2008 Woodie Awards
Which way to safety?
Revamped emergency plan speeds response
Aaron Hummel
Issue date: 9/6/07 Section: News
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Days after graduating in May, Josiah Ryan '07 went to work revamping the Hillsdale College Emergency Response Manual.
His full-time task for nearly two months was to think about his nearest surroundings - the college campus - and improve campus communication in the event of emergencies ranging from tornadoes to shootings.
The result of his work is a slim binder containing the condensed and rewritten response plan.
College security across the country has come under intense scrutiny in the wake of the Virginia Tech shooting in April that left 33 dead. A report released in August found that more accurate, timely information could have saved lives.
"Hillsdale College, and in particular the president's office, took the Virginia Tech tragedy very seriously, and they had to," Ryan said.
College officials, especially Director of Security Mike Wertz and President Larry Arnn, put Ryan to work researching security manuals and tracking university trends.
Ryan said he made the manual more reader friendly.
"It had the right stuff in it but it was written poorly," Ryan said. "Overall, I found out the response that we had was one of the best in the country, but it was a matter of communicating it."
The refreshed plan addresses "every security apparatus," Ryan said.
Those elements include public address and alarm systems and communication methods: by
phone, foot and between campus security and local public safety agencies.
"A big part of it was…just making sure everyone knows what they're supposed to be doing and at what time," Ryan said.
The manual includes a variety of methods for improved emergency response:
• If the crisis is a shooting attack, students and staff will be instructed to lock doors and stay inside until law enforcement or campus security announces safe conditions.
• City and county emergency response teams now reference campus security's map of college buildings.
• So as not to rely on technology, messengers with two-way radios will deliver information by foot. "We use runners," Wertz said. "It will always be a runner in the end."
His full-time task for nearly two months was to think about his nearest surroundings - the college campus - and improve campus communication in the event of emergencies ranging from tornadoes to shootings.
The result of his work is a slim binder containing the condensed and rewritten response plan.
College security across the country has come under intense scrutiny in the wake of the Virginia Tech shooting in April that left 33 dead. A report released in August found that more accurate, timely information could have saved lives.
"Hillsdale College, and in particular the president's office, took the Virginia Tech tragedy very seriously, and they had to," Ryan said.
College officials, especially Director of Security Mike Wertz and President Larry Arnn, put Ryan to work researching security manuals and tracking university trends.
Ryan said he made the manual more reader friendly.
"It had the right stuff in it but it was written poorly," Ryan said. "Overall, I found out the response that we had was one of the best in the country, but it was a matter of communicating it."
The refreshed plan addresses "every security apparatus," Ryan said.
Those elements include public address and alarm systems and communication methods: by
phone, foot and between campus security and local public safety agencies.
"A big part of it was…just making sure everyone knows what they're supposed to be doing and at what time," Ryan said.
The manual includes a variety of methods for improved emergency response:
• If the crisis is a shooting attack, students and staff will be instructed to lock doors and stay inside until law enforcement or campus security announces safe conditions.
• City and county emergency response teams now reference campus security's map of college buildings.
• So as not to rely on technology, messengers with two-way radios will deliver information by foot. "We use runners," Wertz said. "It will always be a runner in the end."
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