Safety Is Priority

The sounds of gunfire were fake but the intent of the July 29 exercise was serious, as university personnel practiced how they would respond in the event of a shooter roaming the campus.

Working with local and county fire and police responders, officers from University Police staged a drill in which they responded to calls of a man armed and shooting at people in the Eastside Parking Structure. An incident command center was established, and officers were dispatched to try to apprehend the 'suspect', followed by fire department personnel to rescue ‘victims.' Two ambulances were standing by, and members of the Student Health and Counseling Center responded as the university Medical Emergency Response Team.

“Our No. 1 job is to keep those who work, study and visit the campus as safe as possible,” said Susan Fisher, campus emergency management coordinator, about the drill. “One such way is to prepare and practice for emergency and crisis situations.

“Full-scale functional exercises allow participants to experience these situations in real time and let all entities respond as they would to a real incident. It is a good opportunity to find out what works and what needs improvement,” she noted. “The more we practice and know what the responses are for each type of incident, the better we can plan for whatever emergency or disaster occurs.”

As part of the drill, members of the Orange County Sheriff's Department simulated an explosion, as well as gunshots, during the exercise. Other participating agencies included officers from Placentia and Fullerton police departments.

July 5, 2011