Commissioner's Directive

Date:
2011-05-26

Number - Numéro:
600

MANAGEMENT OF EMERGENCIES

Issued under the authority of the Commissioner of the Correctional Service of Canada

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Policy Bulletin 240

Policy Bulletin 330

POLICY OBJECTIVE

1. To ensure that operational units are prepared to deal effectively with internal or external emergencies in order to protect the safety and security of the public, staff and inmates.

AUTHORITIES

2. Paragraph 4 a and subsection 98 (1) of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, section 4 of the Corrections and Conditional Release Regulations and section 279 of the Criminal Code of Canada

CROSS-REFERENCES

3. CD 041 - Incident Reports
CD 351 - Employee Clothing Entitlements
CD 567 - Management of Security Incidents
CD 567-1 - Use of Force
CD 567-5 - Use of Firearms

EMERGENCY PLANNING

4. All emergency planning activities are designed to ensure that, in the event of an emergency:

  1. the interests and well being of staff are safeguarded;
  2. public and private property and members of the public at large are protected;
  3. offenders are treated in a safe, secure and humane fashion; and
  4. the operational unit is returned to normal operations at the earliest time possible.

5. The guidelines contained in the operational unit contingency plans shall be considered to be the mandatory minimum standards to be met in the planning for the management of emergencies.

EMERGENCY COORDINATOR

6. All operational units, as well as Regional and National Headquarters, shall each identify one staff member as responsible for coordination of all activities related to emergency planning, in order to ensure an appropriate emergency response at each level.

CRISIS MANAGER

7. In the event of a crisis, one senior officer, normally the Institutional Head, shall assume responsibility for the management of the institution and the resolution of the crisis.

8. The Institutional Head shall establish a list of senior officers who may act as crisis manager should the need arise.

CONTINGENCY PLANS

9. Operational units shall develop contingency plans to deal with all types of internal and external emergencies.

10. These contingency plans will be reviewed at least every 12 months. Any amendment resulting from that review, and/or the certification that the review has been completed, will be forwarded to National Headquarters through Regional Headquarters.

11. Contingency plans dealing with the evacuation of inmates in the event of fire shall be reviewed and approved by the applicable regional office of the Fire Commissioner of Canada.

TRAINING

12. All staff of operational units shall receive the necessary training to enable them to respond appropriately during an emergency.

13. Directors of operational units will ensure that one exercise is conducted at least every 12 months to test the effectiveness of contingency plans and to give staff members the necessary practice in their respective roles in the event of an emergency.

14. To guarantee the safety of the public, staff and inmates at all times, Directors of operational units shall ensure that there is an adequate number of trained staff available for assignment to security functions during emergency situations.

SPECIALIZED RESPONSE CAPABILITY

15. The Institutional Head of each medium and maximum security institution shall establish a specialized security response capability, such as Emergency Response Teams and negotiating teams, to deal with emergencies.

16. The number of approved Emergency Response Team members shall not normally exceed fifteen members at medium security level institutions and twenty members at maximum security level institutions. At the discretion of the Institutional Head, additional team members may be recommended to the Deputy Commissioner of the region for approval. Factors involved in considering the need for additional members are a timely emergency response, proximity to outside police assistance, classification and type of offenders housed in the respective institution, isolation of the institution, and so on.

17. Emergency Response Team members shall receive ten days basic training in accordance with the National Emergency Response Team Training Program and ten days refresher training annually thereafter.

18. Basic and refresher Emergency Response Team Training shall be in accordance with National Training Standards.

19. All Emergency Response Team members shall be provided with the required equipment and dress outlined in the National Security Equipment Manual, Section "E" and the Scale of Issue for personal equipment contained in CD 351 - Employee Clothing Entitlements.

20. In addition to the above training, negotiators shall receive the required training to ensure that their negotiation skills are kept current.

21. Operational units shall enter into mutual aid agreements with other units of the Service. These agreements will specify the support that each may provide during an emergency. A copy shall be kept in the contingency plan.

22. Operational units shall also consider the possibility of entering into mutual aid agreements with outside agencies. Such agreements must establish the type of support that may be received or provided during an emergency. A copy shall be kept in the contingency plan.

RESPONSE TO EMERGENCIES

23. In responding to any emergency situation, the specific goals of an operational unit shall be:

  1. to resolve the incident with a minimum use of force;
  2. to restore order as soon as possible;
  3. to prevent escapes;
  4. to minimize damage to property;
  5. to reduce disruption to normal operations; and
  6. to return to normal operations as soon as possible.

24. Where circumstances permit, the Institutional Head shall ensure that all significant incidents are filmed by trained Correctional Officers.

25. When an emergency occurs outside normal working hours, the officer in charge of the institution shall assume the role of interim crisis manager until he or she is relieved by an officer designated to act in this capacity.

26. The local Emergency Response Team of the women's institutions shall be comprised of women staff only.

27. In the event that an Emergency Response Team of a men's institution, local police or Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), is brought into a women's institution to deal with women offenders, the role of the men participating in the response shall be limited to containing the situation until such time as women officers can conduct the strip search. No men shall participate in the strip search of a woman inmate either as the person conducting the search or as the witness.

28. The contingency plans of the women's institutions shall specify the roles, responsibilities and protocols to be followed by male Emergency Response Team members and male police and RCMP officers during interventions with women inmates.

RELEASE OF INFORMATION

29. Any information regarding an emergency shall only be released by staff members authorized to do so.

30. The crisis manager shall:

  1. provide the necessary information to supporting agencies such as police, fire departments, hospitals and the Canadian Armed Forces;
  2. determine the most appropriate way of notifying the families of the victims;
  3. give details to the media, as soon as practical; and
  4. consider the need to notify the Citizen Advisory Committee.

31. Management at all levels shall ensure that all unions are notified of the emergency.

32. Personal information shall only be released to the media, the Correctional Investigator, the unions or any other person in accordance with the relevant provision of subsection 8(2) of the Privacy Act. If disclosure is contemplated under paragraph 8(2)(m) of the Act, the Commissioner's approval must be obtained.

CRISIS INFORMATION CENTRES

33. National and Regional Headquarters shall establish Crisis Information Centres in order to ensure that only accurate, up-to-date information is disseminated.

34. The role of Crisis Information Centres shall be:

  1. to ensure that accurate, up-to-date information is available to the Minister, the Commissioner, all levels of management, the Correctional Investigator and union officials;
  2. to ensure that information released to the public through the media is accurate, coordinated and consistent at all levels, and that it takes into consideration those factors which may be beyond the resolution of the emergency itself. No statement regarding the situation may be released unless it has been so coordinated;
  3. to coordinate the obtaining of resources from outside agencies; and
  4. to provide advice and assistance as required.

THE CORRECTIONAL INVESTIGATOR

35. The Correctional Investigator or a representative may be present as an observer during an emergency. In such a case, National Headquarters shall ensure that this decision is passed on to the Deputy Commissioner of the region, who shall in turn advise the crisis manager.

36. The unannounced arrival of the Correctional Investigator or his representative at the scene of the emergency shall be brought to the attention of National Headquarters through Regional Headquarters.

CONTACT WITH INMATES INVOLVED IN THE EMERGENCY

37. In the event of an emergency, all reasonable attempts shall be made to communicate with the inmates involved to achieve a peaceful resolution. Only the crisis manager can authorize the use of force during an emergency.

38. If the situation cannot be resolved through direct action, indirect dialogue may be established between the crisis manager and the inmates involved.

NEGOTIATIONS WITH INMATES

39. The Service's basic policy in dealing with hostage taking and related crisis situations shall be to refuse to yield to the demands of inmates or any other person associated with the crisis.

GRANTING OF MINOR CONCESSIONS

40. Notwithstanding the above stated policy, minor concessions (such as those outlined in Annex A) may be granted, especially if doing so will reduce the risk to hostages or property or facilitate surveillance activities or negotiations with the inmates involved.

41. The decision to grant minor concessions shall rest entirely with the crisis manager, who may not deviate from the basic policy stated above, nor accede to any demand which could aid a hostage taker's escape or endanger the life or safety of another person.

42. Drugs shall not be given to inmates as items of negotiation. However, as the Service remains responsible for providing the necessary health and medical care, inmates and staff shall continue to be provided with authorized medication, as deemed necessary.

43. No one in contact with inmates involved in emergencies shall enter into an oral or written agreement which would allow those involved, or any other inmate, to derive ultimate benefit from an illegal act.

44. Where there is doubt concerning a possible benefit resulting from an illegal activity, the crisis manager shall consult Regional Headquarters to resolve the doubt. If necessary, National Headquarters may be contacted to resolve the doubt.

45. Normally, only trained staff members shall be called upon to act as negotiators. However, the use of a negotiator from outside the Service may be considered, but only after the Deputy Commissioner of the region has indicated his or her approval.

ASSISTANCE FROM THE RCMP

46. Only the Deputy Commissioner of the region may make a formal request for assistance from the RCMP.

47. Once a need for assistance from the RCMP has been identified, the crisis manager shall advise the local detachment of the need and the type of assistance required. He or she shall also advise the detachment that a formal request will be sent from the Deputy Commissioner of the region to the RCMP District Headquarters. The crisis manager shall then transmit the request to Regional Headquarters.

ASSISTANCE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE (DND)

48. Formal requests for assistance from the Armed Forces shall be made by the Minister of Public Safety.

49. Military units at the operational level shall be alerted to any anticipated need for support as soon as possible and shall be briefed on a periodic basis.

50. Once the crisis manager has determined that Armed Forces support is necessary, he or she shall notify the local military, in the manner specified by the Deputy Commissioner of the region, in order to advise them that a formal request is forthcoming.

51. The request for military assistance shall be presented to the National Crisis Information Centre.

52. Upon receipt of such a request, the officer in charge of the Crisis Information Centre shall immediately take the necessary action to seek the authorization of the Minister of Public Safety to request military support.

53. Once approved, the request shall be sent to the National Defence Headquarters Operations Centre by telephone, followed by a formal confirmation bearing the signature of the Minister of Public Safety. 53.

ASSISTANCE OFFERED TO THOSE DIRECTLY AFFECTED BY THE EMERGENCY

54. The crisis manager shall ensure that procedures are in place to provide whatever assistance is necessary for victims, their families or staff members directly affected by the emergency.

RECORDING OF COMMUNICATIONS ENREGISTREMENT DES COMMUNICATIONS

55. To facilitate the conduct of inquiries following emergencies, all radio transmissions and all telephone calls to and from the Emergency Command Post, the Main Communications Control Post and the Regional and National Headquarters Crisis Information Centres shall be recorded.

POST EMERGENCY OPERATIONS MESURES À PRENDRE À LA SUITE D'UNE SITUATION D'URGENCE

56. The following operational requirements shall be reflected in plans and procedures developed to restore the operational unit to normal after an emergency.

  1. the need to provide employees with any assistance they may require;
  2. the need to ensure that inmates are treated fairly and humanely;
  3. the need to conduct a thorough investigation into all aspects of the incident; and
  4. the need to develop a strategy for communicating the facts of the situation to the public.

SERIOUS INCIDENTS

57. A serious incident is one which results in death or serious injury to a staff member through an act of violence. In all such instances, the procedures described below shall be observed.

58. If the Emergency Response Team is deployed to conduct a section 53 search, the situation will be managed using the Situation Management Model, and the Crisis Information Centre will be activated.

59. Independent observers shall be posted in selected areas of the institution to provide impartial observation of operations.

60. A senior supervisor shall be posted in the segregation area to supervise activities.

61. The responsible manager of Health Services shall make regular, unannounced visits to the segregation area to inspect food and food services, and shall submit a report of findings to the Institutional Head.

62. The institutional physician or Health Care Centre staff shall conduct a physical examination of all inmates of the section(s) involved in the incident.

63. A physician shall visit the segregation area at least once a week and submit a written report to the Institutional Head concerning the conditions of that area. The physician shall also make periodic visits to all other areas of the institution to verify the physical well-being of the inmates.

64. Documents, logs, records and magnetic tapes that record the activities of the institution before, during and after the incident shall be stored securely.

65. Officers in charge of shifts shall maintain an accurate record of work assignments.

66. Inmates who have been involved in, have committed or are suspected of an offence resulting in the serious injury or death of one or more staff members shall be removed from the institution as soon as possible in order to prevent the occurrence of any other serious incident. Transfers shall not normally take place prior to consultation with the police involved.

67. The crisis manager shall ensure that procedures are in place to conduct a mandatory debriefing (Critical Incident Stress Management) of all staff on duty during any part of a traumatic incident. The debriefing shall be conducted by a person with appropriate training in mental health. The latter shall assess each staff member and recommend to the staff member if, in his or her opinion, further help should be sought to aid in the resolution of the staff member's feelings surrounding the incident.

68. The Institutional Head shall brief all staff on the special measures of the post-emergency plan and, where applicable, the reasons for the presence of outside staff.

Commissioner,

Original signed by :
Don Head

Annex A

NON-GRANTABLE DEMANDS

The following are examples of demands which may not be granted:

  1. transfers, except to a Special Handling Unit;
  2. additional hostages;
  3. the release of other inmates;
  4. additional persons who might assist hostage-takers in their venture;
  5. exchange of hostages;
  6. release to freedom;
  7. removal of any staff member;
  8. pardon for any previous offence;
  9. immunity from prosecution for criminal acts committed during an incident;
  10. weapons, restraint equipment or any object which would strengthen the position of the hostage-takers; or
  11. drugs other than those prescribed by a physician for the necessary medical treatment of staff members and inmates.

GRANTABLE DEMANDS

The following are examples of demands which may be granted:

  1. medical, psychological or psychiatric assessment;
  2. a special visit;
  3. necessary medical and health care services, including medication authorized by a physician, to be provided to staff members and inmates;
  4. food; or
  5. non-alcoholic beverages.