During the past several years, every state prison implemented an emergency plan that corresponds to standards used by Emergency Management Agencies, state police, firefighters and other emergency preparedness agencies.
That includes state correctional institutions at Huntingdon and Smithfield. The Department of Corrections is responsible for the lives of about 5,000 inmates and staff at the neighboring state correctional institutions.
‘‘We’ve always had emergency plans, which were specific to different situations — tornadoes, power loss, riots, escapes — and what the Incident Command System does is make sure all emergency responders are speaking the same language and that our command centers are set up the same way,” said Susan McNaughton, DOC press secretary.
The Incident Command System used by the DOC is the same as used by government agencies and emergency responders nationwide as directed by President Bush.
In February 2003, Bush issued a directive for the development of a National Incident Management System to provide a coast-to-coast template for crisis response. That system now is in place in all of Pennsylvania’s state-run correctional facilities.
In addition to adopting standard language and management practices, the ICS has altered the chain of command for managing emergency situations.
Connie Green, public information officer at the SCI Huntingdon, said choice in leadership during emergencies now is determined by expertise, not rank, and therefore encompasses the entire staff. Everyone is encouraged to learn the system.
‘‘For example, if there was a fire, it’s more beneficial to have, say, the chief of the institution’s fire plan act as commander instead of a deputy just because he’s a deputy,” she said.
Green said training is ongoing and extensive, with drills conducted with staff and outside agencies.
‘‘We have the same [framework] in our emergency plans, which is important because what affects us can affect the surrounding community,” Green said.
The DOC is the single largest employer in Huntingdon County with the two correctional facilities.
Adam Miller, Huntingdon County Emergency Management Agency director, whose agency has trained with staff at both institutions, said ICS keeps everyone headed for the same goal: a smooth operation.
‘‘There is a clear path to communication, clean management of resources and clean delegation of authority,” Miller
said, adding that Huntingdon County’s two SCIs are a vital, if nontraditional, resource for the county’s emergency response agencies.
Just as Miller’s agency is on standby to assist at either institution, the institutions have provided staff and equipment to aid in emergencies outside the prison walls.
During the Hurricane Ivan flood in 2004, SCI crews sandbagged the damaged levy that protects the village of Smithfield from the Juniata River.
That same year, a team of SCI staff training in rope maneuvers assisted in the search for a missing hunter over treacherous mountain terrain.
‘‘I have nothing but accolades for them,” Miller said. “They have that spirit of cooperation and that right there is worth a lot of real estate when you’re dealing with a crisis. It’s a symbiotic relationship that has proven mutually beneficial over time.”
McNaughton said this year, after years of training and development, the DOC has initiated surprise drills, with officials arriving at institutions with scenarios in hand and orders to staff to jump into action.
‘‘We have 15,000 employees across the system dedicated to safety, and they love this kind of hands-on training,” she said. ‘‘Everybody should feel comfortable and safe knowing that we are all on the same page and that we all responding together.”
Mirror Staff Writer Rebecca Berdar is at 946-7458.
