Risk Management - 2004 HARRI Award Winners

2004 HARRI Award Winners East Hartford Housing Authority East Hartford, CT Homeland Security - Senior Civil Preparedness East Hartford Housing Authority along with several other agencies have organized, mobilized and united the "elderly" community to assess disaster and emergency needs in preparedness and response and has created Senior Planning Teams for Homeland Security which mobilize in an emergency. This program has encouraged residents to use their expertise and experience to meaningfully serve their communities by training them in emergency preparedness, has strengthened community collaboration, has brought together diverse "elderly" interested in homeland security, and has rekindled common patriotic spirit. First Runner Up Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority, Toledo, OH Liability Prevention and Crime Control The LMHA maintenance department responds to resident lockouts at night and on the weekends. In some cases, determining whether or not the person wanting let-in is legitimate can in many cases, be challenging. The Property Management Department maintains, in the computer database, a listing of not only the head of household, but also all parties that are living at the dwelling unit. To assist the maintenance staff on call in determining who can be let in to a unit, a report was written that lists the address of each unit, head of household, each household member, their ages and the contact phone number. Once the report is run, it is uploaded to a PDA. If the caller is not listed in the PDA, they will not be let in. If they complain that they are legitimate, they are told that the head of household must contact the housing manager and update the lease. The LMHA is more comfortable with their new system knowing that their residents are better served and protected by maintaining up to date information. Second Runner Up Milwaukee Housing Authority, Milwaukee, WI Resident Safety Education The Housing Authority set up a realistic Mock Disaster in one of its Developments where there was a simulated gas explosion in two townhouses. There were 20 people injured, and three additional victims who provided distractions, and six evaluators from the Red Cross. The Red Cross supplied 18 living victims and manikins were used for the rest. The victims for their roles were prepared using realistic make-up applied by students from a local school. The victims were also informed of the requirements needed to fulfill their roles as victims. Ten residents volunteers from within housing, who through the Housing Authority, have been provided with Adult CPR, Till Help Arrives, First Aid Fast, and Adult CPR and First Aid, were then asked to come upon this mock disaster so that their knowledge could be tested and if necessary, further follow-up sessions could be arranged. The scenario ran for 20 minutes and then stopped so that the progress of responders could be evaluated. There were photos taken and it was also videotaped. The responders were given time to evaluate themselves and the evaluators then gave the responders constructive feedback. Honorable Mentions Milwaukee Housing Authority, WI (2) Fort Pierce Housing Authority, FL Green Bay Housing Authority, WI Newark Housing Authority, NY Seminole Housing Authority, OK Richmond Housing Authority, IN Wilmington Housing Authority, DE Indianapolis Housing Authority, IN Enfield Housing Authority, CT Niagara Falls Housing Authority, NY Topeka Housing Authority, KS (2) Oklahoma City Housing Authority, OK Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority, OH Pawtucket Housing Authority, RI For information or questions regarding the HARRI Award, contact Debbie Bower at 800-873-0242, ext. 276 or send an e-mail to dbower@housingcenter.com.