Kate Hummel
Staff Writer

Between the Boston bombings, an explosion at a fertilizer plant in Texas, an attempted poisoning of the President at the White House, and, more locally, the recent shooting at an apartment complex in Federal Way, the month of April seems to be accompanied by a tragic atmosphere across the country.
However, there is still a hope in each community through the resiliency of the individuals, and the resources available to help prevent and prepare for such an attack.

In the case of the Boston bombing and the explosion at the fertilizer plant in Texas, it is hard to prepare for something that is so uncontrollable, but organizations such as CERT [Community Emergency Response Team] help prepare as much as possible and give resources for recovery.
CERT is an organization based around the notion that, as amazing and heroic as our firefighters, policemen, and paramedics are, they are limited by uncontrollable factors such as traffic, distance, or too many incidents at the same time.

The creators of CERT recognized that there are many people who are willing to help in the case of an emergency. However, a reckless amateur could be just as harmful in a situation as the situation itself. CERT’s goal is to give training to better the outcomes of a community in a time of crisis.
The training includes seven main sessions; disaster preparedness, disaster fire suppression, disaster medical operations part one and two, light search and rescue operations, disaster psychology and team organization, and course review and disaster simulation.
People wishing to be involved are required to go through the seven week long process one night a week and are encouraged to meet regularly after to stay practiced and ready. The contact for the Lakewood chapter is Colleen Adler [[email protected]].

Pierce College also has a plan in the case of a disaster or attack. Pierce has a Threat Assessment Team [TAT], which is comprised of Campus Safety, Emergency Management, and Administration. For safety purposes, the assessment guidelines for the level of risk for a threat are kept confidential. TAT decides what actions are to be taken against any level of threat.

Also, the campus safety officers are always on hand, equipped with a radio that can immediately contact 9-11 services.
Due to many past incidences across the country, one of the biggest on-campus fears is the case of an armed intruder with malicious intent. In the case of an armed intruder, Pierce College advises these steps:

*Run: if you think you can escape safely, do so and keep objects between you and the intruder.
*If in an office or classroom: lock and barricade the doors if you cannot escape safely. Close blinds if possible and turn off all audio and video that will attract the intruder.
*Call 9-11, then call campus safety if you are able to do so: describe an accurate description of the intruder and his weapon, if possible.
*Hide: find somewhere safe and out of the way and remain quiet. Stay there until you have made contact with emergency authorities that will instruct you further or until you can safely evacuate the area.
*Fighting back: If you are too close to an advancing intruder, fight back, but use this only if the option is life or death. Do anything and everything you possibly can to stay alive.
*Once you are in a safe location: stay out of sight or in a classroom until further instructed by campus safety.