3.0 Principles of Response 

The Waterloo Catholic District School Board’s emergency response philosophy stands on the twin pillars of No Surprises and Safety First.

3.01 – No Surprise

If an organization identifies and moves to address an emergency early, it will have a wider range of response alternatives from which to choose. Constraints on future actions will be minimized. The goal is always an honest, timely, credible, caring and socially responsible response. Responsiveness and an early awareness of the organization’s vulnerabilities is the key to ensuring a positive outcome. You need to ask: What is the potential for this situation to become worse, and how can we prevent it from happening?

3.02 – Safety First

If an organization immediately takes steps to ensure the safety and security of everyone and everything involved – and is moving with resolve to ensure it never happens again – the chances of a successful outcome multiply. The longer the delay in action – or the longer an adequate response is deferred – the harder a situation will become to rectify. If the Waterloo Catholic District School Board is to err in responding to a situation, it will always err on the side of the safety and security of students and staff. 

IT’S NOT A QUESTION OF IF …BUT WHEN!