Readier to Respond

Alarm response training enhances CCA’s emergency preparedness

When emergencies happen, responding in the right way can put even the best-trained professionals to the test. And for the first time, CCA and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) have partnered to help employees respond more safely and effectively.

“CDCR has given us training before, but nothing as in-depth as this course,” says Jimmy Turner, CCA vice president, Operations (Business Unit II).

Nearly 40 selected employees from Florence Correctional Center, La Palma Correctional Facility, North Fork Correctional Facility, Red Rock Correctional Facility and Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility, and the Facility Support Center attended alarm response training with CDCR employees in October.

“The state of California developed this program, and its sole focus is staff safety,” says Thomas Sammons, CCA division training manager (Business Unit II), who attended the training. “It’s designed to help staff respond to an emergency in the most effective way possible.”

“CDCR’s emergency response system is sophisticated and very well organized,” says Steve Kaiser, CCA managing director, Staff and Organization Development. “The whole idea of staff safety is something we’re very focused on and have been for years, but this gives us a new level of making sure we’re keeping our staff safe.”

The first week of training consisted of a 32-hour basic alarm response course, followed by an eight-hour course, which focused on supervisors’ roles in alarm response. During the second week, trainees were equipped to teach the course themselves.

“We took a 40-hour instructor course designed for employees who would return to their facilities and teach the basic alarm course to other staff,” Sammons says.

Attendees were trained to handle a wide range of facility disturbances, including passive inmate responses, inmate-on-inmate assaults, medical emergencies and more.

“The curriculum encompassed both classroom training and a variety of practical, reality-based exercises outdoors,” explains Sammons. “It was physically and mentally challenging because everyday throughout the training we were constantly on the move. Once we learned something new, we went out to do practical application in the field.”

The training culminated in a rigorous test, with trainees responding to a serious mock emergency. “All of our trainees passed the course and became certified by CDCR to be instructors of alarm response training,” Turner says. “We learned a great deal and, at the same time, it was a chance to further expand our relationships with the training department within CDCR.”

By DeAndra Mack