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The staged bleacher collapse in the emergency drill.
The staged bleacher collapse in the emergency drill.

The College conducted a large-scale emergency drill on campus on Friday, July 20, the third in a series of yearly exercises to ensure that the Hamilton Emergency Response Team (HERT) is proficient in handling emergencies utilizing the Incident Command System (ICS). “Hamilton considers these mock drills to be an important and essential part of the college’s emergency preparedness efforts,” said Director of Campus Safety Francis Manfredo.


As in previous years, many local and state emergency responders participated with the College in the drill. These agencies included Central Oneida County Volunteer Ambulance Corps (COCVAC), Faxton-St. Luke's EMS & Education, Clinton Fire Department, Westmoreland Fire Department, Clark Mills Fire Department, Midstate EMS, Mercy Flight Central and Stanwix Heights Fire Department. The drill assists these agencies in gaining experience responding to an incident in a campus setting.  Evaluators from the New York State Police and the New York Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services observed the exercise and will provide feedback to the HERT team.
 

Approximately 50 individuals from the campus community participated as actors in the emergency scenario which involved the collapse of bleachers in the Margaret Bundy Field House during a major speaking engagement with a capacity crowd.


The exercise also fulfilled a requirement of the Clery Act to perform a yearly emergency preparedness test. The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act is a federal statute requiring colleges and universities participating in federal financial aid programs to maintain and disclose campus crime statistics and security information.

 

WKTV, the Mohawk Valley’s NBC affiliate, also featured the drill in its Friday evening news broadcast.

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