Lockdown procedure revealed for on-campus threats

By: Steve Woodhead

Posted: 1/8/08

Brock University Campus Security is prepared to roll out the newly developed Imminent Threat Lockdown Procedure this month, after nearly a year in production.
The procedure, considered the second phase of the Emergency Management Plan after the Bomb Threat Procedure that was introduced last semester, outlines the responsibilities of staff, faculty and students in the event a campus lockdown is required. The procedure indicates that such an event may include an active shooter on campus, serious approaching weather conditions or a hazardous substance spill, among other scenarios.
Donna Moody, the director of Campus Security at Brock, said that it is crucial that students read and familiarize themselves with the procedure for their own safety.
"It's very, very important that they read it - it's not a long procedure; it's a fairly simple process," said Moody. "It's certainly not a scare tactic, it's just an emergency procedure - the same as a fire escape plan or evacuation or something along those lines."
The procedure was completed in December, but has not been made public to the Brock community until now. According to Moody, its developers chose to hold off until the majority of staff and students had returned from holidays before revealing the plan, which began development in January of last year.
The procedure was developed by Campus Security with consultation from the Niagara Regional Police, and was specifically tailored to the Brock University campus.
"On Dec. 10, we had a tabletop exercise that involved about 40 staff members from the university, consisting of the Emergency Response Team and the Crisis Management Team," said Moody. "It was in conjunction with the Niagara Regional Police, who assisted in preparing the exercise for us. In an eight hour session, we walked through the different options that were available to us, and one of the scenarios involved an individual who was on campus and had access to weapons."
After the procedure has been made public to staff, faculty and students, Campus Security's attention will shift towards developing a mass notification system, allowing security to alert those on campus to potential threats.
"There are several methods [of alerting students], said Moody. "We could put into place things like LED signage throughout the school, since many students do not have access to their voicemail or e-mail when they're in the halls of the university. We're looking at things that would complement our infrastructure right now, like the LED signs, or utilizing the voice announcement capabilities like we have in the tower."
The full Imminent Threat Lockdown Procedure outlines exactly what members of the Brock community are expected to do in the event of a dangerous person on campus. As soon as a staff member or student is made aware of the threat, they are urged to move to the nearest secure space behind closed or locked doors, and nominate one individual in the group to contact authorities with their location.
Apart from LED signs or voice announcements, Moody indicated that students could be made aware of potential threats via a number of methods, including their Brock e-mail, security personnel on campus, voicemail, or by word of mouth. The lockdown procedure also suggests that students monitor local radio stations should these other avenues not be available to them.
"Once [students] are notified," said Moody, "and they are asked to move to a lockdown procedure ... we're asking them to stay where they are, stay behind a locked or closed door until they're given the OK to clear. It's the opposite of the evacuation procedure, essentially."
During the first week of the second semester, students will be able to access the completed Imminent Threat Lockdown Procedure through Brock University's main Web site, which will link them to the policies and procedures of Campus Security Services. The procedure can also be accessed through the Brock Portal in the bulletins section.
According to Moody, after the document is released there will be a follow-up educational campaign about the procedure over the next few months, and at the beginning of each school year the procedure will be highlighted again for incoming students and staff.