MAY 14, 2009 ISSUE
Testing Synergy
ASU Hosts Simulated Active Shooter Emergency Exercise On Campus
More than 100 law enforcement, emergency and university personnel, as well as a few trained actors, took part in a simulated active shooter scenario on the ASU campus on Wednesday, May 13, to test the school’s new emergency plans. Photos by Sam Calhoun
Three people are dead, including the shooter, eight people are injured and three hostages are now safe—that would be the hypothetical outcome of an active shooter scenario on the ASU campus if it had occurred for real this week.
Thankfully, ASU’s emergency preparedness exercise that took place on Wednesday, May 13, was just an exercise and not a real world situation such as the Virginia Tech massacre of April 2007. Although not real, the planned scenario provided priceless hands-on training for the more than 100 law enforcement, emergency and university personnel who participated.
“The bottom line is that we’re learning. This is a simulated exercise, but it’s very serious. Learning is why we’re doing this,” said ASU Police Chief Gunther Doerr after the exercise concluded.
In 2007, following the Virginia Tech shootings, UNC System President Erskine Bowles established a UNC System Campus Task Force to look into a myriad of campus safety related topics and developed numerous specific recommendations. One of the task force’s major themes and concerns was the ability of a campus to respond swiftly to violent crime and extreme events if and when they might occur.
ASU, under the leadership of ASU Police and ASU Emergency Management Coordinator Seth Norris, arranged Wednesday’s exercise to test the university’s ability to respond to a violent crime and operate the campus during an emergency situation for an extended period of time.
“Appalachian has developed several emergency plans that provide a coordinated response to campus emergencies and ultimately a safer campus. Hands-on training, like this exercise, provides emergency responders and university officials the opportunity to actually test and further improve those plans,” said Norris.
Following the first shots, which were fired (using simulated ammunition) somewhere inside Justice Hall at 8:57 a.m. on Wednesday, the goal of the exercise was synergy between three entities—the Incident Command Post (ICP), or the base of operations closest to the crime scene; the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), which is located in the ASU Police station; and the Chancellor’s Group, which meets in the chancellor’s boardroom.
The ICP includes all responders—both law enforcement and emergency crews—who are actively involved with the violent crime situation. For this exercise, the ICP was set up within five minutes of the first shots and located on the far west side of the Justice Hall parking lot.
The EOC includes representatives from the chancellor’s office, business affairs, student development, academic affairs, university news, human resources, athletics and university police. Within the EOC, decisions about the hostage situation, locking down campus and public relations are handled, and constant communication lines are open with the ICP and Chancellor’s Group. The EOC also sets up a media briefing (which was simulated in McKinney Alumni Center), an information portal for students and parents (which was simulated in Plemmons Student Union) and makes decisions about street closures (Rivers Street and Stadium Drive were closed during the exercise on Wednesday).
The Chancellor’s Group includes the chancellor, provost, chief of staff, vice chancellor for business affairs, vice chancellor for student development, vice chancellor for advancement, university attorney, associate vice chancellor for university communications, director of human resources and director of athletics.
“It is so essential that EOC and the Chancellor’s Group not conduct operations without being contacted by Incident Command,” said exercise evaluator Brent Herron. “The EOC, ICP and Chancellor’s Group all need to communicate. We’re looking for synergy.”
E.M.T. Curt Litton attends to a simulated injury during the active shooter exercises at ASU. Photo by Sam Calhoun
Although some communication issues were identified, the synergy of the three emergency entities triumphed, as the shooter was under control, the hostages’ safe and the injured receiving care by 10:08 a.m. By 10:39 a.m., Justice Hall was cleared, meaning it and its surroundings were once again safe and under control. Within one half hour of the first shots, the university’s emergency website—www.emergency.appstate.edu—was posting updates, the EOC, ICP and Chancellor’s Group were meeting individually and communicating via telephone and email, a media briefing had been set, streets had been closed, university events were placed on hold, classes were cancelled, teachers were notified, press releases were being readied, a counseling and information center for students and parents was opened, personnel were researching victim identities and contacting next of kin and food services were locked down.
The exercise included five evaluators who, in the coming weeks, will report back to ASU Police with their critique on the exercise. The evaluators include Herron, Boone Police Capt. Curtis Main, Caldwell Community College’s Dennis Hopkins, ASU Police Dispatch Angie Stewart and Blowing Rock Police Capt. Dennis Swanson.
Some of the initial feedback suggests, though, that a more extensive emergency plan needs to be drawn up for high-traffic student areas on campus, and teachers need to be taught how to better respond to students’ concerns during a violent crime situation on campus. If a shooting were to occur during a time when students are transitioning en masse between classes, speculated the evaluators, then more students would be exposed to danger and very little controls are currently in place to protect them in that situation.
In addition to members of the EOC, ICP and Chancellor’s Group, representatives from the Boone Police Department, Watauga County Sheriff’s Office, Boone Fire Department, Watauga Medics, Watauga Rescue Squad, Watauga Medical Center and the ASU departments of university police, housing and residence life, university communications, physical plant, parking and traffic, health services, counseling center, food services, athletics and human resources took part in the exercise.
Community Interest
News & Notes
Events
Arts & Entertainment
