‘Shooter’ Response Exercise Scheduled at UHMC Jan. 15

The UH Maui College Campus Crisis Management Team will conduct a joint emergency exercise on Friday, Jan. 15.

The UH Maui College Campus Crisis Management Team will conduct an emergency exercise with the Maui Police Department, Maui Fire Department, American Medical Response and the 93rd WMD Civil Support Team on Friday, Jan. 15, starting at about 9:30 a.m. and ending by 3:30 p.m.

The exercise scenario will involve a perpetrator in the Noi‘i building armed with a deadly weapon, said UHMC Campus Security Chief Chuck Tsang in a written release to Maui County. The perpetrator will be portrayed by a member of the MPD, who will be armed with a pistol loaded with blank ammunition.

No projectiles will be fired during the simulation; however, blank shots will be fired inside and outside of the Noi‘i building, which may be heard from a distance.

Police vehicles and officers will arrive on campus as the drill progresses. The parking lot fronting the Noi‘i building will be closed for the day. Building occupants will be asked to role play and implement the emergency procedures or follow CCMT instructions.

During the exercise, the campus community can expect to receive “mock” notifications through the UH Alert System (both SMS/text and emergency email broadcast), outdoor public address system, voicemail messages, UHMC hotline, UHMC website emergency banner or in-person staff communication.

If this was an actual event, the community would receive specific and detailed information about what is happening, where it is happening and what they should do.

The Noi‘i building will be closed for regular business during the exercise and nonparticipants will not be allowed to enter. There will be signage on the buildings, around the campus as well as in UHMC’s parking lots.

Staff will be stationed around the exercise site to prevent uninformed individuals from misinterpreting the exercise as an actual emergency.

“For your own safety, please cooperate with staff and stay away from the subject building during the exercise unless you are a participant,” said Security Chief Tsang. “Do not enter the Noi‘i building until official clearance has been issued.”

All members of the UH Maui College campus community are encouraged to sign up to receive emergency SMS/text and emergency email broadcast alerts. To sign up, go to https://www.hawaii.edu/alert/, select the appropriate campus and the type of messages preferred. A confirmation test message can also be sent from the website.

This joint exercise provides an opportunity for the CCMT and the participating first response agencies to test and assess their emergency response plans and tactics, should an actual emergency of a similar nature occur.

UHMC is required under federal law to conduct a functional exercise every year to test its emergency response and evacuation procedures. This test of the Campus Emergency and Evacuation Plan is one of the requirements to ensure that college is in compliance with the Jean Clery Act.

A copy of the plan is available to the public on the UHMC website.