An active shooter disaster preparedness drill is slated for March as part of the UCA emergency management planning initiatives. The drill will be held Thurs., March 11, 2010 from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Minton Hall.
This drill will be one of the most comprehensive and involved emergency preparation activities at UCA, according to UCA Police officials.
Over the last year, the UCA Police Department has provided several classroom training sessions to faculty, staff, and students to educate the UCA community on different way to respond to an active shooter situation and what to expect from the UCA Police Department during the incident. The UCA community is now in a position to utilize some of the classroom training in a more functional hands-on training exercise, said Lt. Rhonda Swindle with the UCA Police Department.
The drill will be a joint exercise involving several different departments, student organizations, and other emergency first responders. Some of the groups who have agreed to participate in the drill include: President’s Executive Staff, Police Department, Student Services, Student Housing, Student Health, Counseling Services, Journalism Department, Theatre/Drama Department, Nursing Department, Physical Plant, Arkansas Department of Emergency Management, and Metro Emergency Medical Services. Representatives from those various departments and organizations will meet Tues., Jan. 19 to finalize plans for the drill.
Goals of the exercise include coordinating responses between UCA Police Department and local emergency first responders, enhancing the university’s response capabilities, understanding and utilizing available resources on campus, evaluating and improving use of the National Incident Command System, testing the Safe@UCA notification system, and further developing trust and partnerships within the UCA Community.
The UCA Active Shooter Disaster Preparedness Drill will be well planned and organized. If you have questions or want to make further recommendations for other agencies that may want to participate, contact Lt. Rhonda Swindle at rswindle@uca.edu or at 450-3360.