Southwest Wisconsin Technical College evacuated campus on Wednesday, Nov. 13 as a result of a gas line being struck.
At approximately 10 a.m. a utility contractor struck a gas line on the north end of campus which prompted SWTC to follow their safety protocol.
“In collaboration with local first responders, we evacuated campus to ensure the safety of faculty, staff, students, and on-campus guests,” SWTC President Jason Wood shared. “We estimate that roughly 1,500 people were evacuated.”
SWTC shared posts on their social media, alerting all of the evacuation. The initial evacuation called for an “all campus immediate evacuation except Ag/Auto building and Public Safety.” The child care center children were also relocated to the public safety building. Cars in the west lot were evacuated through the emergency fire lane, with a note that included “Please use extreme caution when taking the alternative route as directed.” A short time later, the Ag/Auto building was also evacuated. Evening classes were also eventually canceled.
“The issue has been corrected and campus is operating on a regular schedule today,” Wood commented on Thursday. “First and foremost, I am grateful everybody is safe. Thank you to the people involved in responding to the situation as well as the many, many others who calmly and professionally responded as directed. We will conduct an evaluation of our response and I am confident we will find ways to learn and improve for future situations.”
At approximately 10 a.m. a utility contractor struck a gas line on the north end of campus which prompted SWTC to follow their safety protocol.
“In collaboration with local first responders, we evacuated campus to ensure the safety of faculty, staff, students, and on-campus guests,” SWTC President Jason Wood shared. “We estimate that roughly 1,500 people were evacuated.”
SWTC shared posts on their social media, alerting all of the evacuation. The initial evacuation called for an “all campus immediate evacuation except Ag/Auto building and Public Safety.” The child care center children were also relocated to the public safety building. Cars in the west lot were evacuated through the emergency fire lane, with a note that included “Please use extreme caution when taking the alternative route as directed.” A short time later, the Ag/Auto building was also evacuated. Evening classes were also eventually canceled.
“The issue has been corrected and campus is operating on a regular schedule today,” Wood commented on Thursday. “First and foremost, I am grateful everybody is safe. Thank you to the people involved in responding to the situation as well as the many, many others who calmly and professionally responded as directed. We will conduct an evaluation of our response and I am confident we will find ways to learn and improve for future situations.”
