MSU prioritizes emergency preparedness, makes resources available for students & employees

MSU Emergency Manager says upcoming training sessions, other preparedness resources are being implemented in coming weeks.

Mississippi State University (MSU) is taking advance precautions against potential emergency scenarios with several upcoming training sessions planned, including preparation for an active shooter scenario.

Sid Salter, Director of Public Affairs at MSU, explained that they drill constantly and believes this is the first active shooter live exercise in some time. Live exercises have included, weather related scenarios, chemical spills, “any eventualities that could threaten faculty, staff, and students.”

“This is something we do on a regular basis because that reparation helps us to respond readily and quickly when things do happen,” Salter said.

Vice President for Student Affairs Regina Hyatt said that they feel preparedness is crucial, and want to equip students, faculty and staff to maximize their safety—even in the event of the worst-case scenarios, which they hope MSU will never face.

MSU Emergency Manager Brent Crocker said the following upcoming training sessions, as well as other preparedness resources, are being implemented in coming weeks as the university continues to make preparedness a top priority:

• July 26 and 28, Live Simulation Training—MSU is hosting two simulations with MSU Police responding to a hypothetical active shooter situation. The location will be determined closer to the date.
• August 4, Active Shooter Tabletop—A subset of the MSU Crisis Action Team will work through a hypothetical scenario of an active shooter on campus. The university has invited local law enforcement and emergency response personnel to participate. The scenario is provided by the Department of Homeland Security School Safety Task Force.
• August 23, Active Shooter Training—An Active Shooter Training session for university employees will take place at 3 p.m. in Fowlkes Auditorium. It is listed on the Human Resources Learning Library at: https://learning.hrm.msstate.edu. Departments wishing to host a training session should contact Brent Crocker at jcrocker@saffairs.msstate.edu.
• August 23, Active Shooter Training—An Active Shooter Training session for university employees will take place at 3 p.m. in Fowlkes Auditorium. It is listed on the Human Resources Learning Library at: https://learning.hrm.msstate.edu. Departments wishing to host a training session should contact Brent Crocker at jcrocker@saffairs.msstate.edu. The Mississippi State Personnel Board’s “Active Shooter Situations” training program is still required for new employees and is available for current employees to review: http://www.mspb.ms.gov/Presentations/Active-Shooter-Training/presentation.html.

MSU students and employees are urged to watch a video online and make an emergency plan.

“At MSU, we place a high priority on your safety at all times and have plans in place to ensure that in the unlikely event of an emergency, danger is minimized to the campus community,” the campus safety video said.

The MSU emergency app now contains links to emergency procedures, including active shooter situations. The University encourages students, faculty, and staff to download the Everbridge App from any app store and follow the instructions found here.

For more information on emergency guidelines, preparedness and training, or MSU’s Maroon Alert system, visit https://www.emergency.msstate.edu/.