Cornell to host emergency response exercise April 14

Cornell will host a large-scale emergency response exercise at Schoellkopf Field and nearby campus parking lots on Sunday, April 14, from 10 a.m. to about 1:30 p.m.

Nearly 100 first responders and 40 volunteers (who will depict injured people) will test an array of procedures in a simulated emergency incident.

During the event, road signs in the area will indicate a mock event is in progress. There will be minor traffic congestion along Campus Road and parking in the area – including the Crescent, Teagle/Lynah and Biotechnology building parking lots – will be closed.

“We will be testing our ability to triage, treat and transport multiple patients from a major medical emergency,” said Dan Maas ‘87, emergency manager with Cornell’s Office of Emergency Management.

Departments participating in the exercise will be: Cornell University Emergency Medical Services; Cornell Environmental Health and Safety; Cornell University Police; Bangs Ambulance; Ithaca Fire Department; and partners from the Tompkins County Department of Emergency Response.

“We conduct small exercises and drills throughout the year, but bringing all these groups together for a full-scale, real-time, multi-agency exercise is a large undertaking,” Maas said. “This offers a unique test of our response plans and procedures, our incident command structure, and interagency coordination and communications.”

Afterward, the groups will debrief and the results will be analyzed to improve Cornell’s response to these types of incidents.

Said Maas: “This exercise will serve the public well, in that first responders will be better prepared to handle emergencies that could impact the community.”

Media Contact

Gillian Smith