Tennessee Tech launching a series of safety training sessions for faculty and staff this fall to enhance emergency preparedness across the campus.
Chief Safety Officer Bob Crabtree said the initiative originated from an emergency preparedness task force established by President Oldham to focus on campus security. Crabtree said the training sessions cover a wide range of scenarios including weather-related issues, medical emergencies, fire safety, and active aggressor situations.
“It really shows the commitment that President (Phil) Oldham has and his- and his staff, administration, and the university to really double down on that, right?” Crabtree said, “I mean, it- it was already very safe. But to say they’re making it a priority and then to go out and do it and give me the resources to make that happen.”
Crabtree said the Department of Campus Safety is receiving valuable feedback and questions from employees that are helping officials refine existing safety protocols. Crabtree said the training encourages employees to become experts on their specific work areas and the buildings they occupy daily.
“And some of the stuff we’ve already been looking at,” Crabtree said, “So we know we’re on the right track. And then they’ve brought up some stuff to us that have made really good points that we’re looking at doing too. So we’re getting it- ironically, we are getting probably as much out of this training for campus safety as they are getting it for themselves.”
Crabtree said the curriculum includes specific instructions on locating storm shelters and understanding evacuation routes for every floor of a building. Crabtree said the university utilizes an alert system to communicate emergency information simultaneously to students, faculty, and staff.
“If it’s say a fire-related emergency, we want you to know their building, right? Know their floor, their office space, the whole building so they know what those evacuation routes are,” Crabtree said. “And not only that, want them to check them every so often, make sure the doors are working like they should, make sure nothing’s blocked, which, you know, they- they’re not, but it’s always good just to check, of course.”
Crabtree said the training program is a collaborative effort involving University Police Chief Freddy Nichols and Assistant Director of Emergency Management Derek Woolbright. Crabtree said the 2020 tornado in the Upper Cumberland serves as a primary model for teaching weather response and preparedness.
“If you’re around the Upper Cumberland area, right? We’re- we’re a community partner to everybody,” Crabtree said. “We do a lot in the community and the community does a lot with us here at Tech.”
Employees can register for the upcoming sessions through a link distributed via Tennessee Tech email.
