The areas in which all Hillcrest sites are located, including three campuses, the day program, and Central Administration office operations, are categorized as “suburban”. All have relatively easy access to the local resources detailed below.

The following local resources can be utilized to mitigate and/or respond to emergencies and/or disasters.
A) Local Fire Departments, local and State Police units – These well-coordinated agencies usually function as Emergency Management Agencies in the towns in which Hillcrest operates.
B) Local hospitals and medical facilities – Located in Pittsfield and Great Barrington. Additional medical facilities are located within manageable distances in various directions, for example, to the north (e.g., North Adams), east (e.g., Springfield, MA) and to the west (e.g., Troy and Albany, NY).
C) American Red Cross – Located in Pittsfield. ARC provides disaster relief coordination and services.
D) Lodging – Because it is a tourist and business area, there is a plethora of hotels and motels that can provide shelter as necessary.
E) Local private and public schools, houses of worship, and other large facilities which could temporarily house groups of people during emergency conditions.
F) Numerous gasoline service stations in close proximity to each campus at which gasoline for the emergency power generators can be obtained.

Each Hillcrest residential campus is equipped with between one and three emergency power generators that can be utilized almost indefinitely in the event that electric power is lost for any significant period. The generators are deployed so that, minimally, heat, light and some refrigeration can be maintained to insure student safety and relative comfort.

Each residential campus is equipped with one or more weather radios that are strategically located within ear shot of staff and which are left plugged in, with battery back up, at all times. Weather radios provide weather warnings and emergency notifications transmitted by the national weather service.

Each residential campus has awake staff and supervisor coverage 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, and all campus have communication capability supported by walkie-talkies that can access local emergency assistance channels. Additionally, all Hillcrest buildings are equipped with fire extinguishers, and all HEC dormitories are sprinkler equipped. At each campus, the residential and overnight shifts perform fire drills each quarter in the dorm buildings, and the academic shift conducts fire drills each month in all areas used as classrooms. Two disaster evacuation drills are conducted each year, and emergency preparedness training is done on a quarterly basis.

Therefore, response to fires, emergencies, disasters and/or other forms of hazards can be very rapid and efficient.

Finally, because the farthest Hillcrest campuses are only 30 minutes away from one another, the three residential treatment centers can provide shelter if necessary. These three campuses each have full sized gymnasiums, fully equipped kitchens, nursing staff, etc. The agency also has a fleet of vans and an assortment of utility vehicles which can be used to transport people, supplies and equipment if and as necessary.