Building Partnerships with First Responders

It’s Wednesday morning during full production mode, and the fire alarm has just sounded. Do your employees know how to respond and where to go? Fast forward to the weekend, and it’s now Saturday’s sanitation shift. Are the employees on this shift as prepared as the mid-week production crew? Are any of the fire fighters who are responding to the scene familiar with the layout of your facility?

What would happen if there were an active shooter workplace violence incident at your facility? Have you built a partnership with law enforcement officers in your community so that they can help provide tips on what to do in such potential situations?

Do you know which hospital is nearest to your facility and its capabilities for handling crisis situations? Would the hospital be able to handle a potential catastrophic event, such as a workplace violence situation, a chemical spill or dust explosion, or a natural disaster?

Emergency situations can happen at any time and with little or no warning. Airlines don’t wait for an airplane to crash to come up with a plan of response. The response is planned in advance and practiced regularly so that everyone is prepared in case of an actual event. Food plant managers must do the same.

It is crucial that employees are shown the proper escape routes from the facility in case of an emergency evacuation. But, it is equally important to establish relationships with first responders and law enforcers, including local police, fire, and EMS. Procedures for notifying appropriate law enforcement and public health officials of a crisis or a food-security threat, or when evidence of actual product tampering is observed, should be detailed and outlined in the Food Facility Defense Plan.

Many food plant managers are unaware of the resources available to help protect their facilities. Services and resources from federal, state, and local governments may be available in the form of training, presentations, and expert advice. AIB is on a mission to help bridge gaps and create partnerships between the food industry and law enforcement/first responders.

When the food industry partners with law enforcement and first responders, both sides reap the benefits. These benefits multiply when the partnerships build trust, take on specific objectives, and experience success as a result of joint efforts.
 

What’s in it for us?
Professional networking is one of the greatest benefits experienced. Partners can quickly identify who can get what done in their respective areas of responsibility. Partnerships boost plant managers’ confidence levels because they know they can personally reach out and get the assistance needed at a moment’s notice. Law enforcement benefits because they develop additional sources of information on crimes and other events in the community, as well as a better understanding as to how the food processing plant operates.

There are other benefits of the food plant/first responder partnership. If there is a major event in the community, such as a weather event or catastrophe, the food plant may be able to assist law enforcement with equipment, generators, etc. With the partnership between law enforcement and the food plant, officers can learn more about how the food and agricultural industry operates, especially in recall and traceability procedures, to better investigate alleged-tampering incidents. Also, local officers can provide selective enforcement and increase patrols around the food plant when suspicious activities are reported. Law enforcement agencies can provide information on current crime trends in the community, homeland security, workplace violence, cyber security, and crime-prevention workshops for employees.

It’s also a great idea to invite local emergency personnel to tour the facility when no incidents have occurred to familiarize them with operations and procedures. Ask these local experts for their suggestions and guidance on evacuation maps, emergency drills, etc. Current local, state, and federal Homeland Security contacts and public health officials should be listed in the food defense plan, and this list should be updated regularly. As a recommendation, management may want to engage in a written and documented Memorandum of Understanding and acknowledgement from the local authorities pertaining to expected resources and assistance in the case of a major emergency or catastrophe.
 

Critical Incident Planning
The events of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina illustrated a tremendous vulnerability in the face of disasters—not only terrorism, but natural catastrophes as well. These all-hands-on-deck events immediately bring plant personnel together with local community members, first responders, and others. The challenge for everyone during these unpredictable events is not who is going to respond, but whether or not it will be a coordinated effort by plant management and the first responders. How will plant management communicate with local, state, and federal officials? Who will be the liaison between the plant and the agencies? Who will maintain all official documents from the incident; government or the plant itself? Who will notify family members of those affected by the event and when will they be notified? What is needed to restore order to the area? Who decides when the plant may resume operation? Critical incident planning and coordination with local first responders and enforcement officials will help the plant answer these questions. Table-top exercises, role-play scenarios, mock drills and recalls are all useful in planning for these critical incidents.

We all want to feel as safe as possible from the impact of crime at food and agricultural processing plants and in the communities in which they are located. Since 9/11, there has been a radical shift in the types of crimes to which we need to respond and for which we need to prepare, as well as the way we approach and tackle them. By working together with food plants and law enforcement agencies from all levels of government, we learn what works and what still presents a challenge.

While some partnerships in the food and agricultural industry have achieved excellent outcomes, others remain somewhat virtual. High-performing, accountable, real, and active partnerships are part of the vision and ideas that the AIB Food Defense Resource Center hopes to create as we move forward. We are building a vision where local plant managers, front-line workers, local police, and federal agents are on a first-name basis, working together to protect our food supply and our nation from potential crises.

The author is Homeland Security, Food and Facility Defense Specialist, AIB International.