Spring Break
AMY MANDEL: Conducting an actual safety drill
by Amy Mandel
Columnists | 11/20/07
Posted online at 10:03 PM EST on 11/19/07
/ Last updated at 1:55 AM EST on 11/19/07
The recent debate over security at Brandeis has opened up a plethora of issues on student safety and ideas about what constitutes a safe campus. Throughout the comprehensive debate over guns on campus and other security issues, however, one angle has been overlooked until last week: the new security drill system.
While last Tuesday's drill was a giant step forward, the campus still needs to be educated about the new system. Put in place in response to the Virginia Polytechnic Institute shootings last spring, the system provides for outdoor sirens to warn of an emergency. Additionally, all students who registered their cell phone numbers on SAGE will receive a text message and a voice message about emergency procedures.
In theory, this system sounds great; students and staff would be informed of vital security risks and threats on campus. But in practice, there are some holes in the process. First, the messages received during last Tuesday's drill informed recipients that in an event of a real emergency, they'd receive instructions. But in the event of a real emergency, there is a chance that once the sirens ring, there would be no time to listen or read careful instructions. Chaos would ensue and could spread across the campus, which would be terribly counterproductive.
Second, the fact that those who registered cell phone numbers receive both text and voice messages creates confusion. The mixed signals could cause recipients to miss the message of both means of communication, thus resulting in further chaos.
Possible panic in the event of a real emergency could be avoided if the drill is conducted in a different manner. Recipients of cell phone messages could indicate on SAGE if they prefer voice messages or text messages, thus reducing confusion. Next, the messages would include careful instructions about what to do in response to the emergency. Then, everyone would follow the instructions and either evacuate or move to a secured location, just like they would in a real emergency.
In conducting a full drill, everyone would be informed of what to do in case of a real emergency. It would reduce mania in the face of real danger and better provide for the security of this campus. This drill would need to be conducted on a Sunday so as not to interfere with classes or Saturday religious observations, and, as such, would exclude faculty and staff. But, to get a large population of the campus prepared for emergency situations would also benefit those who are not on campus for the drill. Enough people would participate in a Sunday drill to inform and help those who were not on campus.
In our security-conscious society, it's vital to make sure everyone is prepared for an emergency. A halfway drill attempt is not the solution to our security questions, and everyone should be prepared in case of a disaster.
While last Tuesday's drill was a giant step forward, the campus still needs to be educated about the new system. Put in place in response to the Virginia Polytechnic Institute shootings last spring, the system provides for outdoor sirens to warn of an emergency. Additionally, all students who registered their cell phone numbers on SAGE will receive a text message and a voice message about emergency procedures.
In theory, this system sounds great; students and staff would be informed of vital security risks and threats on campus. But in practice, there are some holes in the process. First, the messages received during last Tuesday's drill informed recipients that in an event of a real emergency, they'd receive instructions. But in the event of a real emergency, there is a chance that once the sirens ring, there would be no time to listen or read careful instructions. Chaos would ensue and could spread across the campus, which would be terribly counterproductive.
Second, the fact that those who registered cell phone numbers receive both text and voice messages creates confusion. The mixed signals could cause recipients to miss the message of both means of communication, thus resulting in further chaos.
Possible panic in the event of a real emergency could be avoided if the drill is conducted in a different manner. Recipients of cell phone messages could indicate on SAGE if they prefer voice messages or text messages, thus reducing confusion. Next, the messages would include careful instructions about what to do in response to the emergency. Then, everyone would follow the instructions and either evacuate or move to a secured location, just like they would in a real emergency.
In conducting a full drill, everyone would be informed of what to do in case of a real emergency. It would reduce mania in the face of real danger and better provide for the security of this campus. This drill would need to be conducted on a Sunday so as not to interfere with classes or Saturday religious observations, and, as such, would exclude faculty and staff. But, to get a large population of the campus prepared for emergency situations would also benefit those who are not on campus for the drill. Enough people would participate in a Sunday drill to inform and help those who were not on campus.
In our security-conscious society, it's vital to make sure everyone is prepared for an emergency. A halfway drill attempt is not the solution to our security questions, and everyone should be prepared in case of a disaster.
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