The College's Active Attacker Procedure is a response to a direct and immediate threat to the life and safety of a building’s occupants, such as an armed intruder on one of our campuses. During a real incident, occupants have options to choose from our Evacuate | Lockdown | Defend strategy
- Evacuating the building and moving as far away as possible;
- Locking themselves in rooms to conceal their whereabouts; and
- As a last resort, defending themselves.
For the drill, we ask the College community to practice locking down in the nearest room or - if you cannot find a place to take shelter - practice evacuating the building. In cases of inclement weather, Security will make an announcement over the Campus Emergency Voice Communications System advising students and staff to find shelter indoors.
For a demonstration, watch our Active Attacker Response Procedures video.
Conducting drills allow us to prepare and build community resiliency through learning.
It further allows the college to test our state of readiness in the event of a serious situation, and to evaluate our Emergency Preparedness Plans and Procedures to make sure they are effective.
By providing these important opportunities to learn and practice, our community benefits are able to grow and become better.
The drill should take about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of your campus.
An actual lockdown would take hours, as the police would have to check every classroom, office and area of campus, including the student centre, and every room and work area of the student residence and conference centre.
Police would also have to screen everyone leaving the buildings to make sure the situation is safe and that all evidence is gathered.
Yes, everyone on our campus properties is required to participate in the drill.
This includes faculty, staff, students, visitors and contract workers. If you have a lab or class or are waiting for student services, your instructor or an employee may give you special instructions that you will be expected to follow. For example, you may be asked to move into a classroom or office, lock the doors, help close the curtains or blinds, cover windows, or barricade a door with a table - just as you would in a real emergency.
Each drill will start with an announcement made by Campus Security over the Emergency Voice Communications System. Next, the pre-recorded announcements will begin. Once you hear the announcements, follow the Active Attacker Procedures until Campus Security gives the All Clear announcement. The College will also be testing its alternate notification methods such as text messages and email blasts. We encourage you to download the Centennial College Campus Safety Watch app.
Please make sure you and any students or visitors with you silence their phone and all other electronic devices, darken computer screens and remain completely quiet and out of sight and away from windows. Once you are hidden, stay there until the drill is over. Emergency Preparedness Officers in orange vests work with Life Safety and Security to do a quick pass through the campus to ensure staff and students are in compliance with our procedures.
Once you are in lockdown, do not answer the door, even if someone knocks. If you are in an open area such as a library or cafeteria, look for a safe place to hide or, leave the building and conceal yourself in a safe place outside. Students, Staff and Faculty in rooms are to immediately stop what they are doing, lock all doors by turning or pressing the thumb latch.
Rest assured nobody will be portraying an armed attacker as the Toronto police officer does in the Active Attacker Response Procedures video. Remember, this is just a practice: there is no real danger.
Once the Active Attacker Drill is complete, the College’s Campus Security Administration will make an All Clear Announcement over the Emergency Voice Communications System. The College will also send out an All Clear message using our alternative notification methods, e.g. text messages.
Remember, the faster everyone complies, the quicker our monitors can complete the drill. In most cases, it will take between 10 to 15 minutes.
If you are driving, please remain in your automobile until the drill is complete.
If you are using public transit, you will be required to wait in the parking lot. In the case of a real lockdown situation, police would block all cars and public transit from entering College property.
If you will not be on campus during the lockdown drill, we recommend that you read the Active Attacker Procedures.
For a demonstration, watch our Active Attacker Response Procedures video.