Crisis and Emergency ResponseThis section specifies procedures for various emergency situations, including school-to-school accidents and environmental emergencies, fires, natural disasters, medical emergencies and school intruders. Emphasis is placed on the importance of creating scenarios and exercises to practice responses to each of these situations. In the event of an emergency, the principal and staff must be prepared to follow procedures, while making leadership decisions based on the situation in order to maintain the safety of students and themselves (Jefferson County, 2008) . Drills are conducted regularly to prepare and train staff and students in the event of an actual emergency. Various bells, whistles and codes are used to alert staff and students through the school's audible alarm system. Practice helps staff and students know what actions are necessary for each alert. Each procedure is designed with straightforward statements that are easy to understand and follow. This is essential during an emergency situation where it is necessary to react quickly in order to maintain calm and order. A disaster can strike at any time and the region will determine the type of disaster encountered. Schools are required to develop a disaster plan to anticipate any type of threat. “When developing an effective disaster response program, schools benefit from specialized advice from organizations familiar” with emergency plans for schools (Marinelli, 2013, p. 29 ). A thorough risk assessment of all potential threats is necessary before plans are developed. This assessment helps schools develop a plan that meets their unique needs. Marinelli (2013) suggests that the minimum critical elements of an effective program should be: (...... middle of sheet ...... contacts at school. Law enforcement is arrived at the school within three minutes, as officers approached the school. The shooter pulled out a handgun and shot himself in one of the classrooms. the building, ensuring no other shooters were on site, then escorted students and faculty out of the building to a nearby fire station as reports of the shooting circulated around town. , distraught parents went to the fire station where the children had been taken After hours of reuniting parents and their children, (CNN, 2012) said: “at nightfall, the fire station. fire department became a gathering point for parents and family members whose loved ones were going to gather. never leave school” (p.1). Figure 1 below is a graphical representation of Sandy Hook Elementary School, it shows the proximity of the classroom to the main office and provides an overview of how quickly the incident occurred..