Role of your EM

School Safety

The Pennington County Emergency Management has worked collectively with the schools in the county to enhance security via Homeland Security Funding.

Precautions: In the event of an emergency.

Parents should not attempt to pick up children from schools, daycare, etc. unless or until told to do so through the news media. If Shelter-In-Place or evacuations are taking place the arrival of the parents would only create additional confusion and could be dangerous.
Be certain your children's caretakers know what to do in emergencies.
If you are in a car, close windows and vents, turn off heater or air conditioner and drive carefully away from the danger area.
Don't panic and don't believe rumors. Tune in to a local EAS station for accurate and updated information.
During the emergency, precautionary evacuations may be assisted by buses or other public methods, but the primary method for you to evacuate is for you to use your own vehicle or have arrangements made with others in advance.
Use your telephone only for fire, medical or police emergencies.

Weapon of Mass Destruction & Terrorist Events

In the wake of the World Trade Center and Oklahoma City bombing, the President of the United States signed Executive Order PDD-39 which directed all public safety agencies to work cooperatively in times of domestic terrorism. The order also called for the FBI to serve as the lead law enforcement agency in these cases and for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to serve as the lead agency for the consequence management side of the incident. FEMA has issued directives to have the state and local Emergency Management Agencies provide the immediate response in these events with FEMA support.

While many people ask, "Terrorism, in Rapid City or Pennington County?" The answer unfortunately has to be "it could happen here". The Rapid City-Pennington County Emergency Management has been aggressive in this area sending many first responders to special training in the area of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), that is chemical, ordnance, biological, and radiological weapons.

Pennington County has taken the lead in the West River South Dakota region as far as the number of trained personnel available to respond to a WMD incident in our area. That training is continuing and increasing as the we strive to ensure that many law enforcement, fire, and medical personnel receive the highest level of training necessary.

Civil Disorder

In the event of a major civil disorder incident, such as, a prison riot, major political protest, etc., the county and state Emergency Management Agencies are available to serve as a liaison to other assisting agencies. The Rapid City-Pennington County Emergency Management works on an ongoing basis with local institutions to develop plans to coordinate assistance should a major incident occur at their facility. The local EM, by statute, serves as the coordinating agency to procure state and federal assets to assist local communities in times of emergency.

Mass Casualty Incident

Any mass casualty event poses unique problems and challenges for emergency responders and the public-at-large. The Rapid City-Pennington County Emergency Management serves as the central planning agency for first responders in all types of large scale disasters, including mass casualty events.

The Rapid City-Pennington County Emergency Management responds to mass casualty events and can assist other responding agencies by providing logistical and resource needs, while also making available state and federal resources when required.

Severe Weather

Weather is unpredictable in our area. From blizzards and sub-zero cold to extended drought with blistering heat, those who have lived in our area for any length of time have probably seen it all. It is especially important for you as a community member to be aware of changing weather patterns and know what to do and how to be safe and prepared for all-weather scenarios.

Listen to weather forecasts, own a NOAA weather radio, dress for the weather, take all the precautions you can so you won't get left out in the cold. The National Weather Service provides a good Black Hills Climate Overview of what you can expect for our area on typical weather in our areas in a given month.

Get prepared for severe weather.

Hazardous Materials Emergencies

Hazardous materials (HAZMAT) emergencies can occur anywhere, anytime in Pennington County. Most of the emergencies occur with little or no advance warning. Fast action can save your life! How will you know of the danger?

You may see, hear or smell something very unusual. For example, an explosion, crash or chemical vapor in the air. Any tanker accident could be dangerous.
You may hear long, unusual warning sirens.
You may hear or see emergency messages on local radio and TV.

Immediate protective actions

Warn others nearby
Move crosswind away from danger
Move indoors (see Shelter-In-Place)

When you are out of danger, report the emergency to 9-1-1

ALERT | SHELTER | TUNE-IN

ALERT means you either witnessed, been told of an emergency or have heard long, unusual siren activity.
SHELTER means to Shelter-In-Place (SIP). If a chemical cloud does not permit evacuation, Shelter-In-Place is the best protection available. Shelter-In-Place means going indoors and following the instructions below. It is important to keep all outside air from entering your home or other building.
- Go inside your home or other building
- Close all windows and doors to the outside
- Turn off all heating and air conditioning equipment
- Turn off all exhaust fans and ventilation systems
- Close fireplace dampers if possible
- Close interior doors to prevent drafts
- Seal any obvious gaps to the outside air with tape, plastic wrap, wet towels, etc.
TUNE-IN means to turn on a local radio or television station for official ongoing official emergency information. EAS (EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM) Local radio, TV and cable stations will broadcast emergency warnings and are the primary source of official warning for the general public. Any long or unusual siren activity from fire stations, emergency vehicles or other locations is an alert signal to find a shelter. You should then tune-in a local radio or TV station for emergency information and begin protective action.
PROTECTIVE ACTIONS EVACUATION - Evacuation takes time and is not always possible once a hazardous material is in the air. Shelter-In-Place may be the best way to protect yourself until the chemical release is stopped. If an evacuation is recommended or ordered, leave immediately and carefully follow the directions issued. PRECAUTIONARY EVACUATION may be needed when a chemical or other emergency is likely to develop into a life threatening emergency and when enough time is expected to allow for residents to move away safely. If a precautionary evacuation is called, fire, police, EMA or other emergency personnel will tell you through the Emergency Alert System (EAS) how to proceed. Facts about the location, type and amount of material involved, wind speed, and road conditions need to be known before safe directions can be given.
OTHER PRECAUTIONS
- Parents should not attempt to pick up children from schools, daycare, etc. unless or until told to do so through the news media. If Shelter-In-Place or evacuations are taking place the arrival of the parents would only create additional confusion and could be dangerous.
- Be certain your children's caretakers know what to do in emergencies.
- If you are in a car, close windows and vents, turn off heater or air conditioner and drive carefully away from the danger area.
- Don't panic and don't believe rumors. Tune in to a local EAS station for accurate and updated information.
- During the emergency, precautionary evacuations may be assisted by buses or other public methods, but the primary method for you to evacuate is for you to use your own vehicle or have arrangements made with others in advance.
- Use your telephone only for fire, medical or police emergencies.