Chico State hosted a law enforcement training on Monday, November 24, during Thanksgiving break. The training was designed to strengthen coordination and response protocols for large-scale emergencies. An email was sent campus-wide last Monday morning warning students and staff of the exercises.
Training sites were marked with police tape, signage and security personnel to alert passersby that the training was in progress. Staff escorts were available if pedestrians needed access to areas in these training sites.
The training sites were Whitney Hall, parking lots near Brice Avenue and La Vista Way, and the Chico State stadium field.
During the training, community members saw or heard several emergency vehicles, including sirens and helicopters.
The training involved multiple scenario-based exercises, including a simulated crisis site, staging area, and air operations.
Activities included role players, uniformed law enforcement, marked police vehicles, fire engines, ambulances and at least one helicopter.
“Chico PD and Chico Fire will lead a high-fidelity-based training exercise using Whitney Hall as a simulated crisis location,” said Chico State Public Relations Director Andrew Staples. “The objective would be to give public agencies in Chico a chance to train together so they can respond more effectively if a major emergency happens in the city.”
Chico Police Department, University Police Department, Butte County Sheriff’s Department, Paradise Police Department, Chico Fire Department, the WellCat Health Center, Enloe Medical Center paramedics, and Enloe FlightCare participated in the training.
They have done similar training exercises on campus in the past, but hadn’t attempted anything at this scale in the last five years, according to Staples.
If you have questions or concerns, contact Environmental Health and Safety at [email protected] or 530-898-5126.
Aiden Masson can be reached at [email protected] or [email protected].
