THEIR LOCAL AUTHORITIES FOR GUIDANCE. UNFORTUNATELY THERE IS NO REFERENCE TO A

MANDATORY TRAINING REQUIREMENT. THE LAW ALSO DOES NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT OTHER EMERGENCIES OR DISASTERS THAT ARE COMMUNITY SPECIFIC SUCH AS INNER CITY VIOLENCE AND RURAL NATURAL WEATHER DISASTERS. WHAT I HAVE OUTLINED IS THE FIRST STEP TO MAKE TEACHERS FIRST RESPONDERS FOR THEIR STUDENTS IN THE EVENT OF A MEDICAL EMERGENCY OR DISASTER WHILE MANDATING BASIC FIRST AID AND CPR TRAINING AND BI-ANNUAL HAZARD VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENTS COMPLETED BY SCHOOL LEADERSHIP ON EVEN NUMBERED YEARS (FOR EASE OF TRACKING). THE LATTER WILL HELP TO GUIDE FUTURE FORMAL TRAINING AND PREPAREDNESS, DEPENDENT ON THE TOP 5 (FIVE) THREATS IDENTIFIED. I AM HUMBLY REQUESTING YOUR SUPPORT FOR THREE AMENDMENTS TO THIS IMPORTANT LEGISLATION. FIRST, I AM SUGGESTING THAT THE WORD TEACHER BE ADDED TO THE LIST OF FIRST RESPONDERS. THAT, IN AND OF ITSELF, WILL HOLD TEACHERS TO A HIGHER STANDARD AND RAISE EXPECTATIONS FOR PREPAREDNESS. SECOND, I AM

REQUESTING YOUR SUPPORT FOR AN AMENDMENT THAT WOULD MANDATE THAT TEACHERS BE TRAINED IN BASIC FIRST AID AND CPR. THERE ARE MANY FORMAL TRAINING SITES FOR CERTIFICATION IN THESE AREAS AND THE TIME REQUIRED FOR TRAINING IS EQUAL TO NO
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MORE THAN ONE DAY TOTAL (OR TWO HALF DAYS) FOR BOTH COURSES.

THIRD, AND

FINALLY, READILY AVAILABLE PUBLISHED HAZARD VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT TOOLS CAN BE EASILY ACCESSED FOR SCHOOL OFFICIALS TO COMPLETE IN ORDER TO ASSESS THE RELATIVE THREAT OF NATURAL AND INTENTIONAL DISASTERS AS WELL AS INTERNAL TECHNOLOGY AND UTILITY FAILURES THAT MAY POSE A THREAT TO OUR CHILDREN WHILE THEY ARE IN SCHOOL. ONCE THE ASSESSMENTS ARE COMPLETED, SCHOOL OFFICIALS CAN CREATE SPECIFIC RESPONSE TRAINING AND DRILLING PLANS FOR THE TOP 5 (FIVE) THREATS IN COORDINATION WITH LOCAL AUTHORITIES AS ALREADY OUTLINED IN THE ACT. IN CONCLUSION, I AM REQUESTING YOUR ASSISTANCE TO BETTER PREPARE TEACHERS TO BECOME WELL-TRAINED FIRST RESPONDERS IN THE EVENT OF A DISASTER OR MEDICAL EMERGENCY BECAUSE THAT IS EXACTLY THE ROLE THEY WILL PLAY WHETHER THEY ARE TRAINED OR NOT. I, FOR ONE, WOULD PREFER THAT THEY BE PROPERLY TRAINED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.