Conservation and Cleanup Efforts of Auburn Staff Win Government Partner Award
5/1/2023

The conservation and volunteer efforts of Auburn University employees continue to earn major recognition. 

The Help the Hooch Cleanup was chosen by Rivers Alive as the 2022 Government Partner Award winner. The award was presented to the Ft. Benning Department of Public Works (DPW) Environmental Programs and Auburn University Intergovernmental Service Agreement (IGSA) Clean Water Team at the Rivers Alive awards ceremony and luncheon on Thursday, April 27th in Atlanta. Team Members Erin Perry (NPDES Compliance Technician), Jasmine Truitt (NPDES Compliance Specialist), Anthony Harrington (GIS Specialist), and Jack Hovey (NPDES Compliance Specialist), were recognized (Pictured Above L-R). 

The Help the Hooch event was held on October 14, 2022, and began at the Uchee Creek Marina. The cleanup event was open to soldiers, families, and partner organizations and helped to remove an estimated 130 bags of trash, 31 tires, and about 500 pounds of metal. The most common items included plastic bottles, aluminum cans, and fishing supplies. 

The Help the Hooch is an integral conservation event to help maintain a key portion of the Chattahoochee River. The river is home to over 20 species of freshwater turtles, nine threatened and endangered species, and one of only two trout streams that flow through a major urban area. 

Auburn University faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to participate in the 2023 Help the Hooch cleanup event. Information about the 2023 event including registration information and dates will be advertised on campus and AU News. 

Help the Hooch
9/29/2022

Auburn faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to “Help the Hooch” at Fort Benning on October 14th from 7:30 am until 11 am Central Time. Fort Benning is hosting their annual Chattahoochee River Cleanup event and by donating your time, you will directly improve the water quality of the communities and recreation areas downstream of Fort Benning.

If you’ve spent time in or on the water, enjoy fishing in Lake Eufaula, or even spend time in the Gulf of Mexico, then you’ve benefited from the amazing natural resource that is the Chattahoochee River. Keeping this integral watershed healthy is vital to the Auburn community.

Participants are asked to meet at Pavilion 1 at Uchee Creek Marina and will be removing solid waste and trash from the waterway by boat and by land. You are also welcomed to bring your own boat.

A free pizza lunch, t-shirt, and cleanup supplies will be provided to volunteers.

To register visit

 https://sites.google.com/view/2022-help-the-hooch/home or call 706-545-3604 for any questions.

Parkerson Mill Creek Cleanup scheduled for Thursday February 17th
2/9/2022

Auburn University Risk Management & Safety (RMS), the Alabama Watershed Stewards, and the AU Water Resources Cetner will host a creek clean-up event on Thursday, February 17th, from 2:00 pm until 4:00 pm along the banks of the campus’ Parkerson Mill Creek.

Students, faculty, staff, and all members of the University community are invited to participate in the event.

A small stream that stretches past Jordan-Hare Stadium, Plainsman Park, and the Beard-Eaves Coliseum on the campus, the Auburn University Parkerson Mill Creek was transformed in 2014 into an area used as outdoor classrooms for environmental research. It is up to the Auburn University community to keep this living stream vibrant, clean, and beautiful.

Volunteers for the event should meet in front of the Wellness Kitchen in the Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum parking lot, next to the creek, at 2:00pm.

Gloves and bags will be available for collecting, but participants will be responsible for bringing appropriate footwear, such as rubber boots or waders.

Participants will need to sign a Volunteer Release & Acknowledgement of Risk waiver prior to collecting; forms will be available the day of the event.

To register, please visit aub.ie/creekcleanup

Building surveys to be conducted the week of October 21st, 2019
10/17/2019

Risk Management & Safety will be working with Duff and Phelps, LLC to survey properties insured by the State Insurance Fund.  Representatives will be on campus from October 21st, 2019 – October 25th, 2019 to assess current condition and valuation of select buildings.   You may notice the surveyors entering mechanical rooms, electrical closets, and other restricted areas; however, they will be accompanied by AU Facilities Management.  Every effort will be made to schedule surveys at times that are convenient for building occupants.  

Questions or concerns may be directed to Risk Management & Safety at 844-4533. 

PHOTON1 Coming to Campus for Laser Safety Awareness Day
10/7/2019

Auburn University Risk Management and Safety (RMS) Department will be hosting Campus Laser Safety Awareness Event on October 16th, 2019 from 11 am to 2 pm at the back parking lot of Broun Hall and Woltosz. Auburn University professors and their laser users are all invited. Through this campus event, we hope to build awareness around laser safety and provide an opportunity for laser users to deepen their understanding of laser safety as laser use and application diversifies on campus.

 This year we will be hosting Kentek, one of the leading companies in laser safety products. Kentek will bring the company’s laser safety expertise and educational capabilities to AU campus. Kentek’s PHOTON1 van will be filled with an interactive display of all of laser safety products. Kentek Laser safety specialist will demonstrate their products and answer some questions. This will be a unique "hands-on" learning experience for AU laser users and students.

More on PHOTON1:

LASER CURTAINS:  Suspended from the 6.5’ high ceiling are four examples of laser curtains including high power EVER-GUARD® all metal laser barrier curtains (1200 Watts/cm2 ), heavy duty FLEX-GUARD™ fabric laser barrier curtains in black (250 Watts/cm2 ) and tech blue (100 Watts/cm2 ), plus laboratory-friendly blackout curtains. The laser curtains demonstrate operating interlocks and several modes of attachment including Kentek’s unique “curtain door” which enables construction of a secure and interlockable entry in any laser barrier curtain. PHOTON1 also displays dozens of hardware components so visitors can see how Kentek’s curtains can be suspended, attached to wall, or built up from the floor in an open environment.

LASER WINDOW COVERINGS: The laser viewing window displays built into one of PHOTON1’s walls show:

• Fully interlocked roller shade with clutch-driven mechanism and both side and bottom channels.
• FLEX-GUARD™ window block with magnet and Velcro® type fasteners.
• Semi-transparent and laser safe viewing window fabricated from cast acrylic sheet.

LASER ENCLOSURE and ACCESSORIES:  A small optical table in PHOTON1 carries a Class1 laser enclosure with an operating low-power infrared laser. This display area demonstrates some of Kentek’s capabilities in enclosure design including ports, doors, and windows. The laser can be operated to show several products from Kentek:

• Zap-It® paper burns can be achieved with the laser.
• Beam images are visible on the View-It® infrared detector products.
• Laser power is calculated in live time on a Gentec-EO power meter with graphic display.

LASER ACCESSORIES: A second optical table features Kentek’s Bench-Guard and Table-Guard optical table barriers which serve as end stops, bench partitions, or optical table surrounds to help keep stray radiation away from personnel. PHOTON1 also demonstrates several Trap-It™ beam dumps including both air-cooled and water-cooled versions. PHOTON1 shows both infrared and UV variants of Kentek’s View-It® laser detection and imaging products.

LASER INTERLOCK SYSTEM: Kentek’s Entry-Guard™ laser safety interlock system (SIS) is mounted on a wall in PHOTON1 and is fully functional. The control panel is connected to multiple switches and controls and oversees access to the enclosed laser display on board Kentek’s showroom vehicle. The interlocks on the laser curtains and the roller shades are connected and operational. The laser, the laser shutter, the enclosure interlock, and two lighted signs are controlled by the main panel of Kentek’s interlock system. Visitors can explore how the many components and options available with Kentek’s Entry-Guard™ system might work in their environment.

LASER SAFETY EYEWEAR: PHOTON1 is stocked to demonstrate more than 50 laser safety eyewear options including goggles and spectacles, glass and polycarbonate. Specialists can help visitors not only pick the optimal laser eyewear filter, but also to try on multiple options to ensure fit and comfort.

Stay Fire Safe
9/18/2019

Join Auburn University Risk Management and Safety for "Stay Fire Safe", an interactive fire safety training presentation. This event will show how to use a fire extinguisher, cooking safety tips, pet fire safety tips, and more. Plus, as an added bonus there will be door prizes including an iPad, Auburn Tailgate Tent, Gift Cards, and more! Everyone who attends will get either a Risk Management and Safety Microwave Pinch Mitt or a Fire Extinguisher Stree Reliever. Join us in Haley Room 2370 from 6:30pm until 7:30pm on Wednesday September 25th

Laser Safety Awareness Day
9/9/2019

Auburn University Risk Management and Safety (RMS) Department will be hosting Campus Laser Safety Awareness Event on October 16th, 2019 from 11 am to 2 pm at the back parking lot of Broun Hall and Woltosz. Auburn University professors and their laser users are all invited. Through this campus event, we hope to build awareness around laser safety and provide an opportunity for laser users to deepen their understanding of laser safety as laser use and application diversifies on campus.

This year we will be hosting Kentek, one of the leading companies on laser safety products. Kentek will bring the company’s laser safety expertise and educational capabilities to AU campus. Kentek’s PHOTON1 van will be filled with an interactive display of all of laser safety products. Kentek Laser safety specialist will demonstrate their products and answer some questions. This will be a unique "hands-on" learning experience for AU laser users and students.

Please save the day on October 16th for 2019 for Campus Laser Safety Awareness Event and come join us to support the event and encourage your students to be part of this educational platform. 

August 20th Lab Safety Training
8/2/2019

Auburn University Risk Management and Safety will hold two Lab Safety Training Sessions: August 20th from 10:30am until 11:30 am and August 28th from 3:00pm until 4:30pm. Both sessions will be held in room 109 of the CASIC Building (570 Devall Drive). 

The Lab Safety Training Sessions will cover basic lab safety, biological Safety and hazardous waste management.

Auburn University Risk Management and Safety encourages all visiting summer researchers who will be working in labs to attend either of the training sessions. 

RMS150: Social Media Safety and Security
6/5/2019

Join Risk Management and Safety on June 26 at 2:30pm for “Social Media Safety and Security”

Learn why companies want your personal information and why even non-identifiable information needs to be protected.

The social media landscape is ever changing and there’s an increased focused on privacy. Know what privacy changes are in store for your favorite apps and why protecting your personal information is more important than ever before.

Discover tips and tricks to protect your information. From using Virtual Private Networks to simple adjustments to your browser settings.

HRD Course RM150 will be held on June 26th from 2:30 pm until 4:30 pm in HRD Training Room 1204A. For more information, email aurms@auburn.edu

Lab Safety Training
5/13/2019

Auburn University Risk Management and Safety will hold Lab Safety Training Sessions on Friday, May 17th in room 109 of the CASIC Building (570 Devall Drive). In order to accommodate as many participants as possible, these Lab Safety Training Sessions will be offered at two separate times: 10:00am and 3:00pm. Both sessions are scheduled to last 90 minutes.  

The Lab Safety Training Sessions will cover basic lab safety, biological Safety and hazardous waste management.

Auburn University Risk Management and Safety encourages all visiting summer researchers who will be working in labs to attend either of the training sessions. 

Annual Vehicle Fire Extinguisher Inspection
4/16/2019

On Wednesday April 24th, Auburn University Risk Management and Safety will hold their annual Vehicle Fire Extinguisher Inspection from 12pm until 4pm at the Facilities Vehicle Servicing Area. This event serves as an easy and convenient opportunity to have all University Fleet vehicles equipped with a Fire Extinguisher to have their existing units checked, tested, or even replaced.

The process is simple, and participants will be back on the road in a short time. The Annual Vehicle Fire Inspection helps ensure that all fleet vehicles and equipped with adequate and working extinguishers and ensures that the University Fleet can operate safely and efficiently.

If you have any questions, please contact Patricia Pressley at Auburn University Risk Management and Safety.

Annual Vehicle Fire Extinguisher Inpsection
3/25/2019

On Wednesday April 24th, Auburn University Risk Management and Safety will hold their annual Vehicle Fire Extinguisher Inspection from 12pm until 4pm at the Facilities Vehicle Servicing Area. This event serves as an easy and convenient opportunity to have all University Fleet vehicles equipped with a Fire Extinguisher to have their existing units checked, tested, or even replaced.

The process is simple, and participants will be back on the road in a short time. The Annual Vehicle Fire Inspection helps ensure that all fleet vehicles and equipped with adequate and working extinguishers and ensures that the University Fleet can operate safely and efficiently.

If you have any questions, please contact Patricia Pressley at Auburn University Risk Management and Safety.

Creating a Safer Auburn: Managing Risks through Accident Reporting
3/25/2019

Risk Management and Safety will offer a unique HRD program entitled: Creating a Safer Auburn: Managing Risks through Accident Reporting on Wednesday March 27th at 2:30pm. 

This informative and important course is designed for Auburn employees and will help foster a proactive safety culture for any department by helping you become an impactful safety ambassador for your unit.

Accidents can occur at Auburn University. Before they do, RMS wants you to have the best tools and resources to manage risk. 

RMS will cover a broad range of informative topics related to Accident Reporting including an overview of the accident investigation process, awareness of the resources available to help you collect an effective report, and what to expect after an accident using key lessons learned from real-world experiences.

The offering number 19632 and course code RM140.

If you have any questions, please contact Auburn University Risk Management and Safety at aurms@auburn.edu 

Campus Building Surveys
3/25/2019

Risk Management & Safety will be working with Duff and Phelps, LLC to survey properties insured by the State Insurance Fund.  Representatives will be on campus from February 25, 2019 – March 1, 2019 to assess current condition and valuation of select buildings.   You may notice the surveyors entering mechanical rooms, electrical closets, and other restricted areas; however, they will be accompanied by AU Facilities Management.  Every effort will be made to schedule surveys at times that are convenient for building occupants.  

Questions or concerns may be directed to Risk Management & Safety at 844-4533. 

Volunteers Needed for Parkerson Mill Cleanup on February 23rd
2/15/2019

Auburn University Risk Management & Safety (RMS), the City of Auburn, Auburn University Crop, Soils, and Environmental Sciences Club, and the Alpha Epsilon Honor Society will host a creek clean-up event on Saturday, February 23rd, from 1:30 pm until 4:00 pm along the banks of the campus’ Parkerson Mill Creek. Students, faculty, staff and those associated with the university community are invited to participate in the event.

A small stream that stretches past the football and baseball fields and the old coliseum on the campus, the Auburn University Parkerson Mill Creek was transformed in 2014 into an area used as outdoor classrooms for environmental research. It is up to the Auburn University community to keep this living stream vibrant, clean and beautiful.

Volunteers for the event should meet behind the intramural fieldhouse, next to the parking lot, at 1:00pm. Gloves and bags will be available for collecting, but participants will be responsible for bringing appropriate footwear, such as rubber boots or waders. Students will need to sign a Volunteer Release & Acknowledgement of Risk waiver prior to collecting; forms will be available the day of the event.

To register, please visit aub.ie/creek

For more information or to request a waiver, please contact Tom McCauley at mccautp@auburn.edu or Dusty Kimbrow at dkimbrow@auburnalabama.org

Parkerson Mill Cleanup
2/15/2019

Auburn University Risk Management & Safety (RMS), the City of Auburn, Auburn University Crop, Soils, and Environmental Sciences Club, and the Alpha Epsilon Honor Society will host a creek clean-up event on Saturday, February 23rd, from 1:30 pm until 4:00 pm along the banks of the campus’ Parkerson Mill Creek. Students, faculty, staff and those associated with the university community are invited to participate in the event.

A small stream that stretches past the football and baseball fields and the old coliseum on the campus, the Auburn University Parkerson Mill Creek was transformed in 2014 into an area used as outdoor classrooms for environmental research. It is up to the Auburn University community to keep this living stream vibrant, clean and beautiful.

Volunteers for the event should meet behind the intramural fieldhouse, next to the parking lot, at 1:00pm. Gloves and bags will be available for collecting, but participants will be responsible for bringing appropriate footwear, such as rubber boots or waders. Students will need to sign a Volunteer Release & Acknowledgement of Risk waiver prior to collecting; forms will be available the day of the event.

To register, please visit aub.ie/creek

For more information or to request a waiver, please contact Tom McCauley at mccautp@auburn.edu or Dusty Kimbrow at dkimbrow@auburnalabama.org

NEWSROOM: City, university unite to clean up Parkerson Mill Creek
11/28/2018

Auburn University Risk Management and Safety partered with the City of Auburn for the Creek Clean-Up on Tuesday, November 27th. 

“We’re here to do a creek clean up here at Parkerson Mill Creek between the coliseum area to Lem Morrison bridge which is a good stretch of the stream,” Risk Management and Safety environmental programs manager Tom McCauley said. “We’re looking to clean up all the trash and debris that’s accumulated over the last six months or so; everything that goes onto the streets and into the storm sewers on campus.”

Most of the trash consists of bottles, cans and streamers left by tailgaters setting camp along the creek, and according to McCauley, the entire campus undergoes this transformation.

Read the full story from the Opelika-Auburn News and be on the lookout for the next Creek  Clean-Up Event in February. 

Parkerson Mill Creek Clean-up Event
11/20/2018

Auburn University Risk Management & Safety (RMS) and the City of Auburn will host a creek clean-up event on Tuesday, November 27, from 9 a.m. until Noon along the banks of the campus’ Parkerson Mill Creek. Students, faculty, staff and those associated with the university community are invited to participate in the event.

A small stream that stretches past the football and baseball fields and the old coliseum on the campus, the Auburn University Parkerson Mill Creek was transformed in 2014 into an area used as outdoor classrooms for environmental research. It is up to the Auburn University community to keep this living stream vibrant, clean and beautiful.

Volunteers for the event should meet behind the intramural fieldhouse, next to the parking lot, at 9 a.m. Gloves and bags will be available for collecting, but participants will be responsible for bringing appropriate footwear, such as rubber boots or waders. Students will need to sign a Volunteer Release & Acknowledgement of Risk waiver prior to collecting; forms will be available the day of the event.

For more information or to request a waiver, please contact Tom McCauley at mccautp@auburn.edu or Dusty Kimbrow at dkimbrow@auburnalabama.org

Campus Fire Safety Month 2018 is a success for RMS and Auburn
10/1/2018

With September ending, Auburn University Risk Management and Safety wrapped up another successful Campus Fire Safety Month. The month of September saw an increased push for fire awareness and campus readiness with activities, events, and signage throughout campus and the community.

The events kicked off with “Popcorn and Prevention”, where RMS Staff met students and handed out bags of microwave popcorn. The popcorn was labeled with cooking safety tips and was chosen because improperly cooked popcorn was one the leading cause of fire alarms going off. This simple example showed how even the smallest things should be noticed and remembered when it comes for fire safety.

RMS Staff members also brought a new activity to students, faculty, and staff: the FireSmarter Gameshow. The knowledge of basic fire safety tips was tested in a fun and interactive man-on-the-street game and after answering, students could spin the wheel for prizes and left a little fire smarter and fire safer.

Finally, Risk Management and Safety welcomed national renown speakers Sean Simons and Alvaro Llanos as they shared their personal and inspirational story of recovery, redemption, and hope after surviving a fatal campus fire at Seton Hall University. This intimate setting allowed for a personal communication and a better appreciation of this impactful and life-affirming message.  

This year, Governor Kay Ivey acknowledged, recognized, and proclaimed September officially as Campus Fire Safety Month across Alabama. The Auburn University Student Government Association also recognized Campus Fire Safety Month and passed their own resolution to personally recognize and participate in the event.

“Campus Fire Safety Month,” was founded by the Center for Campus Fire Safety, and is a nationwide effort to raise fire and life safety awareness on college campuses throughout the month of September each year. According to the Center, August and September are historically the worst times of the year for fatal campus-related housing fires.

Auburn University Risk Management & Safety (RMS) has recognized officially recognized and support Campus Fire Safety Month for over three years. Through their participation, Risk Management and Safety hopes to bring understanding to our 25,000-plus student body (and eventually, the surrounding community) about the dangers of housing-related fires. Students need to be aware of how fire could touch their lives, that fires DO happen in campus-related settings, and that they should take steps to protect and educate themselves about fire safety, no matter their place of residence.

The 2018 edition of Campus Fire Safety Month at Auburn University was supported and sponsored by Auburn Bank, Belfor Restoration Johnson Controls, and Brendle Fire Equipment. Risk Management and Safety personally thanks these community partners and their commitment to keeping Auburn University safe.

For more information on Campus Fire Safety Month and to be a partner in 2019, please contact Kevin Ives at pki0002@auburn.edu or follow Risk Management and Safety on Twitter @AuburnRMS.

AURMS Presents Safety Training Sessions in August
8/10/2018

Auburn University Risk Management and Safety invites you to attend one of four Safety Training Sessions in August. These sessions will cover Laboratory Safety, Biological Safety, and Hazardous Waste Management and are a requirement for all laboratory personnel. The events will be August 22nd at 10:00 a.m., August 23rd at 3 p.m., August 24th at 10:00 a.m., and August 31st at 2:00 p.m. These informative training sessions will be presented by our experienced Safety Specialists, Officers, and Managers. The training sessions are free to attend and will be held at the Center for Advanced Science, Innovation, and Commerce (CASIC) Room 109. CASIC is located at 559 Devall Drive in Auburn at the Research Park. 

Human Resource Development Class details Auburn Univeristy's OJI Program
6/13/2018

On Wednesday, June 13, Auburn University Risk Management and Safety held a Human Resource Development course on the On-the-Job Injury Program (OJI).

Risk Management Specialists Holly Leverette and Brooke Patton gave real world scenarios and statistics showing how critical proper claim reporting is and the frequency, severity, and type of claims that have been handled by Auburn University.

The majority of the presentation went over how to report an OJI Claim and explained the program in more detail. This will allow for future claims to be handled promptly and properly and will benefit all Auburn University student, faculty, and staff.

Auburn University is exempt from State of Alabama’s Worker’s Compensation laws (25-5-50); however, Auburn’s OJI Program provides financial assistance to injured employees where no other benefits exist. The program is a benefit, not insurance, and provides benefits only after all other applicable insurance coverage has been exhausted. The program’s goal is to help protect employees from financial hardship caused from on-the-job injuries or illnesses. Risk Management and Safety is responsible for administration of the OJI Program.

More information on the OJI program can found at Risk Management and Safety’s website. There you will be able to view today’s presentation, get step by step instructions, and most importantly, file a claim.

For more information on today’s presentation or Auburn’s OJI program, please contact Auburn University Risk Management and Safety at 334-844-2502 or online at auburn.edu/rms.

Risk Management and Safety's Flapjack Forum Helps Educate, Advise, and Inform.
4/9/2018

Auburn University Risk Management and Safety held their quarterly Flapjack Forum on Thursday, April 5th at the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences. Guests were treated to free pancakes and a casual and relaxed atmosphere designed to improve communication of university risk across all units, departments, and colleges of Auburn University to better support the University’s mission.  In a previous forum, data security was identified at a high impact and high likelihood risk for Auburn University. To help inform, educate, and begin a dialogue on data security; the Office of Information Technology presented recommendations to protect Personally Identifiable Information.  

Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is currently defined by Auburn University as Social Security and Credit Card numbers. When PII is compromised through a data breach, it can lead to reputational damage, potential lawsuits and fines, and create a significant administrative burden. According to the 2017 Ponemon Institute Cost of Data Breach Study, the average total cost for a data breach in 2017 was $3.62 Million and the average size of a breach was 24,000 records.

OIT presented easy and hassle free ways to protect your PII on personal and university computers. These included recommendations to not store PII on external devices (such as thumb or flash drives), permanently deleting PII no longer needed (such as old budget files or hiring documents), and emptying the recycle bin of your computer regularly. One example of a recent PII scan by OIT discovered that 50% of the PII that was found resided on external drives. Although some units must handle PII on a regular basis, OIT recommended having secure business processes to help mitigate some of risk. OIT is here to help and aide any department to better protect their PII and determine where any weak points may reside and can be contacted at 334-844-4944. It is recommended that you reach out to OIT and find how to better protect yourself and your department.

Risk Management and Safety is committed to protect people, the environment, property, financial, and other resources in support of Auburn University’s teaching, research, outreach, and student services. The Flapjack Forum helps to accomplish this by understanding the needs and priorities of the university and developing materials and resources to provide guidance. For more information about how to attend the next Flapjack Forum and the mission of Auburn University Risk Management and Safety, please contact Kevin Ives at 334-844-2502 or email at pki0002@auburn.edu .

VCOM-Auburn Inaugural Disaster Drill Day invites emergency response preparedness collaboration between medical students, AU units and local agencies
6/30/2017

The scene was completely unexpected.

Dozens of second-year medical students in dark blue scrubs milled around the triage tents and tarps, many with looks of uncertainty on their faces, as disaster “victims” were brought into their areas. The “victims,” played by first-year medical students, all had pre-determined injuries and were in various stages of distress. Suddenly, recalling their training, the second-year medical students sprang into action, pulling from the medical skills many of them had cultivated thus far, mostly from a computer screen or classroom.

The inaugural VCOM-Auburn Disaster Drill Day took place at the back of VCOM, located on South Donahue Drive.

Such was the atmosphere on April 28 at the inaugural Disaster Drill Day, hosted by the Edward via College of Osteopathic Medicine-Auburn (VCOM) and in collaboration with Auburn University Risk Management & Safety (RMS). Other participants included first responders with the Auburn and Opelika Fire divisions, Auburn University Public Safety and members of the Campus Community Emergency Response Team (CCERT). Through two simulated disaster incidents – including a wreck with hazardous chemical spill and a tornado strike - more than 150 second-year VCOM medical students were evaluated on their emergency response abilities in order to obtain their National Basic Life Support certification.

The participants went into the drill blind, with no clue as to what the disasters would be or of the injuries they would have to know how to treat. The same can be said for real-life mass casualty situations, where every person affected – from local first responders and medical professionals, to universities and community members – must know how to respond in order to survive or save a life.

Though the original purpose of the Disaster Day Drill was to introduce medical students to the realities of a natural or man-made disaster as part of their learning, the overall resulting significance of the event was twofold…

Full-Scale Disaster Preparedness Scenarios Offer Life-Like Learning Environment

Firefighters and first responders with Auburn & Opelika Fire divisions suited up in HAZMAT gear to train alongside students during the drill.

Tornados, fires, flooding, active shooters, bomb threats, hazardous chemical spills, civil disturbance… all these, and more, are risk vulnerabilities faced by today’s public/private universities and colleges.

Campus emergencies involving natural disasters and/or man-made crisis are not new developments in the academic environment, but in the last decade, disasters have affected university and college campuses with disturbing frequency, causing not only death and injury, but also monetary losses resulting from classroom disruption and damages to buildings/infrastructure.

The 2007 Virginia Tech massacre claimed the lives of 32 people. In 2009, students were evacuated from a Central Michigan University building following a chemical spill in a lab where one person was injured. Hurricane Irene caused damage and flooding to five east coast universities in 2011, while the April 27 tornado outbreak wreaked havoc on Alabama campuses just five months earlier. A murder/suicide resulted in nine deaths at an Oregon community college in 2015, and in mid-2017, two separate fires caused mass evacuations and damage at Boston University.

Though disasters themselves are common, colleges and universities that practice massive disaster preparedness scenarios involving students, faculty, staff and outside agencies have just become more prevalent. The State University of New York College at Oneonta (SUNY) has been conducting emergency simulations annually for several years, including simulated power failures, heat waves, and suicide and terrorist attacks. According to the Daily Star, SUNY partners with local police and fire agencies and other first responders “to create drills that are as life-like as possible to best prepare students, faculty and staff.”

Though Auburn University has held disaster drills on campus before, this was VCOM-Auburn’s first experience with disaster simulation and training as part of student curriculum. VCOM is a private, non-profit Osteopathic Medical School, with a campus located in Auburn University Research Park. The college has two other campuses – one in Virginia and one in South Carolina – where disaster simulations and training have been familiar annual events since the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings. Disaster simulations give medical students a closer look at how the environment inside a hospital could be impacted during a mass casualty situation and what type of skills would be expected of them.

VCOM-Auburn students in theater paint played "victims" of the first disaster scenario, a car crash and chemical spill.

The first scenario of VCOM-Auburn’s Disaster Drill Day was a wreck involving university vans and a truck carrying hazardous chemicals, resulting in a hazardous chemical spill. Training alongside VCOM-Auburn students during this first scenario were more than 10 local first responders from Auburn and Opelika Fire divisions, and the East Alabama Medical Clinic EMS. Several of them suited up in HAZMAT gear to survey the scene of the accident, get the chemical spill under control and then venture through a life-like decontamination station.

Nearby, “casualties” of the wreck were delivered to the triage station where medical students began to assess their injuries before having them transported inside the school where three different simulated emergency rooms had been erected. Here, the real challenge for the students began. Assessing the wounded, they were tasked with performing various medical procedures on their patients to include delivering a baby from a “casualty” who went into labor (this was completed on a simulation dummy); properly sewing up a flesh wound; and/or inserting an IV, among others.

Second-year VCOM-Auburn medical student Clayton Lester said the hands-on experience of the drill was eye opening for him. During the first scenario, Lester had the opportunity to apply a suture to a wound and to insert a chest tube on a patient.

“I’ve done medical missions before where I learned how to set up a clinic,” said Lester, who was also a graduate of Auburn University. “But this type of learning, early on in my career, has given me a glimpse of what I might expect to see during a real disaster. It was chaotic, but beneficial training.”

VCOM-Auburn Associate Dean for Simulation and Technology Glenn Nordehn, DO, said there is no perfect drill. “However, this was a great training opportunity for the students to use their skills to improvise as well as problem solve the unexpected,” Nordehn added. “The expectation is for the students to learn how to act and how to manage in a disaster situation.”

Serving as the first joint disaster-training event involving VCOM, Auburn University and outside first responder’s organizations, much went into preparing the most useful and realistic disaster scenarios…

Where University & Local Agency Disaster Preparedness Intersect

RMS Mike Freeman, pictured with a reporter from the Opelika-Auburn News, was enlisted to plan the VCOM- Auburn disaster scenarios.

Members of RMS HAZMAT suited up to run the "decontamination tent" for the first scenario.

Michael Freeman is a 28-year veteran of the environmental health and public safety industries, and has been employed with Auburn University’s RMS Department for more than 10 years. A former member of the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Army, Freeman has worked in fire, EMS and law enforcement. As a member of RMS, Freeman is a certified HAZMAT technician, responsible for HAZMAT management, spill response and transportation, among other things.

In January, VCOM contacted Freeman, who had experience conducting tabletop-type drills and had helped to train local responders on HAZMAT specifics, to ask for his help planning disaster scenarios for the Disaster Drill Day event.

“VCOM needed eight hours of instruction for the event,” Freeman said. “They also had certain components their students needed that I had to work into the scenarios. For example, they needed a HAZMAT component, traumas, a mass casualty situation, decontamination and EMS-type training.”

Around these components, Freeman also determined how best to utilize local first responders and university first responders, to maximize training for all. For example, during the chemical spill portion of the first scenario, other members of RMS trained in HAZMAT management, refreshed their skills by suiting up in personal protective equipment and helping casualties through the decontamination station, while local first responders trained in HAZMAT were responsible for utilizing their skills to contain the spill. In addition, members of Campus CERT - groups of trained individuals who have volunteered to take an active role during campus emergencies - got a refresher in search and rescue procedures as part of the tornado strike scenario later that day.

“This was the first large-scale disaster simulation to be held at VCOM-Auburn and in conjunction with local agencies,” Freeman said. “We could have done this without the local agencies, but it would not have been as realistic. If you do not practice real-life scenarios, you will not be prepared."

Deputy Chief of Auburn Fire Division Matt Jordan said first responders do not get the opportunity every day to train for HAZMAT situations. “It’s good to go through the motions like this, and we’ll go back to the station and talk about what we could have done differently,” Jordan said. “Training like this with the university is a benefit for everyone and is the type of infrastructure we want to set up. We like knowing what our resources are.”

With the Disaster Drill Day event, Jordan said local agencies get to combine their training with the knowledge from Auburn University’s subject matter experts to perfect disaster response.

While the various scenarios were playing out on the ground throughout the day, second-year VCOM-Auburn medical student Mike Brisson had quite a different view from above. A part-time paramedic with EAMC, Brisson not only brought along an ambulance to be used as a prop during the event, but also his personal Phantom III drone, which he used to take pictures of and survey the disaster drill scene from the air.

Brisson, also an Army captain and Black Hawk pilot, said his role of the day was to test how applicable drone footage could be, not only to first responders on a scene, but also to medical student training. Drones have become popular allies to first responders in the last few years, being used to more quickly and efficiently survey accident scenes to provide data.

Inside the makeshift hospital, second-year VCOM- Auburn students were tasked with using their classroom learning to perform medical procedures on the "victims."

“I can use this drone to get a better view of what type of hazardous materials have spilled,” Brisson said. “A drone can be sent in to survey a scene, like this chemical spill, ahead of first responders. I could see if the truck in the wreck was registered and determine what types of chemicals it was carrying. This type of information all allows first responders to safely prepare for and enter a scene without endangering their lives further.”

While Brisson’s drone provided invaluable footage for first responders to study, it was also broadcast on YouTube for other VCOM-Auburn students and administrators to watch as the events unfolded.

“It’s invaluable experience to offer these types of scenarios,” Brisson said. “From this vantage point, you get familiar with the entire picture of emergency care. To be able to integrate the medical school with community responders is invaluable training.”

Auburn University RMS is currently working on an official Drone Policy for the university as a result of increased drone usage on campus.

VCOM-Auburn marked Disaster Drill Day 2017 as a success and an important learning opportunity, and hopes to make it an annual event the school hosts going forward, possibly expanding involvement to the greater university community in years to come. To see footage of the April 28 event, click here.

Media Contact:  Kati Burns, RMS Communications & Marketing  |  334-844-2502  |  klb0095@auburn.edu

Auburn RMS Campus Fire Safety video named a “Pearls of Wisdom” contest winner
5/24/2017

Auburn University’s Risk Management & Safety Department (RMS) was recently named a winner in the United Educators (UE) 30th Anniversary “Pearls of Wisdom” video contest.

Member institutions of the UE were tasked in late 2016 with highlighting through a short video the innovative ways they have successfully reduced liability exposures on their campuses. Videos were judged on creativity and universal impact, or rather, their potential to teach others how to promote safer communities at their own institutions. Winners of the video contest received a $3,000 prize.

The winning video submitted by RMS featured the university’s first annual Campus Fire Safety Month campaign, part of a national awareness initiative created by the Center for Campus Fire Safety and recognized annually throughout the month of September. The video showed scenes from the department’s four-week series of fire safety activities, which included: A mock firefighter training obstacle course with the City of Auburn Fire Department; fire extinguisher training; informational campus booths; and a speech/documentary film screening given by Alvaro Llanos and Shawn Simons, two survivors of the 2000 Seton Hall University dormitory fire.

Photos and snippets of videos shot on staff members’ smartphones were pieced together using Windows Movie Maker to form the more than six-minute final video, and RMS Safety & Health Programs Manager Chris Carmello was the voice behind the narration.

According to Safety & Health Specialist Jon Haney, who led planning for Auburn’s Campus Fire Safety Month, most college students living on their own for the first time have not had fire safety education since elementary school, and the goal of the campaign was to reach as many students as possible.

“Unfortunately, students do not always realize how quickly a fire can occur,” Haney said. “Our job is to educate them and the campus community, to provide them with the tools they need to prevent fires from happening. Every individual has to take responsibility for fire safety.”

Haney thanked RMS Executive Director Christine Eick, Associate Director Chris O’Gwynn and Carmello for putting together the video and for their support, along with other members of RMS and the students for participating and making the campaign a success. “It’s truly an honor to receive this recognition,” Haney said. “A year’s worth of planning went into making this awareness campaign happen, and to have it recognized in our first year just reiterates that we’re headed in the right direction.”

Planning for the 2017 Auburn University Campus Fire Safety Month is already underway. To see Risk Management & Safety’s winning Campus Fire Safety video, click here. Other winners of the UE “Pearls of Wisdom” video contest included Gonzaga University’s four-minute video on managing risks presented by campus activities and events.

Media Contact: Kati Burns, RMS Communications & Marketing Specialist  |  334-844-2502  |  klb0095@auburn.edu

Parkerson Mill Creek cleanup lends evidence to importance of keeping campus streams litter-free
5/24/2017

“Out-of-sight, out-of-mind” – this might be the best way to describe parts of Parkerson Mill Creek, one of Auburn’s natural resources, hidden by brush, discreetly meandering past the soccer, baseball and football fields and the Intramural Fieldhouse on the Auburn campus. Of course, this might also be the best way to describe the numerous amounts of campus litter that finds a way into the creek, tucked away beneath rocks in the slow-moving water of the creek bed and underbrush on the muddy banks…

Many of the university community walk past Parkerson Mill Creek on a daily basis, in a rush to get to one appointment or another, perhaps vaguely aware of its existence but unaware of the vital role it - and other small waterways just like it – plays in the sustainability of our precious drinking water resources.

This is the main reason Auburn University Risk Management & Safety’s Environmental Health and Safety Department annually hosts an on-campus cleanup of Parkerson Mill Creek for faculty, staff and students. RMS Environmental Health and Safety Technician Michael Freeman has been leading the event for almost 10 years now and has had a longtime passion for maintaining the earth’s water quality.

This year, less than 20 members of the campus community gathered on Tuesday, Feb. 28, and, wearing protective gloves and rubber boots, spent several hours filling more than eight sturdy garbage bags of litter gathered from Parkerson Mill. The clean-up area stretched from the Auburn Wellness Kitchen to the Jane B. Morrison Field. University units typically taking part in the cleanup include Navy ROTC., U.S. Coast Guard AUP, Alabama Water Watch, College of Agriculture, College of Engineering, Greek Life, Honors College, COSAM, Office of Sustainability and AU Facilities Management, among others.

“I just want to see more people on campus interested in this,” said Freeman, who was also a member of the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Army. “Parkerson Mill Creek is listed as impaired by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for pathogens and sediment load. I feel that it is our duty and obligation to not only clean up the creek, but to also make people aware of the litter that ends up in our waterways from poor management of solid waste.”

“Clean water is a vital component of life, and we must be better stewards of this most precious natural resource.”

Unknown to many, streams play a critical role in providing clean drinking water by ensuring a continuous flow of water to surface waters and by helping to recharge underground aquifers. According to the EPA, approximately 117 million people – one in three Americans – get drinking water from public systems that rely on these streams.

The Parkerson Mill Creek clean-up volunteers collected a number of interesting things from the banks and water that day, including orange and blue pom-poms with their ribbons embedded into the creek underbrush; sunglasses; a decorative eyeball; household cleaning instruments; Styrofoam; and a bale of rusty barbed wire.

Thomas Loxley, a Kentucky native and second-year Auburn graduate student in Biosystems Engineering, was among the volunteers and said, though he had helped with roadway clean-ups in the past, this was his first creek clean up. “I think this is a much bigger deal, and I wish more students would get involved,” Loxley said. “Litter in the water travels further and can have a greater negative impact. This is also a great way to give back to the campus.”

The next creek clean-up event will take place November 2017. For more information about Auburn University creek clean-ups, or to see how you can get involved, contact Michael Freeman at freemms@auburn.edu. 

Clean-up host Mike Freeman finds a bale of rusty barbed wire in Parkerson Mill Creek.		Biosystems Engineering grad student volunteer Thomas Loxley looks for litter along the Parkerson Mill Creek.
Thomas Loxley makes an odd find while gathering litter from Parkerson Mill Creek.		Volunteers included members of RMS, the Office of Sustainability, Facilities Management and Auburn students.

Media Contact: Kati Burns, RMS Communications & Marketing Specialist  |  334-844-2502  |  klb0095@auburn.edu 

RMS participates in SGA Town Hall, talks threat reporting & new student rental insurance
11/17/2016

Representatives from various areas of campus participated in the Student Government Association's Town Hall Meeting on Nov. 15, fielding questions of concern from a crowd of more than 40 students. Photo Credit: Kelsey Prather.

Dining options, residence hall issues and campus safety were topics of concern during the Tuesday, Nov. 15, panel-style Auburn University Student Government Association (SGA) Town Hall Meeting held in the Student Center. This was the first panel discussion held by the SGA in a couple of years, and more than 40 students were in attendance.

Representatives from Auburn’s Risk Management and Safety (RMS), Tiger Dining, Parking Services, Housing and Residence Life, and Public Safety participated in the discussion, listening attentively to student concerns and giving updates on various campus projects of interest.  SGA Advisor Brad Smith said the purpose of the Town Hall was to give the student body a chance to voice their opinions to representatives of areas where they traditionally have concerns. A second Town Hall Meeting is planned for spring 2017 and will feature representatives from other areas of the campus.

SGA President Jesse Westerhouse led the panel discussion, reading from a list of previously submitted student questions the SGA had gathered from Auburn Answers. RMS Executive Director Christine Eick and Risk Management Specialist Holly Leverette represented RMS during the discussion.

Risk Management and Safety-related concerns arising from the discussion included the following:

• On the topic of how the university handles campus hate crimes or bias, Associate Director of Public Safety Susan McCallister said the university does not tolerate hate crimes and that any such issues should be reported immediately to Public Safety.
  
  RMS Executive Director Eick also added that the university has a Threat Assessment Team in place to investigate such incidences. The goals of the Threat Assessment Team are to advise on incidents involving members of the university community who pose, or may reasonably pose, a threat to the safety and well-being of themselves or others. Any member of the university community who becomes aware of such a situation can report the matter to the team.
  
  To make a report to the Threat Assessment Team, call 334-844-5010 or email autat@auburn.edu.
   
• On the topic of key issues faced by RMS or any updates, Eick mentioned the relatively new Student and Employee Renter/Property Insurance Program provided to Auburn students, faculty and staff through the Arthur J. Gallagher & Company. The program, designed specifically for college-related audiences, offers deductibles as low as $25, much less than a Homeowner’s deductible. The benefits of the policy includes such things as replacement cost valuation; flood and earthquake coverage; and limited identity theft expense coverage.
  
  “There are different levels of the policy that you can purchase, and it is very affordable,” Eick said. “We are always looking for opportunities to assist students in any way that we can.”
  
  Visit Student and Employee Renter/Property Insurance to learn more about why the program might be right for you or to purchase coverage.
  
  In other updates, Eick said RMS is also working on safety initiatives to reduce the amount of potentially hazardous chemicals used in labs on campus.
   

Other safety-related topics of interest during the panel discussion:

• McCallister of Public Safety said that date-rape drug concerns are a topic of heavy interest from both students and parents alike. She said victims of date-rape drugs often fail to get the incident reported before the drugs have left their system. Educating students on the topic so they have a better awareness will be a priority going forward.
   
• In regards to “community policing,” McCallister said that Public Safety is going through some changes, which will include the addition of more police officers from Auburn Police Department on campus. The officers will not be on a rotating schedule as before, however, but will be a staff dedicated specifically to the university. This will allow officers to get more familiar with the university community and to do more outreach.

SGA Town Hall Meeting, Nov. 15 - Risk Management & Safety to participate
11/9/2016

Representatives from Risk Management and Safety, Dining, Residence Life and Parking Services will participate in the SGA Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 15, from 6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. in the Auburn University Student Center. Students will have the opportunity to learn more about these respective areas, and to voice any questions or concerns they might have.

For more information about the Town Hall Meeting, visit Auburn SGA on Facebook.

Meeting location:
Auburn University Student Center
255 Heisman Drive
Auburn, AL 36849