These drills are part of our ongoing commitment to providing a safe environment for students, staff and visitors. The drills are an opportunity to test our emergency procedures and systems, and will help to ensure we are all prepared to respond effectively during an emergency or crisis.
A lockdown comes into effect when there is a serious threatening situation. Anyone inside the campus or specific area that is subject to the lockdown must take shelter immediately for their own safety.
Faculty and managers are asked to make their students/employees aware of these upcoming exercises and to work with them during the drills to take the following steps:
– Safely find a secure area;
– Turn off the lights;
– Silence cell phones.
Please note: for the purpose of this drill, we are asking that you NOT adjust or move furniture to barricade doors although in an actual lockdown situation, this is among the steps you would take. During the drill, however, you are encouraged to discuss with your students/employees/colleagues how you would barricade your area in an actual lockdown situation.
Security staff will be patrolling all areas of the campus during the drill and will be wearing clearly-marked vests. Emergency personnel will also be on site. These individuals will offer assistance and direction during the drill.
These exercises are also an opportunity to test our emergency communications systems. The LCD signage throughout each campus will show a test emergency message during the drill, announcements will be made via the public address system and VoIP phones, and test messages will be sent via NCAlert. If you do not subscribe to NCAlert, we encourage you to do so. Learn more here. The exercise will conclude with an announcement via the public address system and VoIP phones.
Please note that the lockdown drills are an important test of our emergency procedures and systems, and no one will be at risk during the drill. Please consider your own safety and the safety of those around you during this exercise.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the lockdown drills, please contact Garry Dagenais, Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, at ext. 6996.
