{"154431":{"#nid":"154431","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Know What to Do, Who to Call in Emergency","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIf a shooter was loose on campus, would you know what to do?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cFirst and foremost, if people ever hear gunshots, they should take immediate action by evacuating the area around the shooter or locking themselves in a secure room,\u201d said Andy Altizer, director of Emergency Preparedness at Georgia Tech. \u201cOf course, also call the Georgia Tech Police Department (GTPD) and follow any directions that you receive from the Georgia Tech Emergency Notification System (GTENS).\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn addition, faculty, staff and students could rest assured that while they were taking these actions, campus leaders would be assembling to address the crisis, Altizer added.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Office of Emergency Preparedness (OEP), which Altizer oversees, was created following 9\/11 to plan for and react to similar situations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe initial focus of OEP was homeland security, but in 2007, the focus began to encompass all hazards,\u201d he said. \u201cAlthough there are still some important homeland security functions, now our primary focus is on overall emergency preparedness.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe OEP team includes Altizer; William Smith, emergency preparedness project manager; Jennifer Mattingly, emergency preparedness coordinator; Frank Stanley, emergency preparedness program coordinator and Jason Kraft, graduate student assistant. They are available to help the campus community with emergency planning and exercises, disaster drills, training classes, notifications and Redbooks (building emergency plans).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOver the years, the group has heard a few myths when it comes to what they do and how people should react in an emergency. Here are a few that they\u2019d like to set the record straight on:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cem\u003EMYTH: Sirens are the only indicator there is\u0026nbsp; a threat on campus.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETRUTH: The sirens are only meant to warn people who are outdoors. You aren\u2019t likely to hear them inside. To be sure you are aware of any threat on campus, opt in for GTENS. (See the article below for additional details.)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cem\u003EMYTH: Only exit during a fire alarm when you see fire and\/or smell smoke.\u003C\/em\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003ETRUTH: There are times when an electrical fire can be inside a wall or ceiling, and you may not see the fire or smell smoke. Plus, there are times when a fire alarm is activated during a chemical spill. Exit the building any time you hear the fire alarm.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cem\u003EMYTH: OEP staff are police officers.\u003C\/em\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003ETRUTH: We are part of the police department, but we\u2019re not police officers. And, no \u2014 we do not carry guns.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat final myth is why Altizer reminds people that OEP\u2019s staff members aren\u2019t first responders. For immediate assistance in an emergency, Altizer instructs people to call GTPD at 404-894-2500.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIf you do require OEP\u2019s services, contact Altizer with the request, which he will pass along to the appropriate person.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIf a shooter was loose on campus, would you know what to do?\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"If a shooter was loose on campus, would you know what to do?"}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2012-09-17 07:46:33","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:47","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-09-17T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-09-17T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"154351":{"id":"154351","type":"image","title":"Disaster Drill","body":null,"created":"1449178859","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:40:59","changed":"1475894789","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:29","alt":"Disaster Drill","file":{"fid":"195253","name":"disaster_drill.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/disaster_drill_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/disaster_drill_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1372070,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/disaster_drill_0.jpg?itok=ZXiz1OU2"}}},"media_ids":["154351"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/emergency","title":"Emergency Preparedness Web Site"}],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"8147","name":"Andy Altizer"},{"id":"1234","name":"emergency"},{"id":"9234","name":"Georgia Tech Emergency Notification System"},{"id":"1219","name":"GTENS"},{"id":"4470","name":"Office of Emergency Preparedness"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:andy.altizer@police.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAndy Altizer\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOffice of Emergency Preparedness\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}