The university’s Department of Public Safety has partnered with FEMA to facilitate a full-scale exercise on the morning of May 15 to test campus plans for working with local response partners in the event of a serious emergency on campus or the surrounding area.
The mock scenario is an active shooter in the Humanities and Social Sciences Building. Most of the activities will occur between 7:30 a.m. and noon. Access to the building and the area surrounding the building, which includes the parking lot on the south side near Volunteer Boulevard, will be tightly controlled for safety. People in the area are asked to be aware of their surroundings and avoid interfering with the exercise. This parking lot will be closed all day.
Students, faculty, staff, and campus visitors passing this area will see emergency vehicles and fire and police crews engaged in the exercise, along with “victims” in realistic makeup.
“It is important to be careful not to unintentionally give the impression that a real attack has taken place when talking about the drill to others. This can easily happen on social media and could cause distress in our community and potentially lead to serious issues,” said Brian Gard, director of emergency management.
If you have questions, contact 865-974-3061.