Zombies sent on campus; emergency personel respond
On Oct. 31, Wilson College was struck by a Zombie Apocalypse. This Zombie Apocalypse was a bit different than how it sounds. This apocalypse emergency response training simulation occurred in conjunction with the Franklin County Department of Emergency Services (FCDES).
This event collaborated with Summit Health, Franklin Fire Company, Chambersburg Police, West Shore Enhanced Message Service, Waynesboro Ambulance, Pennsylvania South Central Taskforce, Pennsylvania Department of Health, and Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency. This event was open to nearby Chambersburg Community and was covered by the local media.
The Zombie Apocalypse had two scenarios. The first scenario’s main theme was a disaster drill. Volunteers used make-up to make volunteers look injured. The police scenario involved law enforcement saving victim from an armed intruder.
Another scenario involved rescuing victims from a fire. They had fake smoke, sounds and weapons for these simulations. From Laird Hall to Lenfest, emergency personel used the whole campus for their simulation to make the simulation as authentic as possible.
For the second scenario, participants dressed up as zombies. Infected civilians and zombies alike were treated with special (chocolate) preventative medication.
According to Samantha Schlegel 17’, “I wanted to see how it would run. It sounded like fun.” Roscoe Brantley, a Wilson security guard said, “I think it will be useful to staff and faculty, that we can organize an event.”
Sherri Sadowski, Director of Residence Life said, “It was not the first Zombie Apocalypse this year, but this one was more of an emergency response training scenario with the county and Chambersburg Community.”
Sadowski described the Zombie Apocalypse as a community event: “It really was Franklin County Emergency Services. They were the ones that planned all of this and got all of the people, so we just collaborated with them and we offered the site and got volunteers.”
Sadowski also mentioned the “change of events” trend in the universities. “If you look, colleges have started to change their preparations of educational activities with campus about emergency and crisis responses and what their responses are,”
“This was a step toward helping the college prepare more,” said Sadowski. “It’s a good activity. I think everyone who participated for the most part got something out of it. It helps all of us get faster.”
It is necessary for people to run simulations in order to be preferred in the case of a real emergency. The Zombie Apocalypse gave people a chance to learn how to react in the face of an actual emergency, even in the case that it does not involve zombies.