21 February 2011

Preparing For Emergencies

Story by Shamini Darshni
Pictures by Shamini Darshni and Carl Selvarajah

An emergency situation can arise at any time, so as a university responsible for thousands, Monash University regularly holds training programs to equip its staff on what to do in such conditions.

Every year, a team from Monash University Australia conducts the Crisis Management and Recovery (CMR) Training and Exercise at all eight Monash campuses.

Monash University Sunway Campus recently underwent the CMR Training and Exercise under the guidance of University Security Manager Mr Russell Gammie and CMR Program Coordinator Mr Ian Henderson.

For the first time, MUSC was joined by Sunway University, for a simulation exercise “so they would have a good idea on how to deal with a real-life situation.”

The joint coordination team was made up of senior officials from both MUSC and Sunway University, including MUSC Pro Vice-Chancellor Prof Robin Pollard, Deputy President (Academic) Prof Chris Messom and Sunway University’s Vice-Chancellor Prof Robert Bignall and Executive Director Ms Elizabeth Lee.

“The purpose of this exercise is to prepare key staff to respond effectively to a crisis when it occurs, and minimise its impact. It is all about preparation and the responsible management of the organisation and the people in it,” Mr Gammie said.

Mr Henderson further explained that the simulated scenario was aimed at team and individual roles.

“The administrative support group deserves special mention. What came out today was how important the support group is to the team,” he said.

Compared to last year’s exercise, Mr Henderson said, the coordination team had many new people and some who took on a new role.

“There was really good participation and outcomes. The exercise is different each time we organise it, especially in seeing the changing role within the team and how they execute their function.”