College’s intruder procedure stepped up
By Stephen Sossamon, Staff Writer
The college is one step closer to being ready if an armed intruder enters the building, said Safety and Security Director Ike Sloas.
The Shelter In Place procedure will be the new standard for the college’s safety plan in case of such an event, Sloas said.
He said it’s not a new procedure but is new to OCCC.
“[The procedure] has been in place,” Sloas said. “I’ve been teaching it since the fall of 2007.”
Sloas said the Shelter In Place procedure is a continuation of the procedure already used by the college.
According to the Shelter In Place procedure, if students or staff members are caught in open areas, such as hallways or lounges, they should move quickly to a secured area, such as a classroom or lab.
In this way, the college’s faculty and student body would be away from harm, and Oklahoma City police officers could enter and secure the college, Sloas said.
Safety and Security officers will conduct the training for the new procedure, Sloas said.
Training will be from 10 to 11 a.m. and from 2 to 3 p.m., July 21 and 23 in Main Building room 2N3.
Also, at 2 p.m. July 25, Safety and Security will perform a Shelter In Place drill, with observers checking to make sure everyone is participating correctly, Sloas said.
The drill will announce the Shelter In Place procedure being active, then the simulation of people moving to a safe place will occur, Sloas said.
“An Oklahoma City Police Department Santa Fe Division Administrative supervisor will be here to observe and leave feedback, also.”
He said the college will have a simulated live drill with a live armed intruder in the future.
The college’s IP phones, which are the phones located in the classrooms and offices, will play a big part in the procedure.
“It is the delivery device,” said Safety and Security coordinator Keith Bourque.
“[The IP phone] will audibly tell you when the Shelter In Place procedure is going on, and will give you the all-clear.”
Sloas said he hopes the phones will be able to reach at least 75 percent of the people on campus.
“The [most difficult] people to [notify] are the ones in the open,” he said.
However, Sloas said, those out in the open would most likely be the first to notice the threat and take cover.
Sloas said he also urges the various college divisions to develop their own plans, within the Shelter In Place procedure, to ensure their safety.
“The bookstore has its own procedures, as does the Child Development Center,” Sloas said. “You have to adapt to where you are in the college.”
Sloas said he’s confident everyone will be comfortable with the procedure.
“We want to make the faculty and students more comfortable with the procedures,” Sloas said.
“That is why we will be having the drills more often — to make it a routine.”
Sloas said these procedures are not lock-downs.
A lock-down is aimed at keeping the intruder out, while the Shelter In Place procedure is aimed toward getting the intruder out.
Sloas said students and faculty can get more information either by attending a training session or calling Safety and Security at 405-682-1611, ext. 7691.
Staff Writer Stephen Sossamon can be reached at onlineeditor@occc.edu.
