CONVENTION CENTERS:
ACTIVE EMERGENCY DRILLS
actually surprise anyone to see one of these scrolling headlines? Sadly, no. The reality is, one or more of these scenarios will face each one of us within our lifetime, either directly or by association, and have become the unfortunate given in our lives. And as venue managers, we need to prepare, prepare, and prepare some more. We all say we commit to running emergency scenario order to see if your drills are reaching the objective of a solid learning experience, here are four questions to ask yourself: 1. Can you name four or more possible exit routes from where you are standing? 2. What makes a backpack a suspicious package? 4. Would YOU be able to answer any of the three questions above any better?
Textbook lessons and handouts to your safety committee are one layer of emergency drill training, and many of you even go beyond that to in-person training with presentations and videos. But have you thought about taking it one step further to a truly “active” training session? Not only will you engage the interest of nanosecond that it takes to nod but the information itself will stick with them longer because they have actually experienced something and are not just going through the motions. You helped them make a memory that will last longer than any paper lesson plan. Here are some tips for bringing active content to a few emergency scenarios:
How to put the “active” back into your emergency drills. By Jennifer Nakayama
physically exit the space they are in – calm and quiet and arms in the and have fellow employees critique if they can be seen or heard or detected. avoidance, create distraction). • Notify your neighboring buildings, facilities, and neighbors in ad- vance, in case any aspects of the drill are presumed to be real by an outsider that is not participating.
“Not only will you engage the interest of your information itself will stick with them longer because they have actually experienced something and are not just going through the motions.”
Active Shooter - ment or SWAT or rapid deployment services. They may be willing to run their own training exercise side-by-side with yours, so it is a win- win for both of you – you get to plan how your operations will work in conjunction with them and they get tangible training within your building layout. • Allow the local law enforcement to play the role of the active shooter or shooters with blank rounds discharged throughout the drill. • If local law enforcement is not able to be present, bring in examples - simultaneous areas/levels of the building. • Pre-plan the route that the shooters will take, through both FOH and
38 Facility Manager Magazine
Bomb Threat • Hire actors or seek out volunteer thespians to play the role of the - ployment forces. They may be willing to run their own training exer- cise side-by-side with yours, so it is a win-win for both of you – you get to plan how your operations will work in conjunction with them and they get tangible training within your building layout. • If local law enforcement is not able to be present, bring in gear and attire, and teach their identifying markings and badge • Notify your neighboring build- ings, facilities, and neighbors in advance, in case any aspects of the drill are presumed to be real by an outsider that is not partic- ipating.
• When placing the fake device(s)
to be found during the drill, remember that both FOH and BOH can be realistic targets. The device can be concealed inside a suspicious - ent and simultaneous areas/levels of the building. • Have examples to show of possible bomb containment devices – common objects like boxes, backpacks, pressure cookers, suitcases – and teach what does versus does not make such objects suspicious. frequency devices during this drill, but devise direct communication exercises that must take place. Therefore, other alternative means will
Fire Catastrophe PASS teaching lesson, discharging the actual extinguisher contents. by-side with yours, so it is a win-win for both of you – you get to plan
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