Emergency Plan

Fanshawe College's Emergency Plan has been developed to enable a timely and appropriate response should emergency conditions adversely impact the College campus. This Emergency Plan remains the property of Fanshawe College at all times and controlled versions of this Emergency Plan may only be copied to, communicated with or otherwise made available to another party with the advance consent of the Emergency Director. A non-controlled version of this Emergency Plan, excluding Appendices and Annexes, is available electronically in PDF format:
 

Fanshawe Emergency Plan

Emergency Guidelines

Fanshawe's Emergency Management Office (EMO) has created campus-specific Emergency Guidelines for all Fanshawe College owned buildings. Electronic copies can be found on the EMO portal page. Speak with your manager or contact us at emo@fanshawec.ca for hard copies of the guidelines.

Personal Emergency Plans

Emergency Response planning considers the needs of all individuals. In emergency situations, some students or staff may require individual accommodations. EMO facilitates the creation of Personal Emergency Plans (PEPs) for both staff and students upon request.

Pandemic Response Plan

Infectious and Communicable Disease (Pandemic) Response Plan (PDF)

Student Emergency Response Team (SERT)

The Student Emergency Response Team (SERT) provides a practical learning experience like no other! SERT is a team of student volunteers who respond to medical and first aid emergencies on campus. These students undergo extensive training and are certified as First Responders. They treat minor first aid patients and help stabilize more serious conditions until paramedics arrive. SERT volunteers also help at community events and get opportunities for additional training.

How do I join SERT?

If you are interested in being part of SERT at Fanshawe, we would love to consider your application! To join the team, you must be a current full-time student (confirmed, paid and registered for post-secondary courses) and able to perform your duties in person at the London Campus (1001 Fanshawe College Blvd.). Complete an application during the first two weeks of the fall semester.

SERT application form (login required).

SERT Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Thank you for your interest in the Fanshawe Student Emergency Response Team. Our volunteers are the most vital component of the program and it is important to us that you fully understand what the program represents and what your obligations will be as a member should you decide to volunteer. The following information is provided to ensure that you make informed decisions about volunteering, that you understand the screening and training processes and what will be expected of you if you are selected to participate. Please read this information carefully before deciding if the program is right for you.

What is SERT?

The Student Emergency Response Team (SERT) program consists of student volunteers who are responsible for medical first response on the London Campus (1001 Fanshawe College Blvd). These services are provided from 8 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 3 a.m. Friday and 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. Saturday. SERT provides a timely response to any medical incident ranging from cuts and scrapes to cardiac arrest.

 

Volunteers work cooperatively with other emergency service providers but are not a replacement for professional responders. SERT is intended to minimize response times and to ensure that trained people with the proper equipment and supplies arrive on the scene to treat minor conditions or to initiate treatment and stabilize serious conditions until the arrival of paramedics.

 

SERT participates with numerous community events and provides training opportunities

The program is open to any active full time student who is attending courses at Fanshawe. 

Are there requirements for joining?

Prospective volunteers must have as a minimum current certification in Standard First Aid and C.P.R. (C) to be considered for the program. Volunteers are required to be at least 18 years of age. Because there are physical requirements within their responsibilities, volunteers must also be physically fit. Members are required carry the 40 to 60 pound response packs around the campus and often walk quickly, various distances of up to 500 metres to an incident scene and immediately initiate patient treatment. Because our volunteers are in a position of community trust and to protect the integrity of the program, every prospective member will be required to submit a Police Background & Vulnerable Sector Screening Check. If the result of this check reveals any reason for concern over the applicant’s involvement in the program, the application will not receive further consideration. 

How are volunteers selected?

There are three steps to the selection process. 

  1. Applicants complete and submit an application form with an attached resume. 
  2. Once the application is complete and submitted with a resume, the application is then screened and those who do not meet the minimum requirements will not receive further consideration. 
  3. Those who meet the minimum requirements will be interviewed to determine their suitability for the program. If there is any reason to believe the applicant will not be a suitable volunteer, their application will not receive further consideration.
    Those who are successful at the interview stage will be invited to attend a training session. The training is an intensive process taking over 40 hours to complete over two successive weekends. Advance notice will be provided so that the candidate can make the appropriate arrangements to attend. A written examination is then administered. Participants must receive a mark of 80% or higher on the written exam to proceed to the next stage. Those who score 80% or higher on the written exam must then undertake a practical test of their skills where they will be evaluated on their ability to perform skills in a scenario based evaluation. Those who successfully pass the final stage will become full members of the team and advance to team training. 
If I’m accepted, what are my obligations?

Volunteers are expected to: 

  • Successfully complete all required training 
  • Cover a minimum of one 4-hour shift per week during the school year 
  • Adhere to all relevant policies, procedures and legal requirements as specified in their training 
  • Conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times while on duty 

Volunteers are required to sign a volunteer agreement covering these and other obligations. 

What training is involved?

Because of the nature of the SERT volunteer’s responsibilities, volunteers are required to meet strict training requirements. Our community must be assured that those who are responding to medical emergencies are fully prepared to deal with those emergencies. Successful applicants will be required to successfully complete First Responder training. This is an intensive program requiring a minimum of 40 hours to complete. This training will be conducted over two weekends. We will try to be as flexible as possible in arranging this training around your schedule, but understand that there will be a lot of volunteers involved and it will not always be possible to conduct training to meet your specific needs. This means that you will be required to be flexible in completing the training. 

Upon completion of the training, you will be required to successfully complete a competency test which involves both a written examination and a skills based practical test. Those who are not successful in completing the test will be offered one additional opportunity to meet the standard. Failure to meet the standard will result in termination from the program. This training, if offered to members of the public, can cost as much as $600. For this reason, you can see that we have a vested interest in your success. Those who successfully complete the training will be considered full members of the team. 

Once selected, the member will then participate with an additional two nights of training to include legislation and legal requirements, procedures, standards, documentation and vehicle usage.
*Note: member must possess at minimum a G-class license to operate a college owned vehicle. 

What are the benefits of volunteering for SERT?

Volunteering for SERT is a great benefit to any student but is especially applicable for those in the health care programs, particularly those in the Nursing, or Paramedic program and Pre-Health programs who intend to register in the Paramedic program in the future. You will acquire useful, occupation related skills and hands-on experience in dealing with patients. This kind of experience is looked on very favourably by prospective employers and in educational programs you may be applying to in the future. Members are not selected exclusively from the above mentioned programs, the SERT teams consists of many disciplines. 

Becoming part of a closely knit team offers a great opportunity to meet new people with similar interests. We also encourage team building through organized social activities. 

Volunteering is a great way to contribute to the community, develop new skills and gain experience in the process. Helping others is what we do!