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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
PAGE 3
MONDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2014
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University to test fire drills on campus Monday, Thursday
By performing these fire drills the EM team will look for ways to improve building evacuation times. They will also strive to answer questions like: Did everyone make it out OK? Were the handicapped people able to get out safely and quickly? Were all the lights, signs and exits working correctly? What are some ways to improve the time?
The PSO Emergency Management team will be performing fire drills around campus Monday and Thursday to help gauge the amount of time it takes to evacuate each building. Monday's fire drills include locations at Anschutz, Allen Fieldhouse and the athletic facilities — the times were undisclosed.
Each University building has an emergency evacuation plan. Andrew Foster, emergency management specialist, said all 186 buildings across campus, including administration buildings and athletic facilities, must have annual fire drills to ensure everyone is able to evacuate quickly, calmly and efficiently.
"If people don't know how to get out of the building and if the permanent staff don't know how to guide the students out, it could create some chaos when it comes to an evacuation." Foster said.
Emergency Management Coordinator John Marmon advises students to be aware of their surroundings. He said students should look around and see if they can spot the emergency exits and should know the quickest way to get out of the building. In case of an actual emergency, he said students should find the quickest exit point, and they should not take the time to pack up personal belongings.
— Maegan Bull
State grants $250K to Willow Domestic Violence Center, GaDuGi SafeCenter
MCKENNA HARFORD
@McKennaHartford
Gov. Sam Brownback granted more than $250,000 combined to The Willow Domestic Violence Center and GaDuGi SafeCenter to support service, outreach and training for sexual assault and domestic violence.
The funds are part of
the $4 million Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services Grant program, an annual grant for safe centers across the state. GaDuGi SafeCenter received $53,501 And The Willow Domestic Violence Center received $197,033 this year.
The grant funds 25 different centers across the state that help provide for victims.
"The goal of all
of the centers] surrounds insuring that the victim is safe and moving them on," said Adrienne Foster, head of the Governor's Grants Program.
"We've incorporated so many more resources that we couldn't bounce back and provide the same robust and comprehensive support for the community without it."
Chrissy Heikkila, executive director of GaDuGi, said GaDuGi received the same amount of money as last year. The funds help pay for an advocate who specializes
in rural and underserved communities in Douglas, Jefferson and Franklin counties.
CHRISSY HEIKKILA Executive director of GaDuGi
"We've incorporated so many more resources that we couldn't bounce back and provide the same robust and comprehensive support for the community without it." Heikkila said.
Edited by Emily Brown
Man floating in bubble rescued by Coast Guard
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ORLANDO. Fla. — A longtime endurance runner and peace activist whose latest goal was to reach Bermuda in a homemade floating "Hydro Pod" was rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard on Saturday after he began suffering from fatigue.
those that have lost hope for a better future."
Coast Guard air crew were able to safely pick up Reza Baluchi and the bubble Saturday morning, Coast Guard spokeswoman Marilyn Fajardo said in a statement. He was transported to a nearby Coast Guard station and found to be uninjured, Fajardo said.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A statement on Baluchi's website said the Iranian exile had planned to make the 1,033-mile trip in his self-designed bubble to raise money "for children in need" and "to ... inspire
Baluchi has made headlines many times before with previous efforts to break long-distance running and cycling records, including one six-month journey in which he ran around the perimeter of the United States, and a seven-year bike trip that he said brought him across 55 countries on six continents. His self-professed mission is to promote world peace and unity. His perimeter run was to raise money for a children's hospital, according to his website.
The Coast Guard arrives on scene off the coast of Miami on Oct. 1 to respond to a report of a man aboard an inflatable hydro bubble who was disoriented. Coast Guard air crew were able to safely pick up Reza Baluchi and the bubble Saturday, Coast Guard spokeswoman Marilyn Fajardo said in a statement.
Baluchi served 1 1/2 years in jail for associating with "counterrevolutionaries" and was hung from a tree by handcuffs for carrying a prohibited movie, Maclay said. The Coast Guard described him as a U.S. Citizen.
Baluchi was granted asylum in the United States in 2003 after being arrested in Iran for so-called pro-Western and anti-Islamic activities, including eating during the holy month of Ramadan, according to his lawyer at the time, Suzannah Maclay.
The "Hydro Pod" is a large bubble made of 3-mm(0.11-inch)-thick plastic, Baluchi's website, "Run With Reza" says. The bubble, which he propelled forward by running inside and pushing it with his arms, was housed in a large aluminum-type frame studded at intervals with inflated soccer balls. A man who appears on a video during the bubble's construction compares it to a hamster wheel.
According to the site, Baluchi planned to run in the bubble in the mornings, cool off in the sea while leashed to the floating sphere, and
sleep in a hammock inside it at night. In addition to the protein bars the Coast Guard said it found in his bubble, he planned to catch and eat fish, the site said.
Officials originally received a report of Baluchi floating in the bubble on Wednesday. The Coast Guard arrived on the scene
about 70 nautical miles east of St. Augustine to find him disoriented and inquiring how to get to Bermuda. Crew members conveyed the dangers of the proposed trip and asked Baluchi to end it.
He refused, but activated his locator beacon Saturday because of fatigue, Fajardo said.
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