Jonesboro, AR – Contributed – The Office of Emergency Management (OEM) will partner with the Jonesboro Fire Department to conduct an elevator rescue exercise on Monday, July 27.
The daylong training will begin at 9 a.m. During the morning, firefighters from multiple stations across town will rotate through Kays Hall and University Hall to learn about and practice elevator rescue techniques. This training will be conducted by JFD Captain Brandon Clayton, an experienced veteran of the department.
In the afternoon, OEM and JFD will work together to conduct an exercise that will incorporate several campus departments and city emergency agencies.
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“The exercise will involve members of University Housing, Jonesboro Emergency Communications Center (E911), and the Jonesboro Fire Department. It allows us to evaluate the effectiveness of our protocols and procedures, particularly in how emergencies are reported and information is communicated to dispatchers,” said Wyatt Reed, emergency operations and occupational safety specialist at A-State.
The campus community and university guests are asked to avoid Dean Street on Monday to keep training areas accessible for fire trucks and personnel. Hosting hands-on training with local fire officials is an important part of keeping campus safe for everyone.
“Jonesboro Fire and E911 are fantastic partners to us in providing emergency service coverage to our campus. This group of men and women is well-trained in a variety of areas, and we value their commitment to that training,” he continues. “When we can find ways to work together like this to prevent complacency and to always look for areas to improve our skills for the people we serve, not only is A-State safer, but our entire community is as well.”
With most students off campus for summer break, emergency agencies have the opportunity to conduct hands-on training in largely unoccupied buildings while evaluating response procedures and equipment in a controlled environment.
“E911 is going to use this as an opportunity to practice using the Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) system and guide cards for this incident type-elevator rescues are much less frequent than other emergencies, so it is nice to give them an opportunity to refresh and practice on that,” he said. “It will also give our University Housing staff fantastic practical experience with listening to a dispatcher, answering their questions, and what the overall process looks like.”
“Having this perspective allows us to continue updating our planning to align with the current response practices of our partner first responders,” Reed added.
Fire trucks may have lights and sirens activated; please don’t be alarmed; this is a planned part of the exercise. Those with questions can contact EmergencyOps@AState.edu or call (870) 972-2862.
“Many of our campus members come from other parts of the country or world, and giving them that experience in a low-stress environment to become more familiar and comfortable with Jonesboro’s emergency response process makes our campus better prepared for any emergency that may happen,” Reed said.
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