Providence, RI--Koren V. Kanadanian has been named Providence College's first director of emergency management. His appointment culminates the review of the Emergency Response Plan (ERP) that began last spring with the formation of the Emergency Response Planning Committee.

Kanadanian, who began his duties on January 28, 2008 is a former sergeant with the Franklin, Mass., Police Department, where he served for the past 12 years. He has extensive experience in criminal justice, security, anti-terrorism/counter-terrorism mitigation, emergency medical services, and emergency management.

As the director of emergency management, Kanadanian's responsibilities include overseeing training and drills for students, faculty, and staff; conducting simulated emergency exercises; and carrying out assessment and other related activities to ensure that the ERP remains flexible and effective.  

Kanadanian has been a trainer/instructor for the Massachusetts Municipal Training Academy and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. He is a federal security specialist/emergency medical technician (reserve) for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services/National Disaster Medical System.

A graduate of Western New England College, where he attained a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, Kanadanian is currently enrolled in the master's degree program in Emergency Management, Terrorism, and Homeland Security at Anna Maria College in Paxton, Mass.

In addition to the appointment of a director of emergency management, one of the outcomes of the Emergency Response Planning Committee was the development of the Emergency Procedures Quick Reference Guide. The guide will be the centerpiece for emergency response training on campus, including the scheduling and execution of an annual series of drills. It covers more than a dozen topical areas, including hostage situations, violent incidences/lockdowns, and emergency phone and rally point locations.

This semester, the Quick Reference Guide is being placed in every classroom and laboratory, residence halls, and administrative and academic departments. In anticipation of emergency training, exit maps and rally point locations were posted previously in all residence hall rooms, classrooms, and departments.

The ERP has been strengthened in several other areas as a result of the review. Among the steps taken, the College has:

• implemented a specialized notification system, "Connect Ed," which can utilize cell phones, campus phones, and e-mail to send emergency notices to students, faculty, and staff;
• begun re-engineering 25 of the 40 emergency "blue light" telephones campuswide to include a new "red light" signal and audible message capability that can be activated to alert students, faculty, and staff of a campus-wide emergency;
• developed protocols for utilizing campus radio and television communications systems to issue emergency messages;
• retrofitted campus security vehicles with public address systems to enable broadcast of emergency alerts and/or instructions;
• created a specially equipped Emergency Operations Center for use by the Emergency Response Team and other emergency responders as necessary; and
• required all full-time safety and security officers, Senior Cabinet officers, and other key administrators who serve on the Safety & Emergency Response Committee to complete Incident Command System (ICS) training.

For more information, please visit the Office of Safety and Security.