August 28, 2009
Most
of the students and faculty at St. John’s University were gone from
campus this summer but that doesn’t mean the Public Safety
Department was on vacation. Their efforts to assist and
safeguard the St. John’s community continue uninterrupted.
Photo Gallery
“Our work is really never done,” says Vice President of Public
Safety Thomas Lawrence. “No matter the time of year, and even when
most of the campus community is gone, we’re still patrolling, we’re
training, we’re responding to requests for assistance and keeping
the St. John’s community and campuses safe.”
Vice President Lawrence reports that this summer Public Safety is
again reassessing emergency preparedness at St. John’s. “We
recently did a tabletop exercise on the Queens campus with FDNY in
which they set the scenario—a chemical spill and fire in a
University building—and we walked ourselves through our response to
the incident. A lot came out of that—FDNY became familiarized with
our campus and we forged a better relationship with them. These
relationships are important since an actual emergency is not the
time for first responders to be introducing themselves to each
other.”
One of the outcomes of the tabletop exercise was the decision to
create a concise description of each campus building to include
information needed by first responders, such as the location of
fire hydrants, standpipes, stairwells, etc. Building-specific
information will be provided to first responders when they arrive
on campus. In addition, Colleen Greaney, Ph.D., the University’s
Director of Environmental Health & Safety, has compiled a list
of all chemicals stored in each room in St. Albert Hall for use by
first responders.
Two additional items that came to light during the tabletop
exercise involved the importance of communication during an
emergency. Although Public Safety already uses several methods to
communicate during an emergency, they decided to look into
satellite phones as another communications tool.
“Because local telephone systems—whether land or
cellular—can cease to operate during an emergency, satellite phones
can be a vital means of communication both on one campus and with
our other campuses, including Rome and Paris,” the Public Safety
Vice President explains. He says that a number of satellite phones
could be made available for use by Public Safety and University
leaders in a crisis situation.
The need to communicate directly with FDNY during the campus
emergency also became apparent. In the past, the department had to
communicate additional information via 911. To enhance this
communication, Public Safety has supplied FDNY with the same
portable radios used by St. John’s personnel so immediate
communication can occur during an emergency.
A month after the tabletop exercise, a
full-blown exercise in St. Albert Hall, took place on August 1.
At that time, FDNY and St. John’s personnel reacted to multiple
situations and scenarios that could arise during a real fire. “The
exercise,” Vice President Lawrence explains, “further enhances our
planning and ability to respond to emergencies on campus.”
Training Continues
As part of the Department’s semi-annual training program, Public
Safety officers from the Queens, Staten Island and Manhattan
campuses received training on “Drug Packaging and Identification.”
This was, says Public Safety’s Lt. Ralph Pascullo, “extremely
informative for our officers in view of the latest ‘Designer drugs’
and date rape products.” This training, which was specifically
requested by the officers, was presented by agents from the New
York State Drug Enforcement Agency.
Lt. Pascullo also provided the officers with the New York
State-mandated training curriculum on Legal Powers and Limitations
of a Security Guard, and Arrest and Use of Force Laws, followed by
a review of New York State test for public safety officers and the
actual test itself. Additional training on Red Cross Disaster
Response, the Americans with Disabilities Act and Hazardous
Materials/OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) was
also included. A Fire Safety lecture was also presented by Robert
Gleason, the University’s Fire Safety Director.
The public safety officers also had the opportunity to participate
in a question-and-answer session with the Department’s leaders. Lt.
Pascullo points out that “the Q & A time spent with some
members of the department dispels any false rumors and lets
everyone know what is going on behind the scenes.”
“This is a very valuable component of our training, Vice President
Lawrence notes. “Often issues come up that might not otherwise be
addressed in a specific training session. When this happens, we
share that question and our response in other sessions so that
everyone benefits from the exchange.”
Safety Activities on Branch Campuses
Too
A joint exercise with the American Red Cross and Public Safety took
place on the Staten Island campus. Arranged by Assistant Vice
President McEnerney, the exercise consisted of the Red Cross
responding to campus and, with the assistance of Public Safety,
opening and utilizing the emergency supplies in the Red Cross
storage container on campus. While intended for use in the local
community during an emergency, those supplies are also available to
St. John’s if needed. (The Queens campus also has a container with
supplies.)
And since St. John’s has “gone global,” the Public Safety
Department has too. They now have the added responsibility for
safety and security at both the Rome and Paris campuses. Periodic
safety and security reviews and visits to both occur throughout the
year. Recently, Public Safety joined with Rome campus
administrators in a tabletop exercise created by Assistant Vice
President McEnerney that tested communication between continents
during an emergency.
Now that summer is nearing an end and students and faculty are
beginning to return, activities on St. John’s campuses will pick up
dramatically. Students and faculty can be assured that their safety
and security remain in the hands of a competent, professional and
well trained Public Safety Department.