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Assistant Managing Editor Eighteen months ago, seven districts in the Pioneer Valley formed a coalition in a collaborative effort titled "Region on Call" to improve their districts' emergency management in their schools and communities. Last Tuesday, Smith & Wesson Corp. hosted the school districts of Agawam, East Longmeadow, Hampden-Wilbraham, Longmeadow, Ludlow, Southwick-Tolland and West Springfield, along with the Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative (LPVEC) who has also been working with the districts through a Department of Education grant. On hand to participate in the round-table discussions were the fire and police chiefs, public works department heads and other administrators from each community. Smith & Wesson Human Resources Vice President Bill Lachenmeyer said the corporation prides itself on being a community partner and also stands behind the importance of education. Last spring the corporation donated $200,000 to Springfield Technical Community College. Emergency management is also something that falls in the spectrum of initiatives Smith & Wesson is involved in. For over 35 years the company has operated the Smith & Wesson Academy where law enforcement, military and other professionals train in security defense tactics and utilize shooting ranges. "We try to find practical ways to collaborate and show that education is important," Lachenmeyer said. The $326,729 grant paid for programs that began September 2006 and ended March 1, though Gina S. Kahn, project coordinator and risk prevention services coordinator for the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District, said there are several wrap-up activities that will continue until September 2008. The grant has funded training for building teams to conduct routine resource, hazard and vulnerability assessments, development of safety plans and crisis response protocols that are coordinated with public safety procedures, and more. She said their hopes are that when the grant is no longer available, the districts can sustain their efforts on their own. "I think there is sufficient motivation and energy in each of the districts. Safety is such a priority for each of the districts. Some of that sustainability is going to come from the integration of those procedures and policies and good practices," Kahn told Reminder Publications. "Some of these things are just basic good practice and can be folded into routine practice so that the initiative continues." "Safety is always in the forefront of my mind," Agawam Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mary A. Czajkowski said. In December 2007, Agawam High School received a bomb threat. Czajkowski said the incident and training allowed her to do on the spot reflection. "It's a comfort to know you are not alone in this," Czajkowski said. Dr. Edward Costa, superintendent of schools in East Longmeadow, said his district is making steady progress. "East Longmeadow didn't even have ID badges two years ago," Costa shared. Longmeadow was approved $300,000 at a past Town Meeting to implement security measures in their district. Longmeadow superintendent E. Jahn Hart said that they've benefitted from talking to other districts. "We are better as a whole from each of our individual efforts," Hart said. Southwick-Tolland received approximately $30,000 worth of state-of-the-art security equipment thanks to a partnership formed with a corporation. Hampden-Wilbraham's superintendent Paul Gagliarducci, of the district that spearheaded "Region on Call," extended his gratitude to Kahn and their School Committee Chair Scott Chapman. He said Chapman has always been interested in school safety and supported their endeavors, and in the last four years Kahn has pulled in about $2 million worth of grants. "Congratulations to the superintendents for being so open," Gagliarducci said. "It shows your commitment to your children." For photos of the event, visit www.thereminder.com |
