Contingency planning and organizational preparedness

Western Corrections/Police

Contingency Plans

A necessary part of a community's disaster planning activities must include identification and inventorying of its critical and risk specific facilities. Correctional facilities are considered risk specific facilities. If the facility is vulnerable to the effects of a disaster environment then contingency plans must be made. If the contingency plan calls for the use of an alternate facility, the name and location must be included in the plan. This process of planning for a disaster is known as Survivable Crisis Management (SCM) (CFI-RSFI Standard Operating Guidelines, 2003).

Having an emergency preparedness plan is critical for both public and private institutions, particularly prisons and jails, which are responsible for the safety of large numbers of individuals who are usually locked up and cannot protect themselves in many emergency situations. "In 2005, the U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections, published A Guide to Preparing for and Responding to Prison Emergencies (the "NIC Guide")" (Preparing for the Storm, n.d.) The NIC Guide contains a self-audit checklist of hundreds of questions that a facility's commanders should ask to assess the facility's emergency readiness. The questions that must be addressed in a prison's written policies, its training practices, and the organizational structure needed to maintain command and control. The checklist is intended to serve a variety of functions, such as providing management with an objective assessment of the progress and status of the emergency system and creating an opportunity to evaluate or reevaluate resource allocation. The ultimate goal of an audit is to make sure that everything is thought of and accounted for before a disaster takes place (Preparing for the Storm, n.d.).

The NIC Guide contains a checklist that prisons and jail's can use to test their readiness to prepare for and respond to natural disasters. Natural disasters are different from other types of emergencies, because the proper response may require an offsite evacuation of the entire prisoner population. Given the unique challenges raised by natural disasters, a special degree of preparation is also needed. The natural disaster checklist contains the following things that must be addressed:

-Does the institution have policies in place that specifically address a natural disaster including planning, response, and recovery operations?

- Does the institution conduct routine training with all staff members in natural disaster response, including drills and exercises?

- Does the institution have current shared aid agreements with outside agencies to coordinate response activities that might be needed during a natural disaster?

- Does the institution have emergency response plans and checklists specific to different natural disasters?

-Has the institution identified supplies and equipment that may be needed in the event of a natural disaster for example: water, tents, portable toilets, portable lighting, blankets, etc.

-Does the institution have evacuation and relocation plans, alternative sites selected, and arrangements and agreements with these places in the event of natural disasters?

- Does the institution have a plan to operate the institution with reduced staffing levels should a natural disaster make it necessary to do so?

-Does the institution have an emergency staff services (ESS) program in place to respond to staff and staff family needs in the event of a natural disaster?

- Has the institution planned for operating for an extended period without contact or assistance from outside in the event of a natural disaster?

- Is the institution prepared to maintain security and essential services, in the event of loss of power or other utilities, for as long as 72 hours?

-Does the institution have a 3-day supply of potable water onsite or at an alternate site?