Grambling State University in Louisiana appears peaceful and idyllic. 在大多数情况下，确实如此. The campus boasts lush, green-grass pathways leading to steeple-topped brick buildings. 紧密团结的社区, it is home to one of the most winningest football coaches in college football history as well as the internationally renowned, 有生气的, 老虎军乐队. So, what happened in October 2017, when one student shot two others? 2018年也是如此? 2019年、2020年和2021年?
Why University Environments Pose Special Challenges for Emergency Planning
Grambling is far from the only university working to address emergency events. 所有的工作场所, 公共场所, schools and other gathering spots should have 应急管理计划s (EMP). University settings, however, present some unique challenges.
- 许多学校都是围绕开放校园模式设计的. The purpose of a college campus is to be easily accessible and inviting to the community, 一个人们可以一起学习和成长的地方. But an open model footprint often also means a porous perimeter, 多个入口, 缺少大门和其他障碍, 24小时可访问性, and sometimes a prominent location in a highly-populated area. Each of these factors alone can make it difficult to prevent and mitigate emergency events.
- 大学通常很大. College campuses are often large, as they sometimes must accommodate tens of thousands of students. The larger the area, the more difficult it is to secure.
- 校园里往往有很多建筑. Institutions of higher education usually have multiple buildings with unique purposes and designs. 而且这些建筑通常都很旧. Each building presents its own unique set of security challenges and must be evaluated individually – for example, 拥有独特燃料负载的科学实验室, on-premise hazardous chemical storage and high risk of combustion.
- 他们可能人口众多. 在紧急情况下, administrators must often get in touch with thousands of students as quickly as possible via multiple channels. 这意味着收集学生的电话号码, email addresses and usernames - whatever it takes to spread the word.
- 大学往往缺乏资源. 大多数是非营利机构. The cost of educating a student and maintaining the campus is significant, and administrators may feel they don’t have the resources to invest in best-in-class EMPs.
- Complexity in responding to multiple catastrophic scenarios. In the planning stages, it’s common to think, “OK, if there is a tornado, we’ll go to the shelter.” But a severe tornado is usually the first domino in a line of many catastrophic events. After the tornado plows through campus, there could be dozens, if not hundreds, of injuries. Buildings may have collapsed with cars tossed about like toys. 可能停电了. 警察, fire and other emergency medical services may struggle to access a campus strewn with debris in the road. 那么?
Planning Ahead Can Protect Lives, Equipment and the 教育al Mission
所有的大学都能从中受益 应急管理计划, 哪一个是对学生的既定指导, 教职员工应该提前采取行动, 在紧急情况期间和之后. As 联邦应急管理局 在其网站上, “planning provides a methodical way to engage the whole community in thinking through the lifecycle of a potential crisis, determining required capabilities and establishing a framework for roles and responsibilities. It shapes how a community envisions and shares a desired outcome, selects effective ways to achieve it and communicates expected results.”
A Phased Approach – and a Continuous Planning Cycle
How can colleges and universities develop an effective approach to emergencies? First, it is important to ensure that planning reflects the four major phases of 应急管理: prevention/mitigation, preparation, response and recovery. 也, 应急管理计划应该是动态的, meaning that the EMP should be a living document you update regularly to ensure it aligns with the current campus, 校园社区, 可用的技术和安全最佳实践.
最后, administrators must instill the emergency plan in the heads, 心, 需要帮助的人的双手和习惯. Everyone should know their role and exactly how to execute it. This includes all personnel named in your plan as well as the entire 校园社区.
Extreme emergency events always seem far off and impossible – until they’re not. 现在就开始准备. 了解更多 about how Jensen Hughes can help you plan for and mitigate potential threats and emergencies.