To improve emergency planning and better prepare the campus community for crisis situations, the MSU Police Department is holding a two-part evacuation drill Friday with cooperation from 14,000 Boy Scouts and staff.
The Scouts, on campus that week for the National Order of the Arrow Conference, are participating in the drill as part of a service project. Their cooperation will help MSU Police test evacuations plans of both residence halls and Spartan Stadium. MSU faculty, staff and students not associated with the conference are not a part of the drill.
Starting at 9 a.m., an evacuation of south campus residence halls (Holden, Wilson, Wonders and Case) will take place, followed by an evacuation of Spartan Stadium starting at 10:15 a.m.
During those time periods, there will be a high volume of pedestrian traffic along Chestnut Road between Wilson Road and Shaw Lane, along Shaw Lane just south of Spartan Stadium and at Wilson and Birch roads. Motorists, cyclists and walkers may be directed to wait briefly in those locations at those times.
Additionally, MSU Police will be using the Spartan Stadium announcement system and digital message boards as well as the university’s new public address system to provide information to the Scouts regarding the evacuation drills between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. If a real emergency occurs, the campus community will be notified via the MSU Alert system.