The Hutto Police Department continues to lead the way with innovative outreach, now offering local facilities a variety of services designed to increase citizen preparedness for major safety situations including active shooters, fires, severe weather, fugitives-at-large, and hazardous material spills.
As part of the City of Hutto’s Emergency Preparedness Month efforts, Hutto Police officially launched today (Sept. 13, 2022) their new Community SAFE (Strategic Actions for Everyone) Project. Free to the community, the SAFE Project encourages facilities such as Hutto-area churches, daycares, and businesses to sign up to receive the following training and guidance from HPD and partners:
- Facility Safety Planning – Review a facility’s existing safety plans and recommend improvements. If facilities don’t have existing safety plans, HPD will assist with the development of plans specific to the facility.
- Standard Emergency Response Protocols – Review and/or establish standard response protocols for a facility regarding severe weather, fires, and active shooter events. This includes CRASE training (Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events).
- Safety Drill Support – Assist with safety drills at local facilities for fires/evacuation, severe weather, and active-shooter events. Assess the effectiveness of these drills and provide constructive feedback and strategies to participants for continuous improvement.
Hutto is one of few cities in the State of Texas to offer this level of combined safety services to the community. The project is designed to enhance community partnerships and raise safety awareness throughout Hutto. Police Chief Jeff Yarbrough said HPD intends to add other components to the program in the future, and he aims to eventually expand the program throughout Williamson County.
“Any critical incident that occurs in the City of Hutto affects us all,” he said. “We recognize the need to remain innovative and proactive in keeping the entirety of our fast-growing community safe. We invite everyone in the area to take this opportunity to become better prepared.”
This program is supported by a close collaboration with Williamson County ESD #3 (Hutto Fire Rescue).
Training lasts approximately 1 to 2 hours depending on the services requested. It is available to groups of five or more, with the HPD training room available for larger groups if needed. To sign up for services or learn more, please contact Lt. Dwain Jones at [email protected] or call (512) 759-5978.