Shiloh County Emergency Response Team

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The Shiloh County Emergency Response Team is the ERT-RPG's main administrative agency, responsible for overall emergency management, dispatch and control. In game terms, the majority of players are administrators for the site, and act as game masters to direct calls, organize events and support departments. In lore, the SC-ERT manages countywide emergency communications dispatch, mutual aid, special services and sits at the County Management Board for Emergency Services. The ERT is led by Commissioner William Burke, Director of Emergency Management for Shiloh County. 

Topics

1. History
2. People of Interest
3. Divisions and Organizations
4. SC-ERT Headquarters
5. Units
6. Policies

 

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1. History of the SC-ERT

As the Cold War shifted towards an end, Civil Defense organizations started to decline in importance, instead being replaced by civilian agencies with the goal of protecting from the most common disasters, floods, fires and the like, instead of the fallout from all-out war with the Soviets. Discussions in the mid-80's started amongst County Administrators who got to work creating the concept that would eventually become Shiloh County's Emergency Response Team. At the inception, the team was a small force of ten employees, all hazards specialists hired from the general public, as well as loaned to the ERT on agreements from emergency response agencies in the county. These specialists were tasked with ordering what would become the ERT, developing policies, responses and coordination, but also primarily to ensure all county residents had teams available to assist in emergencies above and beyond the normal call of duty. 

The SC-ERT was therefore officially formed in 1987, designed as a coordination and response team, not with the goal of being an emergency management organization. This of course changed as the needs of the county grew, and it became clear it would be better suited to coordinate all resources between departments rather than to try to duplicate specialist resources in some areas to make up for areas lacking those. Departments operating in the county were required to assign a specialist liaison officer to help in this management of their county's emergency resources. 

During the period of 1987-1994, ERT liaisons and staff worked on various mutual aid policies, agreements and areas of improvement, assisting in mergers throughout the county, particularly in the way of Fire Departments. Many communities were feeling the pinch of budgetary constraints due to decreased tax bases, and the ERT organized takeovers of departments that were financially unable to maintain the necessary standards now being imposed by County Government. This led to some animosity towards the ERT and its members during this period.

In 1994, following significant political pressure to cut budgetary waste, the SCERT reorganized into an all county-employee organization, replacing department liaisons with one field liaison for each Fire, Medical and Law Enforcement. These changes streamlined operations in the organization, however caused animosity to continue in smaller departments who had now lost their direct voice at the ERT, and instead had to liaise through an organization member. 

In 1997, in an effort to improve emergency response and efficiency, all emergency response agencies participated in an ERT led drive to take over 911 and county dispatch communications. From the period of 1997-2000, all agencies able to respond to emergency calls were required to take dispatch services from ERT County Communications, and all 911 calls were routed through a single call centre. This greatly improved emergency response times, consistency and was widely praised by all parties involved, despite concessions made throughout the process in agency authority. During this time the ERT also opened its first state-of-the-art Emergency Operations Centre, located in their new headquarters. 

In 2000 the ERT opened their first purpose built building since their inception, complete with multiple apparatus bays, conference centres, an EOC, 911 Communications Centre and a helicopter pad. During the uncertain times following the 2001 terrorist attacks, ERT worked closely with FEMA, and later DHS in adjusting its mandate to preparing for man-made disasters more closely, as opposed to just natural disasters. In 2005 the ERT was restructured to create a director of communications, reporting to director of emergency preparedness, following specialist dispatch and tactical operations communications for multiple agencies being absorbed into ERT's 911 Communication Centre. 

Following restructuring directed by FEMA, ERT created 4 distinct specialist task forces to support major emergencies and provide additional capabilities to response teams in the county and statewide. 

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2. People of Interest

 

Chief Director  of Emergency Management: Comm. Will Burke
Director of Emergency Response: Asst. Comm. Chris Smith
Director of Emergency Preparedness: Asst. Comm. Ruth Renken
SAR Coordinator: Captain* Kyle Greene
Support Coordinator: Captain* Cory Rodriguez
Incident Command Support Team Coordinator: Lt. Claude Knox
Safety/HazMat Support Officer: Lt. Matthew Flenderson
Active Shooter Task Force Coordinator: Captain Dana Williams
Logistics and Mutual Aid Support Coordinator: Captain Laura Barker
          LMAS Support Staff: Lieutenant Julia Kelp
Quartermaster: Lt. Wendy Fevero

County Coroner: Dr. John Hudson
Office of the Chief Medical Examiner: Dr. Nora Mitchell
Coroner's Chief Investigator: Inspector Claudia Molina

EMS Liaison: Lieutenant Jack Henry
Fire Liaison: Lieutenant Michael Hanson
LEA Liaison: Lieutenant Michelle Rhymes

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3. Division and Organization

The SC-ERT is divided into two divisions, preparedness and response, each directed by assistant commissioners, as well as the agency of County Coroner, which reports directly to the ERT Commissioner. More information on the SC-ERT Divisions, including structural organization, role definitions and pay scales can be found HERE.

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4. SC-ERT Headquarters

The SC-ERT Headquarters is located at First Street North, between Lyons Ave and Court Ave (Grid M17). The two storey structure houses apparatus and equipment storage on the main floor, as well as a press briefing room and conference centre, ERT Task Force Bull pens, and a regional training and meeting room. On the second floor, the ERT Helipad is accessible, as well as the county EOC, and the 911 Communications Centre. In addition, administration offices, including liaison officers are located on the second floor throughout. 

 

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5. SC-ERT Units

Multiple units are assigned to ERT operations for various task forces and emergency response capabilities. The ERT uses a distinct yellow and white scheme, originally derived from the surplus vehicles that founded the organization, now serving as a high visibility identifier of department. 

ERT Command Posts
ERT Chief Officers and Administration Vehicles
ERT Task Force Vehicles
ERT Special Service Vehicles

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6. ERT Policies and Procedures:

Policy 1. Issuance of emergency vehicles and emergency vehicle equipment for take-home and personal use and assignment. 

Policy 2. Activation of Mass Casualty Protocol Responses

Policy 3. Activation of ERT Search and Rescue Resources

Policy 4. Answering and Processing Communications

Policy 5. Awards and Precents

Policy 1 

The Shiloh County Emergency Response Team(ERT), in coordination with the Shiloh County Sheriff's Department (SCSD) and the Saratoga State Police will be the authorizing body within the County for emergency vehicle lighting permits not assigned to a recognized emergency response agency, or a government body. The ERT will assign emergency vehicle for personal use in a combination of marked and unmarked vehicles to members assigned in full-time on call, or managerial roles. The stipulations of use will be provided at the time of assignment and can be revoked at any time, resulting in disciplinary action. 

The ERT will assign emergency vehicle equipment permits, also known as Red Light Permits, to vehicles registered to private persons, given that the Office of the Director of Emergency Response of the ERT is satisfied of all of the following conditions:

1. The registered individual is affiliated with an emergency response agency that requires this person to be on call for emergency response of the same. 
2. This registrant has completed a recognized EVOC or equivalent, and carries appropriate insurance for the vehicle in question. 
3. This permit will not apply to no more than 1 vehicle, and no other vehicles are currently permitted under the same registrant. 
4. The registrant agrees that the vehicle will only activate emergency equipment in response to a scene or station for an emergency call. 
5. The emergency equipment will include red and white lights only, and an audible siren, which must be all used in combination on responses. 
6. The registrant is not applying as a member of a volunteer fire department, or volunteer search and rescue team, with the exception of ERT Canine SAR members. 
7. The registrant applies with a letter certifying the above from the affiliated agency. 

Policy 2: Activation of Mass Casualty Response Protocol

The ERT, as the primary communications and dispatching agency within the county will be responsible for activation of mass casualty plans, where it is reported, or believed, that an incident is taking place which will result in more than 5 casualties requiring medical treatment and/or transport at a scene. In addition to reported incidents by several calls or personnel on scene, there are several classes of incident which will automatically activate a mass casualty response plan. These incidents are as follows:

Large Aircraft Crashes, or a small aircraft into a populated area
Active Shooters with multiple casualties believed or reported
HAZMAT incidents in large capacity buildings
Any confirmed structure fires at hospitals
Motor Vehicle Accidents with reported injuries involving a vehicle carrying more than 10 people and/or more than 5 vehicles involved

EMS Plans will be activated by the Communications Supervisor on duty, or by the ranking officer on a scene. If a resource is on scene, or already dispatched at time of activation, they are considered part of the EMS plan, unless otherwise requested. The EMS Plans are as follows: 

EMS PLAN I: 5 Ambulances, 1 Engine, 1 Rescue/Squad, 1 Platoon Chief, 1 EMS Officer, 1 EMS Platoon Chief
EMS PLAN II (additional companies) = 5 Ambulances, 1 EMS Officer, 1 EMS Support Officer, 1 Mass Casualty Bus (ERT), 1 Command Vehicle (ERT), 1 Media Relations Officer, 1 Engine, 1 Squad
EMS PLAN III (additional companies) = 5 Ambulances, 1 Deputy Chief Fire, Deputy Chief of EMS, Medical Director or On Call Physician, 1 EMS Officer, EMS Support Team, 1 engine, 1 squad, 

In addition, all EMS Plan Activations will include notification to the Logistics and Mutual Aid Support Officer of the ERT, or their designate, for preparation and assignment of additional resources, at their discretion. 

Policy 3: Activation of ERT Search and Rescue Resources

The Emergency Response Team, under the Emergency Response Office coordinates all search and rescue operations within the county, through a combination of paid on call and volunteer members. These members are not activated directly, and can only be tasked via a primary emergency response agency. All team recruitment and training is coordinated by the ERT SAR Coordinator, who works with the team members to manage these tasks, with the exception of USASR, whose membership is sponsored by the SCFD. 

Ground Search and Rescue

Ground Search and Rescue, or GSAR, is composed entirely of volunteers, and is activated to assist and conduct searches for lost and missing people by the law enforcement agency handling the missing persons case. GSAR teams may elect to train members in specialized technical rescue aspects, pending the ability to maintain adequate training and comprehension levels, as well as activity. These sub-teams will be approved by the SAR Coordinator. Additionally, Fire Departments, the ERT, or law enforcement may activate GSAR for additional, non search related auxiliary emergency response as needed, including evacuations, warming checks, or community service. 

Urban Search and Rescue

USAR teams are composed entirely of SCFD specialized staff, using equipment provided by the SCFD and ERT to conduct specialized technical rescue operations in large scale disasters. The ERT USAR serves as Saratoga's USAR Task Force, under FEMA guidance, and as such may be deployed outside of standard operational boundaries when requested. The SAR Coordinator works with the SCFD and outside agencies to determine response as needed. 

Canine Search and Rescue

The ERT sponsors paid, on call members and their trained dogs for Canine SAR, or K9SAR. These members, upon completion of a certified EVOC and permitting from the ERT, may respond directly from home to an emergency to assist with detection. Due to the nature of these responses, K9SAR may be requested directly through the ERT by law enforcement, fire and rescue, or ERT resources, and will be tasked by county comms in order of response availability, specialization required and ETA. Where multiple handlers are able to respond in a given area, they may respond to the ERT and be assigned based on ETA alone. 

Evidence Search Team

The ERT, through its GSAR volunteers, selects and trains additionally qualified search and rescue technicians to respond to aid law enforcement in evidence search and collection efforts. Responding both in coordinated searches, as well as emergency response, this team is activated directly by law enforcement, through County Communications, as needed. Members report to the ERT in their personal vehicles and will proceed to scenes in ERT vehicles. No personal vehicles respond to scenes. 

Policy 4: Answering and Processing Calls and Communications within ERT County Communications

As the primary answering point for all emergency calls, and the communication center for emergency agencies within the county, as well as the non-emergency contact point for several agencies, the ERT County Communications has established a standardized workflow for efficiently processing calls and communications throughout the center. Within these policies, a communications supervisor has the authority to make amendments to processing flows and redirect non-urgent communications as required. 

Level of Priority for Calls
Emergency 911
Internal Urgent Communications Lines
External Public Lines
Internal Administrative Lines

This priority ensures that emergency identified calls are given priority. In addition to External Public Lines, which may be used for reporting emergencies incorrectly, as well as internal administrative lines, County Comms maintains a direct dial for agencies to reach dispatchers if radio traffic is unavailable, or otherwise unsuitable. These lines will be answered ahead of all others, except for emergency calls. 

Dispatcher II and III, with assignment to dual call taking and dispatch roles will manage both radios and phone lines regularly, however at the discretion of the supervisor, a single dispatcher, or multiple, may be assigned single role dispatching, with no call taking responsibilities, in an effort to allow dispatchers to more effectively process high volumes of incoming calls. 

Dispatchers at level II or higher will be assigned to handle and process their own calls where possible, and may also be given assignment on other dispatcher availability or training levels. 

Policy 5 Awards and Precedents

The ERT issues the following awards, and these awards and recognitions are to be worn in the following precedent from top left to bottom right, in rows of 3. Any awards issued from a state or federal body, not listed, may be worn in rack with uniforms with precedent decided on an award-by-award basis, if not already stipulated in award issue. 

Shiloh County Medal of Honor

•  Full medal worn on golden neck ribbon with navy stars in rows centered on medal suspender. Medal is suspended by a clasp with award year, and medal is an oblong circle with state seal in centre and last name of recipient engraved in middle. Medal is designed to resemble a gold shield badge. Undress ribbon to be worn on rack with a solid gold background, with 12 gold stars in navy.
• Award for exceptional heroics, resulting in great personal risk to save others, in the most honorable way. Award is nominated by a department's chief officer and reviewed by the County Board prior to award. 

Shiloh County Medal of Valor

• Full medal worn on royal purple neck ribbon, trimmed with red and white thread. The medal is suspended on a gold ring, with an S inlaid in gold laurels. The Saratoga Seal is centred on an inverted five point star. Undress ribbon to be worn on rack with a solid royal purple ribbon. If award of the Medal of Honor and Valor is concurrently worn, the medal of Valor will be worn in the first position, suspended from a ribbon of material the same as the neck ribbon. 
• Award for extreme valor in the line of duty, saving life at great personal risk. 

Phoxlind Attacks

• Full medal worn suspended from a ribbon with black trim, and red and blue on either side of a gold stripe, suspending a silver medal, with the date of the attacks inscribed below an eagle holding a cross ledger and baton. Undress ribbon to be worn on rack with a solid black background, and a split red and blue centre line, trimmed in gold. 
• Awarded to all members serving at the time of the Phoxlind Attacks. 

Shiloh County Public Service Purple Heart

• Full medal worn on a blue-magenta ribbon, trimmed in gold, suspending a gold heart bearing the Shiloh County Seal. Additional Awards are denoted by 1 star on a clasp. Each clasp can contain up to 5 stars. Undress ribbon to be worn on rack with a solid blue-magenta background, trimmed in gold. 
• Awarded to members who receive injuries in the line of duty. 

Shiloh County Public Safety Member of the Year Award

• Full medal worn dependent on service.
  • Law Enforcement Officer of the Year: 7 Point gold star, overlaid with gold laurels, and the first year of award bannered between top of star points. Additional awards worn as clasps on ribbon. Medal is suspended from Navy blue ribbon, with paired dual baby-blue stripes running the length of the ribbon. Undress ribbon worn with navy blue background and paired dual baby-blue stripes and the year of the most recent award. 
  • Dispatcher of the Year: 5 Point Gold star, overlaid with gold laurels, and the first year of award bannered between bottom points of star. Additional awards worn as clasps on ribbon. Medal is suspended from forest green ribbon, with gold stripes, bordered with silver. Undress ribbon worn with same pattern and the year of the most recent award. 
  • Firefighter of the Year: Gold Maltese Cross with the year of first award in the base of the cross, and Shiloh County Seal in the centre, and Firefighter of the Year in the remaining three tips of the cross. Medal is suspended from a red ribbon, with a solid white stripes running lengthwise. Undress ribbon worn with same pattern and the year of the most recent award. 
  • Medical Technician of the Year: A Gold Cross, overlaid with gold laurels, suspended from a teal-blue ribbon with a white stripe running lengthwise. Year of first award on base of cross, and additional awards worn as clasps on the ribbon. Undress ribbon worn with the same pattern and the year of the most recent award split on the centre line. 
  • Supervisor of the year: Crossed American flags centred in gold laurels, with year of first award at the base of the flags. Medal is suspended from a gold ribbon with a navy blue stripe running lengthwise and a centered deep red stripe. Year of any additional awards is worn on a clasp. Medal supersedes any other member of the year awards, and when worn in full dress will be worn with the undress ribbon for other member of the year awards. Undress ribbon for this award is ribbon pattern with centered year of award. 
• Nominated by any member of the Shiloh County Public Safety Community, members are voted for by their peers, with confirmation from County Board and awards given to recognize exemplary service. 

Excellence in Service Award

• No full medal awarded, presented with a plaque, undress ribbon is a central green stripe, splitting a white stripe, bordered by gold and forest green. Undress ribbon to be worn in full dress above any full dress medals. 
• Awarded to recognize excellence in service. 

Combat Cross Award

• No full medal awarded. Undress ribbon is crimson red, with three small white vertical stripes. Undress ribbon to be worn in full dress above any full dress medals.
• Awarded primarily to law enforcement members, on report of involvement in altercations involving weapons, where meritorious conduct was carried out to minimize harm to life and safety of others. 

Education Awards

• No full medal awarded. Undress ribbon in split navy blue and crimson red on first award. Additional awards denoted with silver star additions, up to 5 total awards. Undress ribbon is not worn in full dress, instead denoted on the left arm above the elbow, below shoulder flashes, with a gold star in arced row for each award, up to five in total. 
• Awarded upon completion with honors of recognized educational courses. 

Public Service Longevity Award

• No full medal award. Undress ribbon in split yellow and navy blue on first award. Additional awards, up tot the fifth additional award will be denoted in silver stars. After the 5th additional award, stars will be replaced by gold stars, until the 10th additional award, at which no further stars are issued. Undress ribbon is not worn in full dress, instead denoted by gold hash marks for each award on the left arm above shirt cuff and any applicable rank stripes. 
• Awarded automatically in the first month of the year of a service anniversary, at two year intervals.