Newswise — Clinton, N.Y. - With an increasing amount of violence incidents occurring on campuses, the ability to respond to a significant college crisis has been shown to be invaluable. Hamilton College in Clinton, NY, will hold its fourth yearly test of its emergency preparedness plan on Monday, July 29th, ensuring the readiness of its emergency response team. The Hamilton exercise is also one of the most extensive operations in fulfillment of the yearly Clery Act mandate that every college conduct a test of its crisis systems.
While some colleges hold tabletop briefings or have meetings to discuss their plans, Hamilton takes a much bolder approach. Fifty members of the local police, county sheriff, fire department, medical personnel, the NY State Police Emergency Response Team and the campus community will be put through an intense, lifelike drill meant to test their teamwork and response times. These responders are unaware of the scenario ahead of time.
Although the exact nature of the exercise has not been revealed, it will include a high-speed chase, hostages, gunfire, injuries and an air patrol. The college will engage approximately 30 community members to play victims, witnesses, and hostages and use makeup to generate lifelike injuries. This allows medical responders to actually diagnose the potential problems.
Response teams will include:
• New York State Police• Central Oneida County Volunteer Ambulance Corps (COCVAC)• Clinton Fire Department• Mercy Flight Central• Hamilton College
Representatives from the following organizations will observe the exercise and evaluate the emergency response teams’ performance:
• New York State Police • New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services• New York State Office of Emergency Management• Faxton St. Lukes EMS
“Hamilton considers this mock drill to be an important and essential part of the college’s emergency preparedness efforts,” said Director of Campus Safety Francis Manfredo. Members of the Hamilton Emergency Response Team will test their proficiency in handling an emergency utilizing the Incident Command System (ICS).
Approximately 30 individuals from the campus community have been recruited as actors in the emergency scenario.
NOTE TO EDITORS: The public is not invited to observe this exercise. Interested media are asked to contact Vige Barrie at 859-4623 for details.
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