A message from Pam Skinner, Senior Vice-President, College Operations:
Dear employees,
The safety of our learning environment and workplace is a key priority at Niagara College, and our safety procedures, measures and tools are reviewed on an ongoing basis. As part of this commitment to continuous improvement, important changes have been made to our emergency procedures, which are reflected in new training modules.
Niagara College is a safe place to learn, work and visit, however, emergencies can happen at any time, anywhere – including on our campuses. Emergency preparedness is a responsibility we all share, and these new training modules will help you better understand your roles and responsibilities during an emergency on campus.
This training – five online modules via the NC Portal (see ‘Training – Emergency Procedures’) – is mandatory for all employees and must be completed by April 30, 2024. The modules can be completed separately – it will take 45 minutes to one hour to complete all five modules.
Modules include:
- Emergency notification system and additional resources
- Fire and evacuation
- Active threat: Get Out, Hide, Defend (previously ‘Lockdown’)
- Hold and secure and shelter-in-place
- Medical Emergencies
I want to highlight two of the most significant changes to our emergency procedures:
- New Safe Areas for those who are unable to evacuate safely on their own have been designated by the Fire Department around NC campuses in exterior stairwells that exit directly outside. Signs are posted.
- Active Threat procedure (previously ‘Lockdown’): Get Out, Hide, Defend model. An active threat is an event that poses an immediate risk to the NC community because of an active shooter. Niagara College, like other post-secondary institutions in Canada, is moving away from the traditional lockdown where everyone barricades themselves. NC has adopted a Get Out, Hide, Defend model.
Posters reflecting the new procedures have been updated around campus, and the College will be announcing training for students shortly via the NC Portal. At this time the training is voluntary for students and highly recommended.
Questions about the training can be directed to [email protected] or your supervisor.
Thank you for all that you do to support a safe campus community.
Pam
