NWC’s crisis response plans nearing completion

Posted 12/6/12

He said Northwest College’s plans for handling crisis situations are nearing completion. That includes the college’s overall Emergency Operations Plan and an Emergency Response Guide.

Prestwich called the operations plan extremely detailed …

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NWC’s crisis response plans nearing completion

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After an instructor was killed in a Casper College classroom Friday, the Northwest College president updated the NWC campus on its process for responding to a crisis.

“We’re deeply saddened by this tragedy and hold the victim’s family members and our Casper College colleagues in our thoughts,” said Paul Prestwich, NWC president, in a campus-wide email Friday afternoon.

He said Northwest College’s plans for handling crisis situations are nearing completion. That includes the college’s overall Emergency Operations Plan and an Emergency Response Guide.

Prestwich called the operations plan extremely detailed and said it revolves around the nationally-recognized Incident Command System.

Numerous NWC employees have received training on how to manage emergency and crisis situations using the Incident Command System, he said.

Among those who have received training are the college’s vice presidents and Lee Blackmore, the campus security coordinator.

“As you may be aware, some response mechanisms, i.e., a texting system to reach students and employees as well as a loud speaker system, are already in place,” Prestwich wrote to NWC employees Friday.

Prestwich said the Emergency Response Guide will be ready to roll out to all NWC employees in January. The guide is being finalized now by a group led by Gerry Giraud, the NWC vice president for academic affairs.

Prestwich said the Emergency Response Guide “will be an easy-to-use document with specific instructions about what to do in various scenarios.”

Major crimes, such as murder, are a rare occurrence on the campuses of Wyoming’s seven community colleges.

During Friday’s incident at Casper College, 56-year-old James Krumm died when his 25-year-old son, Christopher Krumm, shot him with an arrow in front of a handful of students and later stabbed him, according to police. Christopher Krumm then stabbed himself to death. No students were hurt.

Matt Petry of the Wyoming Community College Commission says he can’t recall ever hearing about a crime that serious occurring on a community college campus in the state.

Federal crime reports each college must file every year show an occasional assault or sex offense, but the vast majority of reported crimes at community colleges are limited to burglaries and alcohol violations.

(The Associated Press contributed to this story.)

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