Christopher Newport University’s Office of Emergency Management held a Critical Incident Full Scale training exercise on Wednesday, September 25 from roughly 8AM through 1PM. The test was used to evaluate and train the procedures of CNU and local and state first responders in the scenery of a critical threat, more specifically an active threat by an assailant. The exercise included both CNU and the City of Newport News, including the Newport News Police Department, Fire Department, Emergency Medical Services, Virginia Department of Emergency Management, Virginia State Police, Riverside Health System and others per description by the Office of Orientation and Student Involvement (OSI) at CNU in an email to CNU personnel.
“It is essential for testing and evaluating our emergency procedures and ensuring that CNU Police and local and state first responders work together effectively,” CNU Alert stated in an email to CNU members the morning of the exercise.
The exercise involved McMurran Hall and other surrounding areas such as Potomac River Hall, Hoinkes Plaza Bell Tower and parking lots K, L (Potomac River Hall), and M (Alumni House). These areas were restricted and off limits for the duration of the exercise. CNU students were made aware to expect heavy police, fire and EMS presence. Students were also told to expect to hear blanks fired, student roleplayers in realistic injury simulating makeup and first responders tending to roleplayers. This also included sirens and announcements across campus with the message “exercise” to further the procedural tests.
The exercise sought out the help of 50 volunteers of faculty, staff and students to roleplay and act as victims. Roleplayers were asked to act out injuries, barricading themselves in rooms, exiting the building and other realistic scenarios, also per description of the OSI email to CNU personnel on August 29.
One student roleplayer was freshman Wendy Torres Salas who acted as an injured victim. She was instructed to lay on the floor of McMurran Hall pretending to be unresponsive. Before the exercise began, Torres Salas said she and other volunteers were given a presentation and debrief on what would happen. She was also moulaged and applied with makeup to simulate a severe injury in order to make the scenario more realistic for the first responders.
Torres Salas felt the overall exercise was both beneficial and a success. She did state that while the scenario may not have been as accurate since it wasn’t a legitimate situation, it helps serve as preparation if a real shooting were to take place.
“Worst case scenario it does happen, then I would rather have done the exercise and help first responders be prepared then not have done it,” she said.
Some students raised concerns about the impact the scenario had on those involved and those who witnessed the exercise in passing. During the exercise, restricted areas resulted in certain campus functions to be canceled. Many classes that take place in McMurran Hall were either canceled or made virtual for the duration of the exercise. Others also raised concerns about the emotional and mental impact the scenario may have had.
Torres Salas stated that she was personally impacted by having her classes moved online or canceled but it did not affect her on an emotional level. She did say, however, that she had received comments from a few of her friends relaying that they were impacted on an emotional level. However, Torres Salas’ main focus during the exercise were the real life victims who have experienced this level of violence.
Students and staff were also instructed via email to contact the Office of Counseling Services (OCS) if they were impacted by anything they saw or experienced during the duration of the exercise.
