Isabella Bank Institute for Entrepreneurship

Members of several Central Michigan University departments and divisions will gather next week for a simulated emergency response exercise.

Representatives from campus offices including CMU Police, Academic Affairs, Finance and Administrative Services, Student Affairs, University Communications, and others will participate in a training Monday, Nov. 13, in the Bovee University Center. 

“Incident management exercises help the university better plan for and respond to real emergencies,” said Lt. Cameron Wassman, CMU police lieutenant and a member of CMU’s Emergency Management Steering committee.  

Wassman said these exercises let the university test its emergency management plans in a low-risk setting, allowing participating teams to practice working together before an emergency occurs.

“Training together helps to improve teamwork, communication and decision-making in stressful situations,” he said. “It also offers us the opportunity to identify areas for improvement.”

The university conducts training exercises at least twice a year, and members of the Emergency Management Steering Committee meet regularly to review emergency management plans, resources and processes. The committee also reviews and contributes to the content on CMU’s emergency management webpage, which includes plans to Get Ready and Take Action in the event of a real emergency on campus. 

No action is needed from the university community, Wassman said, and the training exercise will not impact the normal operations of the university. 

“While it is impossible to anticipate the nuances of every possible emergency, our goal is to ensure that our university community is as prepared as it can be to react appropriately when an incident occurs,” he said. “Our goal is to protect the life and health of our community and to empower the university to achieve its academic mission.”