Towns employ proactive loss control practices

Many cities and towns practice consistent, high-quality loss control practices. The following are two examples of activities that anticipate potential problems that could have a serious impact on the town, its residents and employees.

Sandwich
In 2008, the town of Sandwich undertook a large-scale school evacuation exercise as preparation for handling a possible school crisis incident, according to John Burke, a fire inspector in the Sandwich Fire Department.

Burke said the effort had the following goals: to prepare for a school crisis, to assemble the crisis planning team, to build relationships between the Police, Fire, and School departments, and to reduce the risk of mishandling an actual school crisis incident.

During the exercise, which was compliant with the standards of the National Incident Management System and the Department of Homeland Security, 1,000 students were transported to a reunification site, according to Burke. Special needs students were brought to a separate location for individual triage and reunification with parents.

The planning team began meeting three months prior to the exercise, said Burke, a member of the planning team. The team included a school nurse, a school psychologist and special education administrators as well as a representative from the Fire and Police departments. Town officials felt this early start on the planning process was essential for team building and clear communication.

Once parental permission was obtained, high-risk students were profiled and researched, so that special accommodations could be made if necessary. The team also developed an action plan in the event that one or more students became ill or other medical issues arose during the evacuation process, according to Burke. Extra staffing was available on the day of the exercise, in case any unforeseen issues or incidents occurred.

The exercises have been held every year since 2008, strengthening the relationship and the skill set of all those involved in crisis management.

“It is important that all agencies realize that a school crisis event involves every town department, including the Department of Public Works and Recreation Department, to work together to bring a calm resolution to the event,” Burke said.

The town has continued to improve safety by establishing a $25,000 line item in the town administrator’s budget to purchase and improve safety in the schools. The money is spent at the discretion of the planning team, with the superintendent and School Committee approving any equipment acquisition.

The team has taken steps to install access control devices, video surveillance, and portable radios. Bi-directional antennas have been installed inside the schools to boost the public safety radio system so that it works deep inside the structures. This is an important consideration, Burke said, because the concrete and steel shell of the buildings tends to inhibit radio transmission.

At the start of the 2010 school year, all four of the public schools had access control and radios with dedicated frequencies ready to go. The fire and lockdown drills have run seamlessly this year, Burke said, with this new coordinated security and communication.

Hudson
Excavating and working in trenches is one of the most hazardous construction conditions for municipal workers, according to the Division of Occupational Safety. The town of Hudson has secured more than $17,000 in grant funding from MIIA to address loss prevention and workplace safety issues to protect the welfare of town employees and the public.

Back in 2004, Hudson obtained confined space safety equipment that enables employees to replace potentially hazardous air in a confined space with a fresh air supply in a timely manner, according to Max Kamel, the town’s assistant public works director. The equipment allows emergency work and rescues to be performed safely, Kamel said.

In 2008, the town purchased trench-shoring equipment in order to stabilize work areas and prevent soil collapses that may occur when workers are in trenches installing or repairing water and drain pipes.

Recently, Hudson obtained a grant to purchase a sewer and drain camera and 250-foot cable, which are important to maintaining sewer lines and avoiding costly and disruptive sewer malfunctions or back-ups, Kamel said. The camera allows town employees to inspect sewer and drain lines from above ground, eliminating the risks associated with climbing into confined spaces. The camera also allows town employees to access manholes and investigate potential problems from above ground, minimizing or eliminating the need to be inside these structures.

In 2009, Kamel said, the town purchased a manhole cover lifter. Manhole covers can weigh in excess of 100 pounds and can be awkward to lift, especially if they have not been removed in several years. The cover lifter greatly reduces the risk of back injuries among municipal employees.

The town also purchased a valve box cover lifter to enable employees to lift covers while they are standing, rather than kneeling. Since most of these covers are located in the travel lanes of public streets, the employees’ ability to stand up allows them to better monitor traffic and increase their visibility to motorists.

In 2010, the town secured another MIIA grant to purchase a safety trailer equipped with Sono Blaster, barricades, safety barrels, horses, and cones to be used at construction sites, accidents, emergencies and other events. Sono Blaster’s 125 dB siren is used to warn workers and drivers if an automobile travels through a barricade into a work area.

Sandwich and Hudson are committed to creating safer work environments. Both towns are proactive and voluntarily participate in loss control programs.

These loss control efforts were enabled in part by two programs offered by MIIA. MIIA’s loss-control grant program helps to pay for trench-shoring equipment, sewer cameras and other tools. The MIIA Rewards Program allows MIIA members to accumulate premium credits by participating in loss control and risk management activities.