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CORRIDOR
First responders often are victims on the scene
Reporter: Tim Kenyon
tim@corridorbiznews.com
Communication plans are the most important part of crisis readiness situations such as a lockdown.
That’s what a security expert told a group of about 70 representatives from Iowa businesses and Corridor hospitals and schools at a training session held last week by Communications Engineering Co. (CEC) of Hiawatha.
While his company knows that the technology side of crisis planning is a big part of its business, CEC President Matt Dlouhy said he thought his staff, customers and school representatives would learn more about the tactical side from Jesus Villahermosa, a deputy sheriff with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department in Washington state and a security consultant who runs his own company, Crisis Reality Training Inc.
“By bringing in Jesus it allows us to look at the entire picture of a situation,” said Mr. Dlouhy, whose company integrates various systems to help deliver services such as mass notification, emergency evacuation, closed circuit television, networking and data and other related products and services.
Mr. Villahermosa discussed several examples during his daylong seminar at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, including crises and subsequent lockdowns at Columbine High School in Colorado, the University of Northern Illinois and, closer to home, the University of Northern Iowa and the recent Sueppel family killings and suicide in Iowa City.
A crisis situation may not necessarily mean a shooting. Things often are initially misreported as was the case with the Sueppel family incident, he said. Businesses and schools should plan proactively for crises as the situations arise — whether they be shootings, stabbings or other attacks — when least expected.
Moreover, he said, “The first responders to a crisis are usually the victims or people around the scene.”
Mr. Villahermosa said the “power of voice” cannot be underestimated in crisis situations.
The word of mouth from a situation will actually start the campus notification plan, whether it’s a school, hospital or corporation.
Notifying police is paramount. Mr. Villahermosa said they also need to know where to go when responding to a crisis.
“Law enforcement needs maps and schematics of buildings, wings and hallways especially for facilities that have one address,” he said.
David Allen, senior physical security specialist with Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, said Mr. Villahermosa did an “excellent job” with his presentation along with stirring security discussions with fellow attendees.
“It’s good re-enforcement of what we’re doing and good to hear other’s ideas,” Mr. Allen said.
He said he found Mr. Villahermosa’s descriptions of how to divide lockdowns into phases as most useful.
Mr. Villahermosa said the first stage involves initiating lockdown procedures: telling staff that law enforcement has been notified, asking any nearby visitors outside the building to leave the property immediately and calling 911.
Staff and others in buildings are told in stage two that the lockdown incident is secure, but that they should remain in their rooms until an all-clear signal is given, which is the third part of an lockdown announcement, he said.
Mr. Villahermosa said officials at businesses, schools and hospitals must remember that police and fire departments take command of a crisis once they are on scene.
He said business executives should follow the example set by the president or those in other high government positions in a war situation where they let others under them use their expertise and not tour a site until it is deemed safe.
“CEOs don’t need to go to the scene. You need to show you trust them (police) to do their job,” he said.
Other crisis/lockdown planning considerations he recommended include setting a location for students or employees to gather at when evacuating a crisis area and having practice plans in place with police and fire departments.
Mr. Villahermosa said leaders need to have a system in place tailored to their organization.
“It’s your own lockdown program that will save lives,” he said in personalizing the importance of such a plan.
Ward Jorgensen, a Wellmark sales manager, said it is beneficial for sales representatives to be more educated about crisis for their customers.
“It adds a lot of validity to what you’re saying when you provide them solutions. It gives us more exposure to the situation and helps us to determine how to reduce their risks,” Mr. Jorgensen said.
Mr. Dlouhy said interest to bring in Mr. Villahermosa to lead the seminar originated when he spoke as a security issue keynote speaker at a CEC business technology conference in 2007.
“He is very interactive with people in the audience,” Mr. Dlouhy said.
As far as helping his business, he said, “It will help us so we can better develop relevant software as we have several sales people and engineers attending.”
Mr. Dlouhy said the seminar was so well received that CEC may do another similar daylong seminar within the next year. CBJ
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