Dental college incident highlights importance of preparedness

As you have heard, the College of Dentistry and other buildings on the East Campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln were locked down for approximately 90 minutes on Thursday while campus police searched for an armed man who was seen outside the COD.

Dental college developments At a debrief on Friday, dental college administrators discussed steps they will take to be better prepared for a possible future event. These included the future installation of: More panic buttons; Security cameras; An expanded security card system to enter the building; as well as Additional and ongoing safety training for students, faculty and staff.

After a faculty member reported the armed man, the college went into lockdown mode that included about 100 patients being escorted into the Dixon Auditorium inside the college and armed guards being stationed outside the school.

Nobody was hurt, however, police were unable to find the suspect.

“The response was quick,” said Randy Haack, Ph.D., assistant dean for dental administration for the College of Dentistry. “Faculty and staff worked calmly and responsibly. The lockdown went smoothly and professionally.”

The incident serves as a reminder that we are not immune to extreme danger at our workplaces.

UNMC and The Nebraska Medical Center recently adopted an “active shooter policy.”

Employees are encouraged to:

• Read the UNMC Today article about the policy, which also contains information on how to stay safe in such a scenario;
  
• Call security to report suspicious activity; and
  
• Talk within their units about their plans to face dangerous scenarios.