News

Calhoun to Conduct Annual Mass Casualty Incident Drill on April 6

April 5, 2021

The Calhoun Community College Police Department and Decatur Police Department will collaborate this year to conduct a Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) drill. The exercise will take place on Tuesday, April 6, 2021, from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm, in and around the Visual Arts Building in downtown Decatur at the Alabama Center for the Arts, 133 2nd Ave NE, Decatur, AL.

The mock disaster will simulate a scenario involving an active shooter on campus. The specific scenario of the mock disaster has not been announced to preserve the “realness” of the event. Over the last several years, mock drill scenarios have included a bomb threat, bus crash, threat to persons/property as well as an active shooter incident. So that students, staff, and visitors to the campus will not confuse the drill with a real situation, notices have gone out across the college as well as to local public safety officials.

“The Annual Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) drill is a vital form of training for not only our students but our faculty and staff as well,” commented Dr. Joe Burke, Calhoun Interim President. “One can never prepare enough for the “unthinkable”, so we create these types of situations to ensure our students who are pursuing careers in the public safety and health fields receive the best form of real-life training during high-stress situations,” added Burke.

For the students and community’s benefit, this event involves coordination between the college and multiple external public safety and health agencies within Calhoun’s service area. During the drill, these agencies have the opportunity to be on campus and to participate with Calhoun health students. Many hospitals and academic accreditations now desire this type of training to document the level of training employees and students receive while employed/enrolled.

Campus visitors, faculty, and students should expect to see a high volume of emergency responders on campus from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. Several yellow warning signs posted reading “Active Simulation in Progress” will be posted across campus to alert students, faculty, staff, and visitors of the drill.

For inquiries about the drill, please contact Damon Morgan, Calhoun Community College Police Department Supervisor at 256-306-2984.