Shootings, fires and natural disasters. These kinds of events happen in the world every day. But if they happened at Elon, would we be ready? In case of an emergency, would you know what to do?
Elon University recently created an emergency response guide, detailing how the campus should respond in different emergency situations.
Director of Physical Plant Robert Buchholz is the deputy of emergency response. He said the first thing to remember is the basics.
"About the first thing it tells you in all these is be calm," Buchholz said.
Buchholz also believes that safety is elementary.
"I think when you were in grade school, they always told you to look at your exits," Buchholz said. "Make sure when you go into a hotel, look at how you can get out."
The 26-page comprehensive plan is available online, at the bottom of every Elon webpage. It explains what to do and how to respond to all emergency situations- from a shooter on campus, to a bomb threat.
The guide includes tips on how to react in an active shooter scenario:
-Evacuate if possible
-Hide if you cannot evacuate safely
-Take action as a last resort
-Call 911 when it is safe to do so
Buchholz said the safest place to be on campus is in the McMichael building.
"It's got plenty of space down there," Buchholz said. "The hallway down at one end has a glass door. But all of the interior spaces don't have windows. So you close the door and you're in there. "
Buchholz even has a plan for food service.
"If we lost power for a number of days during an ice storm and it shut down the kitchen, Aramark has been asked to provide those prepackaged meals that the military uses for 3, 4, 5 days till we can get things back," he said.
Buchholz also has plans in the works for a mobile iPhone application and an emergency training video, which will be released in January.
To read the full copy of the emergency response guide, click here.