UNM campus safety partnerships

For the past three years, the UNM Environmental Health and Safety office and the Crisis Management and Preparedness teams have partnered with Albuquerque Fire and Rescue (AFR) to build strong working relationships and communication channels. This work ensures campus safety and continuously demonstrates that it is a priority at every level of UNM administration.

Overall, emergency work is largely reactive, with many people only seeing Albuquerque firefighters and EMTs on campus when there is an emergency. This summer changed that view as the partnership with AFR has grown and evolved since 2023. This partnership has continuously enabled campus first responders to be more proactive in emergency preparedness.

"By working proactively with Albuquerque Fire and Rescue, and our other public safety partners, we are building trust, strengthening coordination and improving our collective ability to respond effectively," said David Burke, the emergency manager for UNM's Crisis Management and Preparedness Department and co-coordinator of this partnership.

Noah Watson, also a co-coordinator of the AFR partnership and a safety tech with UNM's Environmental Health and Safety office, shared that "most people only see AFR when there is an emergency. It is beneficial for the community to see firefighters and EMTs on campus taking proactive steps to ensure the community's safety. This partnership demonstrates our shared commitment to protecting students, faculty, staff and visitors."

The university campus is a large, sprawling, complex urban space that is not easily identifiable by street addresses and, in some cases, does not have direct street access, making buildings difficult to reach.

To help clarify and further flesh out on-campus response procedures, AFR reached out to UNM in 2023 to schedule walk-throughs and conversations to learn more about the large buildings and campus layouts, ultimately to create Pre-Incident Plans.

This partnership has helped AFR become more familiar with these buildings and campuses, making their response times faster and easier and removing barriers to their critical assistance.

Over the years, the scope of this partnership has expanded, from beginning with Pre-Incident Plans to include live tests and practice scenarios.

This partnership includes regularly scheduled on-campus live exercises and discussions that enable first responders from law enforcement, fire, and EMS organizations to navigate facilities quickly and effectively and make informed decisions during critical incidents, ultimately leading to a safer campus.

The first field tests took place this summer at Yale Parking Structure and Hokona Hall, when AFR and UNM's Environmental Health and Safety Office collaborated to conduct a pre-incident planning exercise that culminated in a live drill at Hokona Hall, where AFR conducted a full-scale exercise including all equipment and gear.

In August, UNMPD, APD, AFR, NMSP, Albuquerque, and UNM dispatch all met for a tabletop discussion to develop communication plans among the emergency partnering agencies in case a significant event were to occur on campus. The tabletop is designed to build on prior drills that UNM emergency teams have conducted internally related to active violence scenarios on campus.

In addition, this fall, AFR will use buildings on the North Campus that are scheduled for demolition for additional training exercises. These exercises will provide hands-on, real-world experience in a safe setting to help AFR respond to on-campus emergencies. The exercises will include forcible entry and structural access, search-and-rescue drills and ventilation operations, such as cutting openings in rooms or walls to release smoke and heat.

From day one, this team's highest priority has been the residence halls, as many UNM students call them home.

"It is critical that we have effective emergency plans in place to protect the residence," Watson said. "Because of this partnership, AFR has developed pre-incident plans for each residence hall."

Through these meaningful partnerships, Burke and Watson have both observed improved communication, coordination, and working relationships, all of which enhance the collective preparedness. These partnerships, which communicate road closures, ongoing construction projects, and other on-campus activities that can affect the flow of foot and motor traffic, are critical to an effective emergency response.

"Looking ahead, my goal is to continue strengthening our partnership through coordinated planning, training and exercises," said Burke. "Building a culture of preparedness across campus requires ongoing collaboration among university departments and external response partners."