by Leslie Rasimas
Staff Writer
Appalachian State University will update its Emergency Response
Plan by adding an annex on bio-terrorism and communicable diseases.
“With the acts of 9-11, followed by the bio-terrorist acts
with anthrax, it became clear we needed to add bio-terrorist events
to our Emergency Response Plan,” Director of Health Services
Dr. Patricia A. Geiger said.
Geiger said there is no way for the university to anticipate each
potential problem, but adding the annex to the plan can help the
university prepare for emergencies.
“The chances of this happening at this university are very
low. We’re not a high-risk target, but there’s always
the chance it could affect us. We have students travel all over
the world, and students visit here all the time,” Geiger said.
Geiger said one goal of bio-terrorists is to spread communicable
diseases from a central location.
“We have groups of students traveling to New York who could
contract a disease, and then return to the university where it could
spread. Last spring the university canceled a trip to China because
severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) wasn’t being controlled
properly,” Geiger said.
The annex not only includes the university, but also emphasizes
involvement with the community, Geiger said.
“Following 9-11, a communitywide committee was established
to deal with potential terrorist activities, which fits perfectly
with the university’s Emergency Response Plan. We are part
of the community, and the need could arise where we need to work
together,” Geiger said.
University Police Chief Gunther E. Doerr said the university’s
Emergency Response Plan, which specifies operational and executive
responsibilities and priorities, is updated at least once each year.
“We update the system because situations and circumstances
around the world are constantly changing,” he said.
According to the Emergency Response Plan, the top priorities of
the university in an emergency are:
- Life safety and evacuation
- Medical aid
- Fire suppression
- Search and rescue
- Communication network
- Utilities survey
- Hazardous substance control
The university has never had an official emergency that called for
the use of the Emergency Response Plan, Doerr said.
Once each year, usually in November, the University Police stages
“tabletop exercises” to prepare for possible emergencies,
Doerr said.
“The last tabletop exercise we did was to control an over-turned
gas truck on Stadium Drive. We decide what measures have to be taken
to control an emergency, who needs to be relocated and what to do
about closing the university,” Doerr said.
Last semester, the University Post Office used a response plan when
a mysterious white powder appeared in a package, Geiger said.
“It turned out to be soap powder, but a lot of precautions
were taken and a response plan was taken into effect,” Geiger
said. |
