On Nov. 25 a full-scale active shooter exercise will take place to evaluate how several University services work together during an emergency situation, according to an IU news ?release.
The exercise will be during IU-Bloomington’s scheduled Thanksgiving break.
The IU Police Department, Bloomington Police Department, Bloomington Fire Department, IU Emergency Management and Continuity, IU Communications and other services will all participate in the ?exercise.
The exercise is coordinated by IUEMC and is part of their active shooter program.
The intense, intricate drills are usually preceded with workshops and tabletop drills, according to the University. After the exercises, plans are made to address any weaknesses discovered during the ?exercises.
The building on campus in which the simulation will take place is not disclosed, and an IU-Notify alert will only be sent to participants in the exercise.
While the risk of such an occurrence at IU is low, according to the University, this sort of training provides an opportunity for those involved to practice critical steps, like crisis communications and intra-police department cooperation.
On Nov. 24, the day before the exercise, street closures will be announced for Nov. 25. While those nearby the simulation may see multiple police, ambulance and fire vehicles respond to the situation, none will have their sirens on.
A number of actors will also be made up to look like they sustained injuries, according to the University.
“We hope that shootings and other tragedies never happen here, but the only way you know you can respond is to train and to prepare so you can respond to any hazard,” Debbie Fletcher, director of IUEMC for IU-Bloomington, said in the release.
Kathrine Schulze
