UMB remains one of the safest places in Downtown Baltimore. Now, a multidisciplinary team is tackling seven key safety reforms to take public safety and emergency preparedness to a new level.
Photo: A "knox box" containing master keys for first responders is placed next to an emergency blue light phone at 100 N. Greene St.
When Michigan State University Police Chief Chris Rozman opened up at the Maryland Higher Education Commission-University System of Maryland (USM) Campus Safety Summit about his university’s February 2023 mass shooting that killed four and injured five, the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) took notice.
“It’s heartbreaking to hear about these tragedies at Michigan State, University of Nevada Las Vegas [UNLV], and other schools and universities,” says Christopher Stanton, MS, executive director of UMB's Office of Emergency Management (OEM). “We’re grateful that Chief Rozman took the time to share their department’s lessons learned so we can take steps to prepare now.”
UMB President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, Assistant Vice President for Public Safety and Chief of Police Thomas Leone, MSL, and Stanton took these lessons learned and developed a campus safety action plan. The plan, which includes seven actions to improve campus safety, is already well underway.
Emergency and Crisis Communications
Distributing timely, accurate information in the minutes and hours after an incident occurs is critical to the UMB community’s safety. Even at its fastest, sending a UMB Alert can take several minutes (learn why here).
To ensure redundancy and set clear expectations, a multidisciplinary team of OEM, the Office of the President, and the Office of Communications and Public Affairs is working to review and update the University’s Emergency Communications Annex and develop additional pre-scripted messaging to increase the speed of information access in an emergency. OEM also has designed and delivered Joint Information Center (JIC) training to communications professionals across UMB to create a bench of additional communications support in an emergency.
Family Assistance Center
In an emergency, UMB community and family members will need information, support, and resources. In June, OEM facilitated a two-day training and drill for 44 people on how to establish a Family Assistance Center and perform compassionate crisis services.
“The training was emotionally intense — learning how to help grieving families,” says Laura Cathcart, PhD, training and exercise program manager, OEM. “But you only get one chance to get it right and help a family during a tragedy.”
A Family Assistance Center project plan is being created by a multidisciplinary team including the Student Counseling Center, Division of Student Affairs, School of Social Work, OEM, and others. The plan will more clearly define roles and responsibilities and codify the best practices learned in the training.
Master Keys in External Lock Boxes
During an active assailant incident, police officers need to quickly access rooms. While law enforcement has tools to breach doors in an emergency, forcible entry can cause delays and officer fatigue. Keys can help officers quickly clear a building and access areas where individuals are sheltering.
“A repeated lesson from the Uvalde, Michigan State, and UNLV active shooter events was police not having timely access to keys for all doors in the buildings,” says Andrew Roberts, PE, director, UMB Office of the Fire Marshal (OFM). “Putting lock boxes outside allows emergency responders to find keys quickly.”
The new lock box locations are highly visible and secure thanks to collaboration among UMB OFM, OEM, Police and Public Safety, Operations and Maintenance, and Design and Construction. So far, UMB Operations and Maintenance has relocated 34 lock boxes — called “knox boxes” — with five more to go.
Psychological First Aid Training
During and after an emergency, first responders can undergo a significant amount of stress and trauma. OEM and UMB police officers are now routinely adding psychological first aid and mental health first aid training to their toolkit.
“Historically, our training has focused on skills and physical ability,” Leone says. “Training for our mind is equally important, and it aligns with our core value of well-being. To be able to take care of others, we have to be able to take care of ourselves.”
The training increases individual resiliency and provides officers with skills to detect early warning signs of stress post-incident and help their fellow responders.
Incorporate Comfort K9s into Active Assailant Recovery Plans
UMB Police comfort K9, Poe, is a familiar face on campus. His role is to provide comfort and stress relief to those experiencing trauma. In addition to supporting the UMB community, Poe has responded to provide support to the Brooklyn Homes community, responders at the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, and responders at Baltimore City Fire Department line-of-duty deaths.
“We all deal with daily stressors, like deadlines and exams. Poe helps our students and employees handle these stressors in a healthy way,” Leone says. “In an emergency, comfort K9s can help our community to recover.”
In an emergency, Poe will need to bring in more furry friends. OEM and the UMB Office of University Counsel are working with HOPE Animal Assisted Crisis Response to provide professionally trained crisis response dogs to comfort first responders, victims, and families.
Crisis Services
An emergency can overwhelm our University’s resources and ability to manage a response. UMB leadership agreed that it would need help — and fast.
On behalf of USM, UMB procured a contract with Empathia to provide crisis services, including on-site crisis counseling support and the ability to open a call center staffed by behavioral health professionals within one hour of notification. Empathia also provides training, including the Family Assistance Center training.
The contract ensures that Empathia can handle several logistical hurdles and provide 24/7 support. That way, UMB can focus on what’s most important: our community.
Active Assailant Exercise Series
From November 2023 to April 2024, the University prioritized conducting a series of exercises. The Office of the President, all academic schools, and all support facilities (e.g., Health Sciences and Human Services Library, SMC Campus Center, and the Community Engagement Center) have trained and exercised on active assailant preparedness and response.
“There’s no point in having a plan if no one knows what it is or how to do it,” Stanton says. “When we regularly test these plans, we can identify and address gaps before an emergency. This is how we build resiliency at UMB.”
Next Steps
Five of the seven action steps are completed, with the other two nearing completion. Even as UMB checks items off the list, there is still much to be done.
“We can’t just complete these trainings once and say we’re done,” Stanton says. “Building a prepared and resilient UMB community begins with these trainings, but it also means continuous education, exercises, and improvement.”
Learn more about active assailant preparedness at UMB and how you can become a preparedness pro and receive a digital credential through a series of free emergency preparedness trainings.