UC and UPD to Stage Full-Scale Emergency Preparedness Drill on Campus Jan. 10
Active shooter exercise designed to prepare campus, law enforcement for emergencies
On Wednesday, Jan. 10, Utica College and the Utica Police Department will stage a full-scale exercise designed to evaluate response procedures in the event of an active shooter scenario.
The drill is part of UC’s larger emergency management training initiative, coordinated by a team of administrators, faculty, and staff. Since 2016, UC has worked with Epicenter Media and Training of Rochester to reevaluate the college’s emergency management procedures and design a comprehensive response strategy. Three rotating response teams, comprised of UC faculty and staff, have completed several planning and training modules to prepare for Wednesday’s exercise.
“In our planning process, we considered anything that could potentially happen on campus – everything from a power outage to a gas leak to an armed intruder,” says Wayne Sullivan, Director of Campus Safety. “What is most important is that the procedures and skills needed to deal with any emergency are transferrable to the situation at hand, and that members of the emergency response teams are flexible and adaptable as a crisis evolves.”
Please Be Advised
More on the Emergency Preparedness Exercise, Jan. 10, 2018
The exercise will take place from approximately 7:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in and around White Hall, Hubbard Hall, and Gordon Science Center. All or portions of these buildings will be taped off, and all employees, students, and visitors who are not participants in the exercise will be prohibited from entering or remaining in the buildings until the exercise concludes. Please talk with your supervisor about either participating in the exercise or finding another place to work for this period of time.
Significant signage will be posted across campus to inform all members of the College community and visitors that an exercise is in progress.
Be advised that during the exercise, there will be a significant law enforcement presence on campus, and police officers will appear armed and will fire simulated rounds for a short time inside these buildings. Even though officers will not be using real ammunition, the sound from the weapon discharge will be authentic and may be heard from a considerable distance.
