2026 Winter Semester Active Attacker Drills

Centennial College's 2026 Winter Semester Active Attacker Drills are set to take place February 10, 11 and 12. All faculty, staff and students on campus during the drills are required to take part, suspending all lab activities until the all-clear message is given.

Active Attacker Drill Information

Centennial College sets the standard in providing a safe place to study, work and teach, taking an all-hazards approach to emergency management. As part of our emergency management program, the College conducts Active Attacker Drills to allow our community to practice how they would respond to protect themselves in the event of an armed attacker on campus. Our Active Attacker Response offers three options — Evacuate | Lockdown | Defend — to ensure our community members choose their best response for surviving an active attacker situation.

Our goal is to balance meaningful training with personal comfort while re-educating ourselves on how to respond should an emergency occur on campus. During the drills, we ask that individuals participate at a level they feel comfortable with. Below are some suggested ways to practice response actions effectively.

• cLock the door, close the lights and blinds (if available in your class room). Check if these items are functioning and in good operational condition. Any findings or room concerns can be relayed back to mpatel3@centennialcollege.ca.
• Determine a safe area in the classroom or office space where you can hide away from doors and windows where you will be out of sight. Hide and find an area where you all could gather to practice locking down. This would be the designated location in the classroom, should a real situation arise.
• Discussion and reeducation on the subject is another way to train ourselves on responding to active attacker occurrence on campus. What are the procedures? How can we support each other? How can we barricade the room? Where can I find information on what to do? All are good points of discussion that spark preparedness within ourselves and our peers. Links to these pieces of information are highlighted below.
• We ask that you remain in your environment and use those 10-15 minutes to pause from your course learning and engage in dialog that helps promote the preparedness and resilience to an emergency on campus.

The drill is also an opportunity to empower our campus community to take an active role in safety by assessing their learning and working environments. We encourage participants to use this time to review their immediate space and surrounding areas to ensure doors, locks, lighting, blinds, and room layouts are in good working order and support personal safety. This will ensure we identify potential concerns before an emergency occurs and reinforces shared responsibility for maintaining a safe, prepared, and resilient campus.

Whether you are back on campus or working remotely, we strongly encourage you to read the active attacker procedures and frequently asked questions, and watch the Active Attacker Response Procedures video, filmed in collaboration with Toronto Police Services and our Police Foundations faculty, staff and students.

Thank you all for contributing to a strong, prepared and physiologically safe Centennial College. If there are any further comments or questions regarding emergency response or initiatives, please feel free to contact the follow college administrators:

• Mili Patel: Emergency Management Consultant
  • mpatel3@centennialcollege.ca
• Marc Buzzeo: Manager, Emergency Management and Public Safety
  • mbuzzeo@centennialcollege.ca
• Marcia Dookie: Security Operations Consultant
  • mdookie@centennialcollege.ca