Notifications prove affective on campus
Ensuring the safety of an entire campus can be seen as a large responsibility for any institution. Amanda Guthorn said she takes her role as director of Campus Safety seriously, and stresses how important communication and planning is to preventing and reacting to the unexpected.
In the event of an incident, there are many ways members of the campus community are notified. Warnings and instructions go out via “MyKSC, email, webpage and the new emergency notification system called Dial-my-Calls,” according to Guthorn.
The Dial-my-Calls system is “less bulky” than the old system, and does not require two text messages for each alert.
Guthorn explained, “When we did text alerts, you have 160 characters and their introduction was so long that you got two messages every time, and that’s just irritating to people.”
The new system features shorter messages, and even alerts users when classes are cancelled due to bad weather conditions.
Alert program enrollment has increased since the switch-over, as stated by the director.
Photo Illustration by Brian Cantore / Photo Editor
“On December 31 with our previous company, we were at about 1,400 enrolled; now there are 2,999 enrolled,” Guthorn said.
The KSC campus also features a siren and loudspeaker on top of the Spaulding Gymnasium. The loudspeaker serves to alert people outdoors in the event of an emergency.
Guthorn explained, “The siren and loudspeaker are great additions.”
She added, “There are people in Swanzey and the athletic fields that can hear it loud and clear.”
In addition to the importance of communication, coordinating a response effort requires multiple parties to come together and perform the jobs needed to protect those affected by an incident.
Each piece of the puzzle is given a task within the Emergency Operating Plan (EOP), which is, “the framework that determines who is responsible for what areas, and what actions they take depending on the circumstances,” Guthorn explained.
Depending on the circumstance, Campus Safety may have to coordinate with the Keene Police Department, Fire Department, Emergency Medical Services, or even Residential Assistants and transportation services.
The EOP allows each party to know what its role is in the event of an emergency. Campus Safety officers are not armed, and do not have the power to arrest, or use handcuffs, to restrain a suspect.
“The state of New Hampshire does not have an RSA, which are the laws that allow college and university officers to become sworn police officers,” Guthorn said.
Without these abilities, Campus Safety and KPD work together if a situation requires power of arrest.
Photo Illustration by Brian Cantore / Photo Editor
“It almost never takes them more than two minutes to get here, and we have our liaison officers here so they are really fast.”
The individuals and agencies involved in the EOP practice regularly to make sure that piece can perform their part.
Scenarios include situations like active shooter simulations.
“We did a drill with the police department a few years ago in one of the residence halls,” Guthorn explains, “The SWAT team and hostage negation guys train regularly; in fact they have trained here.”
Melissa Fraser is a student who lives on campus.
“I feel like it is very safe. My building is safe too; the security is good. We have had a few fire drills. When we did do it, it was a little unorganized and people didn’t really know where to go. Afterwards they [Campus Safety] explained it, but during we didn’t really know where to go. They are definitely very helpful,” Fraser stated.
The campus is a valuable training tool for first responders whenever possible.
“When we get rid of a building we contact the fire department and police department and say, ‘Hey, do you want to do some training?’” Guthorn said. When Campus Safety moved into a new facility, the old building was used for fire department drills. “They did extrications and cut holes in the roof,” Guthorn explained.
“It is great that we moved over here, but let’s do something with the building before we tear it down,” Guthorn added.
According to Guthorn, not all training is as involved as cutting up retired buildings on campus.
She also uses “table-top training” with faculty members to get people thinking about how to handle a given scenario.
“You don’t have to do a full-scale drill, but in a staff meeting, create a scenario and say ‘what would you do if..?’”
Guthorn continued, “What if somebody has a heart attack? You can do a mini-drill. We just set it up ahead of time and figure out how to manage it.”
Alexandria Lafrenaye, a KSC junior, said Campus Safety does their part to keep KSC safe.
“Honestly, I think they are doing a really good job. I think a lot of times people don’t realize they are not the bad guys,” Lafrenaye said.
Guthorn, who has been with KSC for 12 of her 30 years in campus law enforcement, stated, “I like that there is an education component to it, and that you get to be part of a community. If you’re a state trooper you may pull someone over and never see them again. That doesn’t float my boat; I like to talk to people. Everything is an opportunity to educate someone.”
David Walsh can be contacted at dwalsh@keene-equinox.com
