By MaryHelen Swanson

The Minnesota State Patrol helicopter might have made some Rush City residents nervous last Thursday, as it circled and circled and hovered over the Minnesota Correctional facility and area surrounding it.

Hopefully, the residents had learned of the reason before that windy afternoon. The action was part of an Incident Command System Mutual Aid Drill which ran from 4 p.m. late into the evening.

Agencies involved in the drill included Minnesota Department of Corrections, Chisago County Sheriff's Department, Pine County Sheriff's Department, Minnesota Highway Patrol and Aviation Unit, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), Lakes Region EMS, Rush City Fire Department and other mutual aid fire departments.

These agencies gathered at the RC garage site in mid-afternoon and began to prepare for the exercise that is conducted to help each of the agencies prepare for their part in the event of an actual incident.

Last week's scenario was a simulated escape and hostage situation caused when a helicopter crashed into the exterior fence of the prison as 250 inmates were out exercising in the yard.

As the simulation began, the call came out at 4:10 p.m. that a helicopter was seen hovering in the area. Associate Warden Greg Smith explained that due to the close proximity of the prison to the Rush City Municipal airport, the assumption was that the aircraft was aiming for the airport and had mechanical difficulties.

It was determined that it was not a planned escape using the helicopter.

As the drill continued, it was determined that the fence had been compromised and that there were two people on the ground.

Smoke and fire were seen coming from the site of the crashed helicopter.

Outside resources were called.

As the scenario progressed, it was determined that several inmates had made a run for it through the hole in the fence.

It should be noted that during the exercise, all prisoners were in lock down, no real prisoners were involved in the simulation.

As in any situation such as this, the inmates would be put in lock down and an emergency count conducted. This, according to Smith, would take 15-20 minutes.

The B team, any uniformed and non-uniformed staff members at the prison, is called to the visitor's room where they are dispatched to where they are needed as needed.

Warden Robert Feines said major drills such as was conducted last week are done one time a year or every other year at various state facilities. Each prison sends people to the other facilities as a learning experience. There were a number of these people on hand for the RC drill last week.

The warden said they practice for something they hope will never happen.

By doing so, the agencies should be prepared for the worst case, he said.

A big part of the exercise, the warden said, is to see how the correctional facility works with and communicates with the other agencies.

He said the reason why there are so many agencies involved is that the prison starts the process of an exercise and then it snowballs, and everybody has a part they want to practice.

Feines noted also that once someone assumes command, he would get called at home, it that's where he is.

At approximately 4:30 the simulation continued outside the prison fence where paramedics were attending to two pretend escapees who had been injured. At this time there would be someone from the prison inside the fence and outside the fence at the perimeter check would continue.

The Rush City Fire Department had extinguished the burning helicopter.

The escaped prisoners were to have spread out as they fled the fence. One headed toward the airport, two holed up in a trailer on the prison site and had a hostage.

The Chisago County SWAT team came into the picture at the trailer, surrounding it and trying to communicate with the prisoners inside.

At one point, one tried to make a run for it, getting only a few feet before SWAT members, who were not visible in the brush near the trailer, captured him.

Communication continued between a SWAT member and the inmate left in the trailer who at times was unresponsive for long periods of time.

As they waited for someone to come to negotiate with the prisoner, the SWAT team, bearing shields and weapons, dropped a phone into an open window on the trailer.

Warden Feines noted at the onset of the drill that one major thing has changed in emergency situations due to the President's Homeland Security Directive #5.

It started with 9-11, he said, and was put on a fast track with Katrina.

The idea is that all agencies responding to an emergency must be talking the same language. And, the warden said, if you don't comply, you don't get funding.

But he said for the DOC it actually was a small change.

In a situation such as this one, DOC would handle all incidents inside the prison, other agencies would handle the outside activities.

In a big drill such as this, the agencies and prison get to know what they have and what they need to purchase to deal with an event. That's part of the learning experience.

This simulation was three months in the planning.