Employees Complete Safety Training, Campus Security Strengthened

From left, John Butts, Edgecombe Community College maintenance supervisor on the Tarboro campus, and John Ward, Rocky Mount campus maintenance supervisor, test a Code Blue Emergency Pole on the Rocky Mount campus. The device automatically contacts 911 with the press of a button. Numerous steps have been taken this year to beef up safety and security on ECC’s campuses. Employees have completed advanced emergency training and more security cameras have been added, among other initiatives.

Spurred by mass shootings in communities across the United States, Edgecombe Community College has broadened its safety training for faculty and staff on both campuses.

“We’ve always tried to have core people trained,” says Robert Whistler, coordinator of Emergency Services and Public Safety Training. “But the Wayne Community College incident pushed the issue to the forefront.”

In 2015 in Goldsboro, a man shot and killed a Wayne Community College employee on campus. The campus was locked down while law enforcement searched for the suspect. He later was captured in Florida.

Soon after, Edgecombe Community College President Dr. Deborah Lamm tasked the college’s Emergency Services department to begin widespread training for faculty and staff. The focus goes beyond shootings; it deals with a wide variety of emergency situations.

“Preparing for all emergencies is vital for safety and security on our campuses,” Dr. Lamm says. “We believe this training will help our employees work in coordination with emergency personnel, should any incident occur here.”

As a result of the training, about 75% of the faculty and staff are now certified in CPR and first aid. Approximately 50% of college employees have completed a FEMA-designed National Incident Management System (NIMS) training program that deals with large scale emergencies.

“NIMS training deals with having a lot of emergency personnel on campus,” Whistler says. “It introduces to our faculty and staff what their roles are.

“It focuses on how we react to the situation, what information emergency personnel need, what to expect, where to go, and what to do.”

In addition to advanced emergency training, Edgecombe Community College has beefed up its security infrastructure by adding more cameras to both the Tarboro and Rocky Mount facilities and grounds.

At present, 58 security cameras monitor activity on both campuses, and the college hopes to add more security cameras on the Rocky Mount campus this fall.

“We want to protect our facilities and provide a safe environment for students, visitors, faculty, and staff,” says Neil Baker, director of Computer Services. “There’s been a heightened awareness that has come from major events across the country, but of course, we hope to never see that here.”

Edgecombe Community College began installing security cameras about six years ago. The cameras have strengthened security on campus and assisted local law enforcement as well. Video surveillance images have helped solved numerous property crimes in Rocky Mount as well as a kidnapping.

Other security measures include emergency alerts to students and employees via email or text, and announcements through loudspeakers stationed across both campuses.

Training at Edgecombe Community College is ongoing. A FEMA program that targets schools will be offered in the coming months, and a de-escalation training seminar is in the works.

“The de-escalation training will deal with how to talk suspects down and how to protect yourself,” Whistler says. “We believe all of this training is very important.

“Our faculty and staff will be on the scene long before anyone else is. The more they are trained, the better.”