We would like to thank the emergency personnel who responded to the sodium cyanide incident in the Foster Mods on Oct. 12. Their prompt response guaranteed the safety of all the students that were potentially in danger.
The Brandeis University Emergency Medical Corporation (BEMCo) and the Brandeis Police were on the scene almost immediately and took all the necessary precautions in order to maintain proper safety proceedings. BEMCo helped ensure that students living in the Foster Mods were all safely evacuated and remained on-scene throughout. A hazmat crew, Waltham Police Department, Waltham Fire and Cataldo ambulances were also on scene at the Mods.
We appreciate how the administration reacted to the situation from a publicity standpoint, while still exercising discretion. A representative from the Office of Communications was on site with both student reporters and local news channels, providing constant updates whenever they came up. At the same time, while keeping us informed, the university was still able to protect the privacy of all parties involved.
While the community was never put at risk, Brandeis emergency services made the right call in exercising the utmost caution. Sodium cyanide can be lethal, and it is better to be overly careful than potentially put students’ health in jeopardy.
After the incident, The Hoot editorial board took a moment to review safety policies for a variety of incidents that could happen around campus. We encourage students, staff and faculty to do the same. Under the “Emergency Preparedness” tab on the Brandeis Public Safety webpage, members of the community can find a list of potential hazards on campus. Under each hazard, Public Safety offers advice on how to handle each unique situation. Reviewing these tabs will help prepare members of the Brandeis community for unforeseen emergencies. It is better to take a few minutes to review safety policies, than to panic in the event that an emergency does happen on campus. And when in doubt, alert public safety if the campus is at risk.
