I am writing to let you know that the College will hold a campus-wide emergency-response drill at 8 a.m. on Friday. The drill is expected to last about a half-hour.
The purpose of the drill, which the College is holding in compliance with federal law, is to test and evaluate our procedures for responding should an emergency occur that requires campus buildings to be locked down. Members of the campus community are not asked to participate in the drill, but simply to note that the entrances to campus buildings will be locked for a short period of time beginning at 8 a.m.
The Department of Public Safety will signal that the drill has begun by issuing an alert via the College’s Leopard Alert Emergency Alert Service, which enables students, faculty, and staff who have signed up for the service to receive text alerts on their cell phones and by email in emergency situations. It also will activate the outdoor siren/PA system, which works in tandem with the Emergency Alert Service.
During the drill, entrances to campus buildings will be locked by central electronic control, Facilities Operations staff, and, in some cases, building occupants. (Although building entrances will be locked, anyone may exit any building at any time, as always.) When the drill is finished, buildings will be unlocked, and Public Safety will notify the campus community via text/email alert and the siren/PA system.
In the event of an actual emergency—such as an active threat on or near the campus—requiring campus buildings to be locked down and members of the campus community to shelter in place, instructions on the actions to take would be communicated via text/email alert and siren/PA system, including the area(s) of campus to avoid.
I encourage all students, faculty, and staff who have not already done so to sign up for the Emergency Alert Service as soon as possible. You will find the process easy and quick. You may access instructions and frequently asked questions on the Public Safety website.
Thank you.
Jeff Troxell, Director of Public Safety