The security measures now also include online training on how to respond in an emergency. With the start of the spring semester, Masaryk University is offering an e-learning course to all employees and students via the IS. The presentation titled “How to respond in an emergency – active attacker” is based on the materials and recommendations provided by the Police of the Czech Republic and provides information on how to recognise a dangerous situation and how to act in line with the basic “Run, Hide, Fight!” rules. It also contains various other recommendations, such as how to secure the door, when and how to contact the police on phone number 158, and encourages course participants to familiarise themselves with their school building and the places they regularly visit for work, as well as their evacuation plans. The online course also includes basic first aid information, a list of 24-hour national emergency telephone numbers and a video clip produced by the Police simulating an attack by an active shooter. The e-learning course is designed for all MU employees and students and can be taken repeatedly.
“I appreciate the cooperation of the Police, whose knowledge and practical experience served as the basis for the course. I would like all students and staff to complete it, ideally as soon as possible. I also strongly urge everyone to enter their emergency contacts into the Information System. The early warning system will only work well in case of an emergency if we are able to send an SMS alert to as many people as possible,” said Martin Bareš, Rector of Masaryk University.
On 19 January, Masaryk University called on all its students and employees to fill in their emergency contact details, which will be used to send warning text messages to people in danger. Since then, more than 70 per cent of staff and a third of students have added their contact details to the database. “Anyone who has not already done so is strongly encouraged to enter their details into the IS (students) or Inet (staff) in connection with the e-learning course,” said MU Bursar Marta Valešová.
In addition to a list of emergency contacts for communication with the Police, Masaryk University has set up an internal emergency communication system. The system of measures for eliminating security risks is freely available on MU's Official notice board in the section Other documents / Security Manual.
The Police of the Czech Republic also organised basic training for key persons dealing with security at universities, with eight participants attending on behalf of MU. Future training is also planned for persons with special needs.