Surprise Evacuation Drill a Success
April 29, 2008
Students gather in Love Gym as part of the evacuation drill
The day itself was a bit of a test – cool with fierce rain at times. Despite the weather, yesterday's surprise drill successfully evacuated 1,000 students from classrooms, dorms, the library, study rooms and computer labs across campus, even from jogging and cycling trails. The team managing the drill – the Incident Response Team (IRT) – had allocated 75 minutes for the evacuation. The actual evacuation completed in 45 minutes. em
"The drill was a success," says Dan Morrissey, Dean of Students. "It was high energy from the time the students first heard about it until the drill was completed. Students walked across campus smoothly, quickly and quietly. Once assembled in the gym, they did dorm cheers. It was a bonding moment, one we were happy to let them enjoy since this was a drill."
Getting the word out effectively was one of the drill's biggest challenges. Students heard about the drill in many different ways. Nicholas, a senior from Canada who lives in Webster South, was in the shower when the first messages came out. "I heard about it from the other kids in the dorm," he explains. "They told me we were meeting in the common room." Others heard about the drill from loudspeakers, text messages, e-mails and phone messages. One day student, a lower, was in the Phelps Academy Center when he heard the building's loudspeaker system announce the drill. "It was a surprise," he says. "It all seemed well organized."
Once the students assembled, faculty took attendance and gave instructions. Boarders assembled in their dorm common rooms, returned briefly to their rooms to pack an evacuation bag, and then walked to Love Gym. Day students assembled in the Phelps Academy Center Forum. Those with cars were instructed to drive to the parking lot near Love Gym. The rest walked directly to the gym.
Exeter sent out three messages using a variety of delivery methods. The first was at 2:45 p.m., with two more at 3:00 and 3:15. Students received detailed and explicit instructions by text message, voicemail and e-mail, with Exeter's external loudspeakers emitting brief announcements. Faculty and staff received their own text, e-mail and voice messages. For all audiences, the messages contained a summary of the situation and explicit information about next steps. In order to make the test as realistic as possible, the IRT developed a potential real-life scenario – a train derailment with leaking toxic gas. The plan was kept a secret from all but the most essential faculty and staff prior to the drill.
Weeks of preparation preceded the drill. The IRT – consisting of faculty and staff representatives from ITS, Communications, Dean of Faculty and Facilities – met frequently to research and plan. Bobby Aldrich, safety program manager, and Jim Gilmore, director of campus safely, developed a detailed 10-page logistical plan for the drill, working with an outside consulting firm. The plan included coordination with the local police; defining all communications with students, faculty, staff and external audiences; and selecting safe locations for students to gather.
"The drill proved that the plan we have written works," says Aldrich. Gilmore adds: "We wanted the drill to be as realistic as possible. A major objective was to see how long it would take to move the students, have them pack an evacuation bag, move day student cars, and perform the necessary communications. Everyone involved took these tasks seriously. That is a great point of data for us."
Aldrich estimates that more than fifty adults were involved "on the ground" with the logistics of evacuation. They included security officers helping students cross Front Street, faculty in dorms, Student Activities staff in the Phelps Academy Center, Dean of Students staff at locations across campus, the IRT team as a central "brain trust" making decisions as the situation unfolded and ITS staff supporting communications.
Morrissey feels "really confident that we can evacuate the campus in a brief time. The more we practice this, the better it will be." The IRT is currently gathering feedback from the Exeter community, so that the next drill can go as smoothly as possible. "Next year we will be doing two more drills," explains Aldrich. "They'll focus on other types of emergencies, such as lockdowns or a major fire."
