Security issues raised in wake of Dawson College shootings

Kimveer Gill's murderous rampage at Dawson College earlier this month has raised many questions and concerns regarding security at college and university campuses across the country.

Gill's actions not only lead to his own death, but also to the death of 18-year-old fellow student, Anastasia DeSousa. The 25-year-old student also wounded 19 others when he unleashed two loaded weapons onto fellow college students.

“Everyone is deeply saddened by this tragic event, it is something we'll never forget,” Manager of Security Services at Fanshawe College, Ed Pimentel said.

Fanshawe Student Union President Christine Thomson said the shootings really hit home, considering a tragic event like this occurred in Canada and not the United States.

“I spoke to some other student leaders from various other colleges and we all wondered what we would do if a situation like this arose at our own college,” Thomson said.

“However, we haven't had any specific concerns from students at Fanshawe suggesting that they do not feel safe on our campus.”

Pimentel said the mindset of his security staff has heightened in terms of awareness, and the fact that similar situations could happen at Fanshawe College remain prominent in their minds.

Fanshawe's own security processes were reflected upon after the Dawson shootings and considerations were taken in the event of a similar situation occurring at Fanshawe, Pimentel said.

“Events like these are very difficult to prevent,” Pimentel said. “You could go to the extreme and place a security guard at each entrance or also put metal detectors everywhere, but that is not conducive to the learning environment at a college campus.”

Fanshawe has an existing emergency plan and an enhanced plan under development, which will help provide a safe and secure environment for the college community.

“Our new emergency plan sets an infrastructure that can be flexible in the case of any incident,” Pimentel said. “It will include a high-end response to all incidents and an all-hazard risk approach. It also includes protocol on how to handle an active shooter.”

Pimentel said Fanshawe Security has been in contact with London Police's Tactical Division and have had dialogue regarding how to facilitate an event similar to the Dawson College incident.

“Police response is going to be shortened,” Pimentel said. “The police have a different approach now, and they will engage the shooter right away rather then waiting and setting up a tactical plan, which could take up to ten or fifteen minutes.”

In light of the tragic incident at Dawson College, Fanshawe Security has issued a set of strategic precautions student should in the event of a similar critical incident.

If you are in a classroom or office, stay there and immediately lock or secure all doors. Lock or close the windows, close any blinds or curtains, stay out of view of all windows, and be as quiet as possible.

Turn off all lights and audio equipment and stay out of open areas. Stay calm and keep doors and windows closed until police or security arrives to give directions.

If possible, and when safe to do so, call the Fanshawe Security Control Centre at extension 4242 (from a London Campus internal phone) or 519-452-4242. Control Centre staff will immediately contact 911 with the information that you have provided.

“The instinct for survival will kick in when put in this type of situation,” Pimentel said.

“The biggest thing is if you are out of site, you are out of mind. If you can get out of the building do so as quickly as you can, and warn people along the way not to enter. You don't need to be a hero either, security and police are trained to handle these situations.”