Eastern Michigan University, along with St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Ann Arbor, will be holding an emergency response exercise at the Convocation Center Wednesday, May 13.
According to a press release from EMU, the exercise will take place from 12:30 to 3:00 p.m. and will involve emergency response vehicles such as fire trucks, police vehicles and ambulances. It will involve areas such as the arena and the concourse. Those areas will be off-limits to the public for the duration of the exercise. However, the weight rooms and the practice gym will be open to teams and athletic staff.
Geoff Larcom, EMU’s executive director of media relations said this exercise has been planned for some time now and was not triggered by any sort of threat or event on EMU’s campus.
“This is a logical time to stage this, during spring,” Larcom said.
Along with the Convocation Center exercise, St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor will be holding its own active shooter drill from 1 to 2 p.m. St. Joseph Mercy's Administration Building will be closed to any personnel not participating in the drill while it is taking place.
Larcom said this sort of exercise is valuable to the organizations involved.
“It helps provide a learning experience for EMU and St. Joseph Mercy,” he said.
Several organizations are involved in this exercise, including the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department, Pittsfield Township Police, Superior Township Fire Department, Ypsilanti Fire Department, St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor and EMU Emergency Management.
