At the end of April, Grand Rapids Community College along with the City of Grand Rapids Emergency Management Office and nearly a dozen state, federal and local law enforcement and emergency responders participated in a full-scale active shooter training exercise at GRCC’s Leslie E. Tassell MTEC Campus.
The purpose of the exercise was to simulate and prepare for a potential real-life situation. It provided all involved an opportunity to assess and evaluate existing emergency response plans, including preventative measures, lockdown procedures, and communication protocols. It helped ensure that every member of our community is well-informed and aware of the steps to take in an event of an emergency.
“We don’t normally blend our training with other departments," stated GRPD Deputy Chief Joe Trigg. “But with something like this, we know there’s going to be a lot of departments and a lot of resources involved so it’s great to do a practice run because we know we want to be prepared and we know how likely this could happen in our city or in neighboring cities.”
Planning a critical preparedness activity like this takes more than a year of hard work and collaboration from multiple partners, but they are crucial to ensuring a safe campus community. And, the safety and well-being of GRCC’s campus community is top priority. It is paramount to a conducive learning environment. When people feel safe and supported in an environment, they can thrive academically, socially and emotionally, and will be more relaxed, less anxious and feel like they belong.
Thank you to all GRCC staff and students who helped plan, prepare and participate in this exercise. We couldn’t have done it without you!
Enhanced security resources around GRCC campuses
GRCC has updated and added extra security resources at all campus locations — Main, DeVos, MTEC and the Lakeshore. These include additional campus surveillance cameras and updated emergency call boxes. Likewise, all campuses continue to offer automated external defibrillators (AEDs), safe walk, card access to buildings, and more. These resources and many more can be found on the GRCC website under Police and Safety Resources.
Additionally, GRCC uses an emergency notification system called Rave to inform students and employees of emergency situations and other important notifications. The system allows for emergency messages to be sent via text, email and phone. It is only used in the event of a campus closing or emergency.
Students and employees are enrolled in Rave automatically every semester, but you can opt out at any time. The only communication option you can't opt out of is the registration email, which will be your GRCC email (email.grcc.edu for students and grcc.edu for employees). You will not be spammed, and you will only receive information pertaining to crisis, campus closings, or other critical service announcements. The service is free, though charges from your mobile phone service carrier may apply where applicable.
Community members, parents and other stakeholders are also able to subscribe to the Rave Alert service at https://www.getrave.com/login/grcc.