Emergency Drill- Exercise Only-May 2, 2025
On May 2, 2025, Middlebury conducted a campus-wide shelter-in-place drill for all Vermont students, faculty, and staff, from 2:50-3:00 pm. Following are messages generated during the drill:
2:50 p.m. May 2, 2025: Midd Alert - Urgent! This is a Shelter in Place DRILL. Seek shelter in the nearest building away from windows. THIS IS A DRILL.
Go to middalert.net for more information.
3:01 p.m.: Midd Alert - Urgent! ALL CLEAR - The Shelter in Place drill is complete. Please continue on with your day. The drill is complete. ALL CLEAR
During the drill, we asked the campus community to immediately seek shelter indoors. Once indoors, we asked that they engage in a conversation about the actions they would take if it were an actual incident. How would you lock/barricade doors if instructed to do so? How would you lock windows? Where would you hide if those instructions were included as part of the order?
The shelter-in-place drill is part of Middlebury's ongoing comprehensive emergency preparedness planning. For details about the drill, visit Middlebury Announcements.
What to do in an Actual Emergency
In the event of an actual emergency, instructions provided through a MiddAlert will be dependent on the event and its location. MiddAlert.net will also be updated with detailed information as we receive it.
When a shelter in place order is issued:
Remain calm and follow the instructions given in the Midd Alert notification.
If you are inside, stay there even if you do not normally work or reside in that building.
If you are outside, immediately seek cover in the nearest building. Do not wait until you see or smell the hazard to seek shelter.
For a threat involving a hazardous material, such as a chemical release, close all exterior windows and doors and stay away from them to the extent possible. If possible, turn off the heating, cooling, and ventilation systems.
For an active threat, such as an armed intruder, close and lock all exterior doors and windows. Barricade doors, especially if the door cannot be locked. Turn off all lights and silence your cell phones. Notifications on your phone could give away your location. Do not turn off your phone as that will be the primary way in which the College will communicate with you.
Do not leave until an “all clear” message is received through the Midd Alert system.
If you are off campus, follow the directions of local authorities. Do not return to campus, or to the area under a shelter in place order, until an “all clear” message has been received.
As with all emergencies, go to Midd Alert.net for updated information.
For more information about our emergency response procedures: go to the Emergency Response website or type “go/er” from the Middlebury network.