Emergency solutions
Huntington employs Rapid Responder system


December 5, 2006
by Rodney Tanaka
San Gabriel Valley Tribune

SAN MARINO - The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens is changing the way it organizes emergency response efforts.

The Huntington, in San Marino, is implementing the Rapid Responder crisis management system, which collects floor plans, satellite information, utility shutoffs and evacuation routes to ensure quick and coordinated emergency response.

"It's going to be a very effective tool for us," said Laurie Sowd, associate vice president for operations for the Huntington.

The system will help the Huntington keep written materials up to date and available to everyone who needs them, she said.

The institution regularly has evacuation drills and earthquake simulations, she said.

"We long had a very thoughtful and thorough emergency response plan in place here through years of regular meetings with staff," she said. "Prepared Response offers us a Web-based software system that enables us to more easily update and keep current those materials."

The first priority is keeping the staff and thousands of daily guests safe in an emergency, Sowd said.

But a lot of work is also required to keep The Huntington's collections safe, Sowd said.

The system was developed by Seattle-based Prepared Response Inc., which develops crisis management planning and response systems.

Rapid Responder has been deployed in more than 7,000 facilities, said Jim Finnell, president and CEO of Prepared Response.

Rapid Responders is one of 65 technologies certified by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under the Support for Anti-Terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies Act, Finnell said.

The certification provides a "seal of approval" from Homeland Security and also provides liability protection in the event of a terrorist attack, he said. Without government protection, few companies would develop anti-terrorism technology due to potential liability, he said.

Information collected by the Rapid Responder system can be accessed on a secure Internet site or on the hard drive of a laptop computer in case of a power outage.

San Marino police, fire and city officials also worked on the plan, Finnell said.

"We often don't see that because of logistics," he said. "A venue will develop internal plans, but outside entities won't see them."

All public sites have an evacuation plan. But the Rapid Responder program also deals with how the facility manages emergency response - securing a building, the best places to set up roadblocks, triage or a command post, Finnell said.

It also includes simple things such as who to call at 3 a.m. when a water pipe breaks, he said.

In the old days, companies collected safety information in a three-ring binder and gave a copy to 100 different people, Finnell said. If one item changed, each manual had to be updated.

The Rapid Responder system is easy to update, he said.

"Everybody is working off the same content, the same plan," he said. "It drives collaboration."