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It’s October 20, you look at the person next to you and the ground below you begins to shake. Is this an earthquake? What do you do? Chabot is participating in the Annual Great California Shake Out along with 7.8 million people across the state.
Frank Ramos, the manager of Emergency Preparedness and Workplace Safety for Chabot and Las Positas Colleges, has registered Chabot on www.shakeout.org to participate in Alameda County.
According to the website, the statewide drill is scheduled for 10:20 a.m., but Chabot will start its drill at 9:45 a.m. “I talked with the administrators and deans, and students are out at 10:20 so they can go to their next class. So they suggested we do it at 9:45, while students are in class, so [students] can really participate,” Ramos said.
Per Ramos the AlertU system, which students can join by texting “Chabot” to 253788, uses our school media like the radio and television departments to send out messages on the air and on the campus televisions.
“The on-campus emergency phones students use to call campus safety also have speakers. Throughout the campus there will be messages saying, “This is a drill.” Then we will evacuate the campus,” Ramos said.
The staff is also prepared for an earthquake. “Most of the administrators, faculty, and staff have gone through the SEMS and NIMS training. The Standard Emergency Management System and the National Incident Management System classes are state and federal trainings on what to do. I teach preparedness classes on flex day and at orientations. We also have an emergency procedures handbook.” Ramos said.
But what do we do? The website www.earthquakecountry.info says to drop, cover and hold on during an earthquake. The site also has great links for what to do in various locations, like if a quake hits when you are in bed or at a movie theater.
For more information on Chabot College’s emergency procedures, visit
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