By SUSAN JONES
While necessity is the mother of invention, speed is often the stepchild of crisis.
The two hoax shooter incidents this spring at Pitt’s Hillman Library and nearby Central Catholic High School have dramatically increased the pace of work on installing panic buttons and electronic, remote locks in all classrooms.
“The security department was always in the process of retrofitting, but it just wasn’t going be fast enough,” said Scott Bernotas, vice chancellor of facilities management. “So instead of trying to do it over X years, we’re trying to do it — based on (equipment) deliveries — as much as we can this summer.”
Bernotas and Dave DeJong, senior vice chancellor for business and operations, said this is a top priority. “The University’s Public Safety and Emergency Management and Facilities Management teams continue to assess and further enhance campus safety measures,” DeJong said. “Supporting this goal, we are excited for the impact these upgrade efforts will have in establishing a unified set of standards and preparedness across all Pitt campuses.”
Ted Fritz, vice chancellor for public safety and emergency management, said the pace is definitely accelerated, which Mark Waechter of the Integrated Security Department said may not be an extreme enough description. Two contracting firms are already helping with the project, and Bernotas said another will soon be added.
Most new or renovated classrooms had these devices installed during construction, but that still leaves a significant number — Bernotas wouldn’t speculated on how many — that have to be retrofitted. This not only involves installing the buttons and locks, but also lots of cables to support them. And in a building like the Cathedral of Learning, with its stone walls and decorative Nationality Room doors, that’s not an easy task.
“I’m glad that we’re in a spot where everybody’s agreed that we’re going to do it,” Fritz said.
Pitt hopes to complete this safety work in all classrooms by fall, unless there is an equipment supply problem. Because of incidents like the shootings at Michigan State earlier this year that left three students dead and numerous shootings at K-12 schools, the demand for this type of safety equipment is very high.
How it works
Pitt Police Lt. Brad Kiefer demonstrated how the system works recently in G16 in the Cathedral.
If a faculty member suspects there’s a problem outside the classroom door, they can push the panic button, which will lock the door and send an alert to Pitt Police. There, a dedicated red light flashes and a Pitt Police officer is dispatched to that specific room. In the case of the Cathedral, officers who are permanently stationed in the building would respond. While anyone inside the room can still exit, the door can only be unlocked on the outside by one of the first responders.
The panic buttons will be installed near the teaching podium or near the door. They will be secured so no one walks off with them and signs will detail how to use them and how not to.
After the locks are installed, Pitt Police can remotely lock down one classroom or all the classrooms in one building or all of campus, depending on the situation. Most exterior doors on Pitt buildings already can be locked remotely, although a security guard has to manually lock the revolving doors in the Cathedral.
In addition to the improved security aspect, the locks can be put on a preset schedule by the registrar’s office, Fritz said, with them opening before the first class of the day and locking after the last. If there is an after-hours need for the room, the registrar also can arrange to have it unlocked, without someone have to physically go to the room with a key.
In non-classroom spaces, many receptionists already have access to panic buttons. Those that don’t and want one, can request one through the public safety office.
Getting everyone trained
Fritz’s office also is working on videos and other information for faculty, staff and students about general safety issues, such as what to do in a lockdown, what to tell students and safety resources on campus.
For new faculty, information about the panic buttons and locks, an active killer video training and general safety data, will be included in their orientation. Fritz’s office is working with the provost’s office to figure out how to share this information with current faculty, possibly through the University Center for Teaching and Learning.
They also are hoping to resume in-person orientations with new students, which would include information about lockdowns and other safety issues. New staff also would learn about Pitt’s safety measures during orientation, and Fritz is advocating for the training to be mandatory for all staff to do online. There’s also a training for deans and their leadership teams about what their roles are during an emergency.
Since the hoax shooter incidents at Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School and Hillman Library, the number of groups on campus requesting the in-person active killer training done by Pitt Police “is pages long,” Fritz said, “which I’m really encouraged about, because it tells me that people want to know more about it.”
Pitt Police went to the Bradford campus in April for an active killer training and plan to visit Johnstown and Greensburg this summer.
“And of course, we continue to do exercises with our communications staff at the police department, the ones who send out emergency notification messages,” Fritz said.
Pitt Police were criticized after the Hillman incident for not sending out emergency notifications sooner. “There have been additions to facilitate the more rapid launching of an emergency message,” he said. There also have been reminders about “who can do what and when, and we’re making sure that function is more regularly exercised so that when it does happen it’s more fluid.”
Susan Jones is editor of the University Times. Reach her at suejones@pitt.edu or 724-244-4042.
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