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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 2015)
S MOKE S IGNALS SEPTEMBER 1, 2015 5 Suspicious package tests emergency plan By Brent Merrill Smoke Signals staff writer A water temperature monitoring GHYLFHIRXQGE\DORFDOÀVKHUPDQ up at Coast Creek and accidental- ly dropped off at the Tribe’s Mail 5RRP EXLOGLQJ RQ *UDQG 5RQGH 5RDGSURPSWHGDVXVSLFLRXVSDFN- age alert on Friday, Aug. 21. 0DLO 5RRP &OHUN $QQD :KLWH found what she thought was a suspicious package on the front porch when she arrived for work at 7 a.m. She reported the device and WKH7ULEH·V(PHUJHQF\2SHUDWLRQV Team, which was already meeting regarding the Willamina Creek Fire, received another chance to WHVWWKH7ULEH·V(PHUJHQF\0DQ- DJHPHQW3ODQ The device, known as a Hobo meter, was a small, black dome- VKDSHG 39& LQVWUXPHQW ZLWK D E\3RVWLW1RWHDWWDFKHGXQ- derneath. Facilities Maintenance Supervi- sor Tyson Mercier was contacted DWDPE\7ULEDO3ROLFH6JW Jake McKnight to alert him of the situation. Tribal security was then contacted and Advanced Security personnel blocked off the area DURXQGWKH0DLO5RRPVKRUWO\DIWHU 0HUFLHUZDVQRWLÀHG McKnight sent a photo of the GHYLFH WR WKH 6DOHP 3ROLFH 'H- partment, which said it was not something they had seen before. Mercier, who also took a photo, unsuccessfully tried to identify the device’s purpose. At 8:52 a.m., Tribal employees ZHUHQRWLÀHGYLDHPDLOWKDWWUDIÀF ZRXOGEHUHGLUHFWHGRII*UDQG5RQGH 5RDGDQGGHWRXUHGWKURXJKWKH7ULE- al campus in an effort to keep vehi- FOHVIURPSDVVLQJE\WKH0DLO5RRP 7ULEDOVHFXULW\DQG2UHJRQ'H- partment of Transportation staff EORFNHGWUDIÀFIURPXVLQJ*UDQG 5RQGH5RDG 7KH0DLO5RRPLVIHHWVRXWK from the front entrance to the *UDQG5RQGH)RRG%DQNZKLFK was having a distribution day at the time. 7ULEDO3ROLFHLVVXHGDIRRW VDIHW\]RQHDURXQGWKH0DLO5RRP and GIS Coordinator Volker Mell created an aerial map for key SHUVRQQHOVKRZLQJWKH]RQH·VSH- rimeters. An evacuation of the food pantry began shortly thereafter. 7KH6DOHP3ROLFH'HSDUWPHQW·V %RPE6TXDGDUULYHGZLWKWZRRIÀ- cers at 9:30 a.m. and they sent in WKHÀUVWRIWZRUHPRWHURERWVWRWKH 0DLO5RRPSRUFKDWDP The first robot took an X-ray of the suspicious device and found what looked like a computer chip inside. It was then determined that the device should be destroyed in an effort to err on the side of caution. Tribal admin- istration sent an- other all-employee e-mail out at 9:36 a.m. notifying staff that a suspi- cious package had been located and WKDW*UDQG5RQGH 5 R D G Z R X O G E H EORFNHGRIIIURP$FNHUVRQ5RDGWR %ODFNWDLO'ULYH7KHHPDLODOHUWHG staff of police activity and said an update would follow. (PHUJHQF\2SHUDWLRQV&RRUGL- nator Jamie Baxter issued a cam- pus-wide lockdown at 10 a.m. and VKHH[WHQGHGWKHH[FOXVLRQ]RQH DURXQGWKH0DLO5RRPWRPRUHWKDQ 1,000 feet. Tribal Assistant General Manag- HU%U\DQ/DQJOH\LVVXHGDQDOOHP- ployee e-mail at 10:02 a.m. asking staff to call 911 if they found any suspicious packages. Tribal administration issued an- other all-employee e-mail at 10:07 a.m. advising staff of an all-campus lockdown for the next 30 minutes. Staff members were asked to stay in their buildings until they could be updated. Two minutes later, Baxter issued Photo by Brent Merrill A remote-controlled robot from the Salem Police Department’s Bomb Squad approaches a suspicious package left on the porch of the Tribal Mail Room on Friday, Aug. 21. Bomb Squad personnel were unfamiliar with the device and concerned that it had a computer chip inside of it. They opted to destroy the device for the safety of the community. At left, a water temperature gauge was mistakenly left on the porch of the Tribal Mail Room on Friday, Aug. 21, prompting a suspicious package alert and placing the Tribal campus in lockdown. an all-employee e-mail advising staff to “shelter in place” for the next 30 minutes. Photo by Tyson Mercier At 10:11 a.m., 6DOHP3ROLFH'H- SDUWPHQW%RPE6TXDGSHUVRQQHO QHXWUDOL]HGWKHZDWHUWHPSHUDWXUH monitoring device with a shotgun blast from the larger of the two remote-controlled robots. Baxter also asked Mercier and his staff to conduct a campus-wide sweep to help determine if the de- vice found on the porch of the Mail 5RRPZDVLVRODWHG *UDQG5RQGH)RRG%DQN'LUHF- tor Francene Ambrose sent out an e-mail notifying everyone that the food pantry had been closed due to an emergency and would re-open the following day on Saturday, Aug. 22. At 10:29 a.m., Baxter issued an all-employee e-mail advising staff that the “shelter in place” order had been lifted. 1HWZRUN $GPLQLVWUDWRU *UHJ 3DWWRQIROORZHGXS%D[WHU·VQRWLFH to all employees with one of his own DWDP3DWWRQ·VQRWLÀFDWLRQ directed staff to resume normal business operations and that there was no longer any danger to the employees or the community. Ad created by George Valdez $WDP3DWWRQXVHGWKH situation to once again remind all staff via an all-employee e-mail of the importance of having staff pro- vide alternate contact information to be used in case of emergencies. “This week we’ve had two events that demonstrate the usefulness and necessity of communicating emergency information to our employees and surrounding com- PXQLW\µVDLG3DWWRQLQKLVHPDLO ´&7*5 KDV LPSOHPHQWHG D QHZ $XWR0HVVHQJHUQRWLÀFDWLRQV\VWHP in an effort to provide immediate QRWLÀFDWLRQLQWKHHYHQWRIZHDWKHU ZDUQLQJVKD]DUGVGLVDVWHUVDQG other campus emergencies. Current HYHQWVLQ2UHJRQDQGVXUURXQGLQJ areas have brought attention to the need for additional contact informa- tion in the event of catastrophes.” It was later determined that the device was a water temperature gauge and that it was accidentally GURSSHGRIIDWWKH0DLO5RRPLQ- VWHDGRI1DWXUDO5HVRXUFHV However, its purpose was also XQNQRZQWRWKH6DOHP3ROLFH'H- SDUWPHQW %RPE 6TXDG ZKLFK FRPSOLPHQWHG WKH *UDQG 5RQGH 7ULEHDQGLWV3ROLFH'HSDUWPHQW and security company for erring on the side of safety for its employees and community residents. Q