New guide and courses concerning serious incidents

Serious incidents that could lead to people’s lives and health being in danger include fires, gas leaks where there is an explosion risk, bomb threats, and violent assaults with a knife or firearm.

“Although the likelihood of a serious incident involving, for example, an active attacker situation at Uppsala University is very low, we still want staff to improve their mental preparedness for an incident of this kind. That’s why we’ve developed a package of short courses on the topic, the idea being for staff to take the opportunity to discuss these issues internally within their own organisation,” says Uppsala University’s Chief Security Officer Fredrik Blomqvist.

A number of questions have been received by the Security and Safety Division from concerned staff, and this was the reason that the Division decided to develop the guide.

“How prepared are we in the unlikely event that a serious incident should occur at Uppsala University? I hope that all the University’s organisational units sit down and take a moment to discuss if this should happen here, what do we do? Are we prepared? We have a collective responsibility to bring this subject up for discussion, even if it’s difficult for both managers and other staff to broach these questions“, says Blomqvist.

Remove yourself from danger

The most basic advice in the case of all serious incidents is to try to remove yourself from the danger as fast as possible. It doesn’t matter if it’s a fire, a gas leak, or an active attacker situation.

“In an acute situation, we can’t know in advance how people will respond in what’s termed the reactive phase, so you can’t stand around waiting for someone to take charge. It’s up to each individual to take the steps that they deem appropriate,” he says.

In the case of a fire, you should also try to extinguish it if possible. But in the case of a serious incident where deadly violence is occurring, you should always remove yourself from danger without delay.

“Lockdown can be one way to remove yourself from the danger, but of course you don’t lock down a building where an attack is in progress. Barricading yourself inside a toilet or a classroom is another form of lockdown if you can’t escape from the building. In that case you have to find somewhere to hide, either in the place where you are, or somewhere else,” he explains.

Different conditions – same approach

There is really no difference in the advice for our different campuses or different types of buildings, but according to Fredrik Blomqvist, the fact that there is a lot of glass in campus buildings often comes up in discussions.

“Glass obviously isn’t optimal in such a situation, but there won’t be any major alterations to change this, especially when the risk of this type of serious incident is deemed to be very low. In the unlikely event that this kind of attack should occur, you have to deal with the situation based on the prevailing conditions there and then. What we can definitely do in advance is be better prepared mentally, and remember that in an acute situation it’s always about running, seeking shelter, and raising the alarm. Always in that order,” concludes Blomqvist.