Preparing students for emergencies on college campuses

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – As students return to college in the next few weeks, experts say it’s important to make sure they are prepared in case an emergency strikes on campus.

Jill Burgin, external affairs officer for Williamson County Emergency Management Agency (EMA), acknowledged that with all of the items on a college move-in to-do list, sometimes the thought of safety plans can get left off.

“If they’re going to a university that’s in an area that’s not similar to where they grew up, there may be emergencies that are more likely to happen that they’re not familiar with, maybe earthquakes, or snow or avalanche warnings.” Burgin said. “It could be something different that they’re not used to, so you want to have them think about what they need if there’s a public emergency on a campus.”

Whether heading to a campus close to home or far away, it’s the first time many students are expected to be independent.

“It can be really hard to convince young adults that this is something they need to take a minute to learn or to think about even,” Burgin said. “I’ve got three sons, one who’s currently in college, and they just are done with hearing mom talk about things sometimes, and they think they know everything, so we really want to get them to think in terms of where they’re going to college.”

Burgin suggested that when parents are discussing the basics of their kids living on their own, such as cooking, cleaning and laundry, it’s also important to make developing a safety plan a part of those conversations.

“The goal of emergency preparedness is to help save time in order to get yourself safe,” Burgin said. “We really don’t want them to be in a less-than-ideal situation where there’s an emergency that happens and they start Face Timing mom or dad and want to know what they should do in that very moment.’”

In the event of a disaster, Williamson County EMA advises all college students to:

• Keep a written list of contacts
• Know the area’s common hazards
• Have a ‘go bag’ ready
  • Ex: water, nonperishable food, battery-powered flashlight, battery-powered AM/FM radio, emergency cash, ID card
• Find the school’s emergency plan
• Learn basic first-aid skills
• Enroll in the college’s emergency alert system
• Sign up for mass notifications from the city and county

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Before the academic year begins, Burgin also suggested executing a medical power of attorney form for college students who are legal adults (18 years old or older) because, without one, a parent or guardian may not be able to access their medical records or make emergency decisions on their behalf.

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