Campus Security partners with Calgary Police Services to train for active assailant scenario

By Scott Strasser, September 27 2016 —

The University of Calgary is preparing for an active assailant scenario in partnership with the Calgary Police Services.

The U of C will partner with CPS this year to train for what to do if an armed assailant comes to campus.

“It’s actually something led by the Calgary Police Services, who were kind enough to include us in their exercises this year,” chief of campus security Brian Sembo said. “This is an ongoing exercise they do with various agencies throughout the city. This year we were fortunate enough to be selected.”

The U of C will host a live simulation next summer to ensure campus security and emergency management officials are properly prepared for such a situation.

In the summer of 2014, the U of C personalized a video made by the Campus Alberta Risk Assurance Committee on how to deal with an active shooter scenario.

The video — titled “Shooter on Campus: Know You Can Survive” — instructs students to quickly find a safe way out of the building, hide or barricade themselves in a safe area, or as a last resort, to fight back.

“Most of the post-secondary institutions have adapted to this wording in Canada,” said campus security manager of community operations Rick Gysen. “We still use the video, it’s still up on the emergency management website.”