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A Message to Parents, Students and Employees
The safety and well-being of our students and employees are of highest priority to Messiah College. To ensure this priority, the College recruits and trains a campus task force of administrators, faculty, and staff to facilitate calm, quick and effective responses during emergency situations. In conjunction with local, state and federal authorities, the College's Crisis Management Team is ready to respond quickly and appropriately to times of emergency. Messiah College's response team and plans are ready and in place, and the College is in consistent contact with emergency agencies to proactively determine specific instructions as needed. We recognize that recent national and international events can cause times of heightened concern and anxiety, so we have created this web site to provide answers to questions that our students, parents, and employees may have, and to provide helpful, up-to-date information on how the College is prepared to respond. Current News MRSA Preparedness and Prevention at Messiah Q&A on Emergency Response at Messiah College Does Messiah College have a crisis response team and plan? Messiah College has a designated crisis response team and thorough crisis management plan in place. The College is in regular contact with local emergency agencies to develop training programs and proactively determine specific instructions in case of an incident on campus. We recognize that recent national and international events can cause times of heightened concern and anxiety, so we have created this web site to provide answers to questions that our students, parents, and employees may have, and to provide helpful, up-to-date information on how the College is prepared to respond. With the recent incident at Virginia Tech, is the college making any changes to its crisis response plans? Whenever another institution experiences an incident related to student safety, the staff at Messiah College observes and learns from those experiences. Messiah College reviews its crisis plan on a regular basis and is determining if we need to further develop existing protocols or develop additional protocols. Is your crisis management plan online? For security reasons and to minimize risk, many of the college’s crisis management protocols are internal documents only. Does the department of safety carry guns? The department of safety does not carry guns, however officers have hands on tactical training. Also, the department of safety has an excellent working relationship with local authorities, particularly the Upper Allen Township Police Department and participates in joint training at various times throughout the year. How would Messiah College respond in the event of a terrorism-related or other emergency? The College has an experienced Crisis Management Team in place to respond in accordance with directions from state and local emergency agencies. Should a directive to evacuate the campus be received, the College will work with state and local officials to implement a pre-determined evacuation plan to ensure the safe transport of its students and employees. Special arrangements will be made by Messiah's staff for international students, students with a disability, and other students who do not live locally or require transportation and a place to stay. Is Messiah College in the emergency evacuation radius of the Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear power plant? No. Messiah College is located outside of TMI's Emergency Planning Zone (EPZ) as determined by the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA). See map. (Messiah's location is indicated in blue on the left.) What are emergency agencies recommending the College do to prepare for the possibility of terrorism-related threats such as chemical or biological agents? The College has been in consistent communication with government/emergency response agencies on this question. Currently, they are not recommending any specific preparations beyond the College's existing crisis response plans. The College has been told that our campus is a top priority of local and state agencies, given its unique residential environment of housing students. Given the College's long-standing, established relationships with these agencies, they are familiar with Messiah's campus, needs, and emergency procedures, and would immediately issue specific instructions on how to ensure our students' and employees' safety in an emergency situation. How would Messiah College communicate with students, employees, and their families in the event of an emergency or evacuation? In the event of an emergency or evacuation, the College will communicate information via the following: Off campus
What resources are available to support students who are suffering anxiety in response to the threat of terrorism? The staff of the Engle Center for Counseling and Health Services is prepared to respond to students who are fearful or anxious. Students may call or stop by the Engle Center (717-796-5357) to make an appointment. In the event that large numbers of students are experiencing stress, support groups in the residence halls will be developed. If parents or students are interested in learning about other resources, they may call the Engle Center for that information. How could I get emergency updates from Messiah College's local media? In case of an emergency evacuation of the area, radio and television stations will broadcast up-to-date information. The following is a list of radio and television stations near Messiah College that are part of the primary emergency alert system and can provide official information and instructions: AM Radio and Call Number WHP-AM 580 (Dauphin County) WSBA-AM 910 (York County) WHYL-AM 960 (Cumberland County) WLBR-AM 1270 (Lebanon County) WLPA-AM 1490 (Lancaster County) FM Radio and Call Number WRVV-FM 97.3 (Dauphin County) WQIC-FM 100.1(Lebanon County) WROZ-FM 101.3 (Lancaster County) WHYL-FM 102.3 (Cumberland County) WARM-FM 103.3 (York County) Television WGAL-TV, Channel 8 WLYH-TV, Channel 15 WHP-TV, Channel 21 WHTM-TV, Channel 27 WITF-TV, Channel 33 WPMT-TV, Channel 43 WGCB-TV, Channel 49 Rumor Control Hotlines Messiah College is located in Cumberland County, PA., which operates a rumor control hotline that is activated in times of emergency. To access, call (717) 240-7718. The nearby city of Harrisburg is located in Dauphin County; you may access its rumor control hotline at (717) 558-6800. Is the College taking any additional security precautions? While the following are not new procedures or policies, the College is encouraging these sensible reminders to help promote a secure campus environment:
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