by Terri Pickard
We all like to believe that bad things won’t happen to us, but then something happens and we find ourselves questioning that belief. So do we wait until it happens to figure out what to do, or do we plan for the worst and hope for the best? Did you know that in case of an emergency or disaster on our campus we as students have a responsibility in the campus emergency plan?
We can’t prevent bad things from happening, but we can be more prepared when they do. Taking time to look up the emergency procedures manual for our campus will help us, to help ourselves in the event of an emergency. It will also help us to know more about how the campus as a whole will react to an incident. Is all you have to do to find the manual is go to the ENMU web page at www.enmu.edu and in the search bar at the top right hand corner of the main page and type in “emergency procedures.” This will open up a page full of emergency information. You can then click on the link:
Emergency Procedures Manual – Eastern New Mexico University
This will show us what is expected of our admin, faculty, staff, and ourselves. Another way to be prepared is to pay attention to our surroundings. Each building has maps in the hallways, while this is a good way to find a room; it is also a good way to find a secondary way out in case of an emergency. Pay attention to the location of fire extinguishers, and learn how they work. We all want to pass, but in terms of fire extinguisher usage it is a necessity, and an easy way to remember: P= Pull the Pin A= Aim the nozzle at the base of the fire S= Squeeze the handle S= Sweep from side to side.
Another bit if information we should all know is why classroom doors should remain in the locked position during class. No it is not to embarrass those of us who show up late to class. It is an emergency preparedness tactic. In the event of a mobile active threat of violence, or someone intent on doing as much harm as possible, the doors can be closed and the room secured to keep the perpetrator out.
We all want to believe it won’t happen to us but the truth is, it could and by taking the time to learn a little about how to react in the event of an emergency, we can all increase our chances of survival.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is a division of Homeland Security that studies various different emergencies and gives information on what to do to prepare for, during, and after various different types of weather emergencies, school shootings, terrorism, and much more. For more information on emergency preparedness, please visit the FEMA web site at: www.fema.org.