Community Corner
Andover Participates in Municipal Preparedness Training
Andover employees focus on safety and municipal preparedness during training
As part of its commitment to workforce safety and risk management, Andover recently sent five employees to participate in the “Forum on Municipal Preparedness” spring conference presented by the Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association (MIIA), Andover’s health, property and casualty insurance provider. The full-day conference was offered in three regional locations around the state for MIIA member municipalities, and was presented in cooperation with MIIA’s employee assistance partner, AllOne Health Resources. Andover employees attended the conference – which featured training seminars focusing on various aspects of municipal safety and preparedness – on March 27 at the Westford Regency.
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Keynote speaker, Ed Deveau, Chief of the Watertown, MA Police Department covered lessons learned from the Boston Marathon bombings on April 15 – and the subsequent manhunt in the streets of Watertown that took place several days afterward. Deveau spoke about responding to an unexpected crisis situation, “Anyone in this room could be put into the position we were in where something happens in your town and you must step up to be a leader,” he told the crowd of 73 attendees. “Planning was key, training prepared our police officers, and the bottom line is that no one can do it alone.” In addition to praising the officers in his department for their bravery, Deveau emphasized the importance of building a network of contacts with surrounding communities, federal agencies, professional associations, and public safety organizations. Deveau noted that “having good working relationships” with other towns helped immensely in coordinating crisis response efforts.
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During a presentation on school safety, Lt. Scott Sencabaugh of the Wilmington Police Department provided an overview of the NEMLEC School Threat Assessment and Response System (STARS) program. (NEMLEC, or the North Eastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council, is a consortium of 55 police departments that provide regional services to its member communities.) Sencabaugh, who also serves as the STARS’ Officer-in-Charge, said the goal of the program is to help schools plan by working closely with staff to assess potential high-risk situations such bomb threats or threats of violence, as well as to mitigate the impact of a range of crisis events including homicide, suicide, or illness of a teacher or student. “The best response always lies in the preparation,” he said. “That’s always the best defense – have a plan in advance and make sure everyone is educated. Crisis plans are no good unless you get them out, review them, modify them, know them, and train faculty.”
The spring conference featured additional presentations on a range of preparedness topics including workplace violence prevention policies and procedures; how to conduct a security and risk assessment of public facilities; bullying in the workplace; setting a visitor code of conduct for municipal offices; and best practices for interacting with individuals with mental illness. MIIA and AllOne brought in subject matter experts to present to attendees and conduct the interactive workshops throughout the day.
Hilary Hackbart from the Massachusetts Department of Labor and Standards, who conducted the session focusing on workplace violence, underscored how crucial it is for municipal governments to plan in advance when it comes to safety and risk management – as well as to partner with local law enforcement agencies in addition to her own department. She noted that the Commonwealth is “very active” in helping municipal governments manage safety issues and concerns, and even offers free assessments that come with zero penalties.
Upon completion of the training offered at the spring conference and other MIIA risk- and loss-prevention programs, participating municipalities are eligible to receive insurance premium credits through the MIIA Rewards programs, reducing costs of property and casualty insurance. Rewards programs are developed to help mitigate municipal risk, educate members on issues of topical interest, establish prevention practices, and reward members for implementing innovative programs. Trainings through the Rewards program are presented free of charge by MIIA to its member municipalities.
About MIIA
MIIA is the non-profit, member-based insurance arm of the Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) insuring nearly 400 cities, towns, and other public entities in the state. In fiscal year 2013, more than 8,000 city and town employees participated in nearly 400 MIIA-sponsored trainings and technical and management seminars offered throughout the state. Member municipalities' efforts yielded more than $2.5 million of premium credit collectively through the MIIA Rewards incentive program in FY13 for an 11-year total of over $19.8 million. For more information please visit www.emiia.org and www.mma.org.
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