Published on September 14, 2017 by Philip Poole  

The Samford University campus will have its first-ever Emergency Readiness Day Sept. 20. Activities begin at 9 a.m. and continue until 2 p.m. on Ben Brown Plaza and in Sherman Circle.

Coordinated by the university’s Emergency Readiness Team (ERT), the day will feature at least 14 community agencies, food trucks and activities designed to bring awareness about the importance of emergency preparedness and introducing community partners and agencies who provide emergency response information and services.

Among the agencies expected to participate are the Jefferson County (Alabama) Emergency Management Agency, the City of Homewood (Alabama) Fire Department, Regional Paramedics Services, Jefferson County and State of Alabama health departments, Birmingham Mounted Police, the storm tracker team from Birmingham’s ABC television affiliate and several Samford groups. Stations will be provided for students and employees to learn about the university’s emergency response process, campus safety, CPR, use of AEDs and cyber safety.

Food trucks are being provided by Two Fat Men, Gigi’s Cupcakes and Cantina.

“We are excited about this opportunity for our students and employees to learn more about how to stay safe in a variety of emergency situations and to see how well prepared our community is to respond in various crisis situations,” said Cindy Berry, the emergency coordinator on the ERT and a faculty member in Samford’s Ida Moffett School of Nursing.

Berry noted that the day had been in planning stages for several months, but the recent hurricanes in Texas and Florida provided a strategic timing opportunity for the Samford community to learn about emergency preparedness. Some agencies that previously had committed to participate withdrew earlier this week to provide relief services in areas affected by the recent storms, she added.

Emergency Readiness Day is one of several activities planned by the ERT this year to help the campus be aware of resources and services for emergency preparedness. A campus-wide fire drill is scheduled for Oct. 19, and another campus-wide drill is scheduled in the spring.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.