Elgin Community College has earned the designation as a Ready to Respond campus.

Elgin Community College is now designated as a Ready to Respond campus after completing the Illinois Emergency Management Agency program’s rigorous campus safety criteria.

“The recent tragedy at a community college in Oregon highlights the need for campuses to be prepared to respond to all types of threats and hazards,” said IEMA Director James K. Joseph.

The Ready to Respond Campus program aims to enhance campus safety through a comprehensive, community-based preparedness and response effort, including public safety, campus administration, faculty and students. 

The initiative was launched statewide in 2014 following a pilot program in 2013. Participation in the program is voluntary and open to all institutions of higher education in Illinois.

“All campuses have emergency response plans,” Joseph said. “Ready to Respond Campuses take preparedness and response to a higher level with rigorous criteria that must be met. I applaud Elgin Community College officials for tackling these challenging standards and becoming only the fifth campus in Illinois to achieve this enhanced level of campus safety.”

To achieve Ready to Respond Campus status, a college or university must meet criteria that address hazard identification, risk assessment and/or consequence analysis, operational planning, incident management, training and exercise. In addition, the campus must develop and maintain a violence prevention plan and implement a campus outreach and education campaign.

The designation is valid for three years, at which time the college can submit updated documentation in order to renew its status.

“I am pleased that our campus achieved this recognition and certification by IEMA as a safe and Ready to Respond Campus,” said Elgin Community College Chief of Police Emad Eassa.  “It underscores the commitment and dedication by the ECC Police Department of ensuring the safety and security of the entire campus community.”

The Ready to Respond Campus program is the latest component of Illinois’ Ready to Respond effort. Additional information about the IEMA Ready to Respond program is available at www.Ready.Illinois.gov.

“Campus safety and preparedness is a top priority at ECC,” said Dr. David Sam, ECC president. “We are proud to partner with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and to be recognized as a Ready to Respond campus.”

For more information about campus safety efforts at ECC, visit http://emergency.elgin.edu.

–ECC meets emergency safety Criteria–