The decommissioned South Campus residence hall complex will be a busy place from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 31. Police officers, firefighters, medical personnel and university emergency management personnel will use the complex as the setting for a full-scale emergency response exercise.
Student Health Services, located in the Student Services Building, will also be a training site that afternoon.
“Students, faculty and staff will notice a number of police, fire, ambulances and other emergency vehicles around South Campus and the Student Services Building during the afternoon,” said Eric Hodges, university emergency manager. “There will be large signs posted at those locations to alert people to the training exercises, but we want the campus community to be aware ahead of time.”
The full-scale exercise will test responses to an active shooter situation. That exercise will involve members of the Illinois State University Police Department, police officers and firefighters from Bloomington and Normal, Illinois State Police personnel, McLean County Sheriff’s deputies, McLean County Emergency Management, and University emergency response and management personnel.
Student Health Services will also be part of the exercise as an emergency treatment center. “This will be a very realistic simulation with role-player victims in moulage to simulate injuries.”
The full-scale exercise will also be another valuable training opportunity for Illinois State’s Incident Management Team. Team members, drawn from administrative and operational units across campus, coordinate the University’s response and communication efforts during incidents, both large and small.
“The Incident Management Team draws on member expertise, procedures and community partnerships to effectively manage emergencies,” Hodges said. “This exercise is a unique opportunity to further prepare the team and the University community for a situation we hope we never face.”
The exercise will also include up to 50 role-play volunteers, including Illinois State students and faculty members and McLean County paramedic students. More than 20 personnel from various emergency agencies throughout the state will participate as controllers, safety officers and evaluators, providing constructive feedback to the agencies participating in the exercise.
