Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

GU Receives Emergency Management Grant

The U.S. Department of Education has awarded a grant of about $550,000 to Georgetown to improve campus emergency management. The grant will be funded and used over an 18-month period to address four phases of emergency management: prevention-mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery, according to Rocco DelMonaco, vice president of university safety.

Georgetown was selected for the grant as part of a two-year, nationally competitive process through the [Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug-Free schools](https://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osdfs/index.html). The department awarded 43 grants, ranging from $58,000 to $768,000, to schools across the country.

According to information from the Campus Emergency Office provided by Peter Luger, executive director of university safety, finance and administration, the grant will provide funds for reviewing and improving emergency management planning efforts and will allow the [Office of University Safety](https://safety.georgetown.edu/) to conduct training exercises with members of the university community

“The grant will also help us build on our existing review process, allowing us to strengthen our emergency preparedness planning and response,” Luger said. “The plans are in place to help protect the life, safety and property of our entire community of students, faculty, staff and visitors.”

The grant will also fund a graduate student internship program established in the summer of 2008, according to Whit Chaiyabhat, director of emergency management. The unpaid internship has produced three emergency preparedness exercises focused on the university’s Emergency Response Team and crisis management systems, Chaiyabhat said in an e-mail provided by Luger.

“The grant-funded graduate student internship program will continue that work while offering students a paid internship opportunity,” Chaiyabhat said. “The internship program serves as an excellent opportunity for students to influence the preparedness of their own university and fellow students.”

The graduate student program will offer preference to students in security studies, health studies and public policy, and to those with career interests in crisis and disaster management, Chaiyabhat said. Unpaid undergraduate internships will still be considered but will not be funded under the grant.

“The success and nature of emergency preparedness requires a comprehensive community approach and emphasis,” Chaiyabhat said. “Prior to the grant award, the Department of Emergency Management and Operational Continuity had already begun the development of an emergency preparedness awareness campaign to engage and focus students, faculty and staff on increased attention to a `personal preparedness’ mindset. These initiatives are ongoing, in consultation with the Student Safety Advisory Board, and will include the development of an online training capability funded by the grant.”

In anticipation of the possibility of [H1N1 outbreaks](https://www.thehoya.com/news/gu-finds-50-likely-h1n1-cases/) on campus, as well as other medical concerns, rapid response to health emergencies on campus would also be addressed with the grant. One of the projects involves training university administrators as Community Emergency Response Team members.

“This training will benefit GERMS by giving bystanders the knowledge and preparation to confidently confront emergency situations, such as those that require our ambulance services,” Brendan Maggiore (MSB ’11), vice president of public relations for GERMS, said. “A more educated community allows our crews to operate more efficiently.”

The Office of University Safety has unveiled numerous measures to enhance Georgetown’s ability to respond to emergency situations over the past few years. These include the HOYAlert system – the university’s emergency notification system – and the Campus Alert System – a series of steam whistles that signal to the university community to take shelter when activated.

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