A campus emergency can be a chaotic time for everyone with only seconds to react. The first priority of faculty and staff should be the safety and security of everyone at Northwest Vista College.
Our campus has several layers of protection from the Department of Public Safety, Risk Management and our Crisis/Building Action Teams (CAT/BAT). It is imperative that you stay calm. If students see the faculty and staff calm, they will follow your example. DPS officers will give us guidance if we are evacuating, locking down or sheltering in place depending on the emergency. When given the order to evacuate, it is important to evacuate the building as quick as possible. BAT members will guide you to the appropriate evacuation rally points and assist with employees who are in wheelchairs or need additional help.
If there is an active shooter, we encourage you to RUN, HIDE and FIGHT. Active shooter training is offered in Alamo Talent, and there will be two active shooter training sessions by DPS at 9 am and 10:30 am on Friday, April 6 in the Palmetto Theater. Follow-up sessions will be scheduled if you are unable to attend one of the sessions. Attendees will be able to apply the techniques of what they have learned during our campus-wide lockdown that afternoon on April 6. Our focus of the lockdown will be identifying our vulnerabilities and two-way communication.
As we well know, communication is critical in all aspects of life, especially during and emergency. It is important you be informed of what is transpiring on campus. Please ensure your contact information is updated in ACES and keep your phone nearby at all times. Here’s a link on how to update your contact information in ACES.
The world we live in challenge us with different threats daily, stay connected, participate in drills and support your emergency management staff. Prepare, Respond and Recover the Wildcat Way!
Contributed by Garvin Dansby, NVC Coordinator of Risk Management