{"id":10089,"date":"2015-08-21T15:17:15","date_gmt":"2015-08-21T15:17:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/?p=10089"},"modified":"2025-03-13T10:32:18","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T17:32:18","slug":"standing-ready-082115","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2015-2\/standing-ready-082115","title":{"rendered":"Standing ready"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\n\tPublished: August 21, 2015<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tThe East shudders in the path of hurricanes. The Midwest lives under the cloud of tornadoes. The West waits for an earthquake called The Big One.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tAnd the Northwest, according to a recent story in \u201cThe New Yorker\u201d magazine, can expect \u201cThe Really Big One.\u201d We just don\u2019t know when.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tThe damage from such a quake is so unimaginable most residents try not to imagine it. Fortunately, the University of Washington Bothell has someone thinking about the unthinkable. Say, for example, violent shaking turns a Discovery Hall lab into a hazmat zone, an evacuation route has been planned and posted on a wall. Student should look for the evacuation route signs near the elevators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tDarren Branum thinks about evacuation routes and plans what to do in a disaster as part of his job as emergency preparedness manager for the campus, working with his counterparts at Cascadia College.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tBranum began working at the Bothell campus early in 2015 after moving from UW Seattle where he held the position of fire prevention and life safety specialist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tThe Bothell resident is trained as a firefighter, emergency medical technician and emergency dispatcher. A fit 44-year-old, he volunteers with Snoqualmie Pass Fire and Rescue and with emergency management for Seattle Seafair events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tBranum says the \u201cNew Yorker\u201d story magnified a worst case scenario, but it did sound the alarm: Beware and prepare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\t\u201cIt put the fear of God in them and got people talking,\u201d he said recently at his office, which is part of the UW Bothell Campus Safety Department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tDisasters, such as the 2011 tsunami in Japan, also motivate people to take precautions. \u201cWe try to get on top of that,\u201d Branum said. Once something happens, it\u2019s too late.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tAs a young campus, UW Bothell\u2019s new buildings are constructed to the latest seismic codes and would likely fare better than many of the older buildings in the region. But earthquakes aren\u2019t the only emergencies on Branum\u2019s list of potential disasters in need of preparation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tLike the university itself, Branum\u2019s job is really about information and prompting people to think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tNot only, What would you do if really big earthquake disrupted life as we know it in the Northwest? But, What would you do without power for three days? What would students do if they couldn\u2019t get to class for a week? Or if a fire or water main break closed a building or cut off university computers? What happens if I can\u2019t get home?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tDisaster planners use the term \u201cbusiness continuity\u201d to talk about maintaining services. On a campus, that means \u201cacademic continuity,\u201d ensuring that faculty and students continue instruction and learning. A lost week should not turn into a lost term, delaying a degree. Figure out ahead of time how to keep going, working from someplace else, Branum says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tFrom seven years on the Seattle UW campus, Branum knows students are tuned to the apocalypse \u2013 the zombie apocalypse. At events and meetings he talks with students about what they would do to survive a zombie horde. And if they can do that, he says, it doesn\u2019t take much more effort to prepare to survive a fire, flood or earthquake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tHe promises there will be a zombie-related disaster planning event at UW Bothell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tAs a community partner, Branum says it is important to extend awareness and resources beyond the campus. In mid-September, he will invite the university and the public to experience the Shake Trailer. Once inside this trailer, visitors will get the feel of a real earthquake. Other emergency response equipment and resources will also be available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tAlso coming up is a meeting in September with Branum, other university officials, the Bothell police and fire departments, the FBI, and other agencies. They will discuss how to effectively respond to various scenarios that could arise on campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tAnd in October, a class of about 20 UW Bothell staffers will start a training class for the Campus Emergency Response Team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tAlthough he lives 10 minutes from campus, Branum keeps an emergency kit and backpack with enough supplies and clothes to live out of his office for three days. The supplies are under his desk. That\u2019s where he plans to head first if the Really Big One hits. Then he is likely to be one of the first responders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\t— By Doug Esser for the University of Washington Bothell<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\tLINKS:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\n\tA wealth of disaster planning information is available online from the University of Washington Bothell and other websites:<\/p>\n\n\n\n