Mayhem will be the word of the day on Monday, March 3 as Keele campus staff participate in a simulated emergency as part of an exercise designed to test 快播视频鈥檚 emergency preparedness plans.
Some 55 people from across the campus will be involved in project 鈥淓xercise Mayhem鈥, with 30 鈥減layers鈥 drawn from 快播视频鈥檚 administrative and executive ranks fulfilling different leadership roles deemed integral during a campus-wide emergency event.
鈥淩egular testing of an organization鈥檚 emergency plans is an industry-wide best practice,鈥 says Katherine Branton, manager of 快播视频鈥檚 emergency preparedness program. 鈥淚t ensures that an organization and its staff are educated on and comfortable with their roles during the execution of an emergency plan. It also ensures that the plan itself is functional and accurately reflects the ever-changing needs of the University community.鈥
The simulation will test the University鈥檚 plans as participants work through different scenarios in an Emergency Operations Centre. As with a true emergency, the specific location of the Emergency Operations Centre is not revealed.
The benefits of the simulation are many, says Branton. Staff responsible for planning how the University reacts in the event of an emergency can see how their plans work and where improvements are required.
鈥淪imulations allow the emergency preparedness team to better anticipate the challenges that both the Emergency Operations Centre and the University could encounter in a large-scale emergency,鈥 she says. 鈥淚t gives us 鈥榝resh eyes鈥 to emerging events and the events themselves.鈥
Additional benefits of the emergency simulation include troubleshooting complications, reviewing how communication between the Emergency Operation Centre staff and responders happens, and understanding where things went right and wrong.
鈥淚t provides a crucial opportunity for everyone involved to understand their roles, the plan and the context in which everything must function,鈥 says Branton.
The ultimate goal of both the simulation and the emergency plan is to minimize disruption, harm and risk to the campus and its community should there ever be a real emergency event.
For more information on 快播视频鈥檚 emergency preparedness plan, contact Branton at brantonk@yorku.ca.