Throughout the fall semester, the University of North Georgia’s Department of Public Safety is offering hands-on safety training courses to students and faculty. These trainings cover a variety of helpful skills such as Heart Saver CPR and AED, BLS (basic life support), Stop the Bleed, C.R.A.S.E. (civilian response to active shooter events), and the Rape Aggression Defense Program.
Major Brett Roach, associate director of emergency preparedness in UNG’s Department of Public Safety, emphasizes the importance of being prepared. “We never want the first time to be the emergency,” he says. “We want you to have hands on experience before you actually have an emergency… when you’re comfortable, you’re not erratic, and you can make sound decisions.”
The free trainings provide in-depth instruction and teach students skills that could be the difference between life and death. They are offered on all of the University of North Georgia campuses and can be found on UNG Connect and UNG’s public events calendar. Upon request, the department also offers training courses on administering Narcan, which can be found in AED emergency kits. Every building on campus is equipped with at least one kit.
The training courses follow guidelines set by trusted organizations. Major Roach explains that their CPR course follows the American Heart Association standards, including consistent recertification of the instructors to be up to date with the latest techniques and standards. In the CPR and AED training, attendees are not just taught the chest compressions to breath ratio, but are able to practice on adult and child manikins that light up when compressions are performed correctly. This course also teaches the abdominal thrust (Heimlich maneuver) for adults and children.
Attendees are able to earn certifications in both the CPR and AED training as well as the Basic Life Support Training. There is a small fee in order to receive a certification.
The different courses typically range from three to four hours; however, Major Roach says that the programs can be adapted to student needs. “We want to make ourselves available to students,” he says. “It just comes down to communication.” The community can e-mail Public Safety, and if there is a demand, they will discuss how they could make it work.
If students are unsure about attending training courses, but still want the knowledge, the department is also in the process of making a series of quick reference guide videos to put online.
In addition to providing training opportunities for students and faculty throughout the semester, the department is responsible for accidents, crime, medical emergencies or anything that might warrant extra help. They also assist local police departments as well as the Georgia State Patrol because their jurisdiction reaches 500 yards within any building that is owned, operated or rented by the University System of Georgia.
The tight-knit police department aims to keep the campuses safe, not just through presence but through community policing and engagement. Officers routinely conduct building walkthroughs and value cultivating relationships with students and the UNG community as a whole.
You can often find Sergeant Jason Owens playing basketball with students after his shift, or occasionally playing pool with students during his building check of the Gainesville student center.
“At UNG we put a big emphasis on community policing, interacting with the students and faculty, having a relationship, showing them that we’re people too… I want students to feel like they can approach us.” – Sergeant Jason Owens, UNG Department of Public Safety
An example of their notable community engagement is the chili cook-off hosted by Police Sergeant Doyle. This yearly event raises funds for toys for children in need during the holidays and is hosted in October. Everyone is welcome.
Ultimately, Roach hopes students see Public Safety not just as a police presence, but as a resource. “Our main goal is student success,” he said. “We want to promote safety, provide resources and make sure students feel comfortable reaching out to us.”
A big component of that is UNG’s LiveSafe app which allows the community to directly contact Public Safety. The App includes enablable features that request a security escort, share your real-time location or instantly alert security. “Things like that is what we want. We’re just here. It doesn’t have to be emergency. We want to be a resource for you,” Major Roach says. “Our goal is to keep every student safe on this campus while they’re here.”
