Visitors to the George Washington University’s Foggy Bottom Campus on Wednesday might have seen an imposing costumed figure fighting fires and battling “attackers” for an appreciative audience. But it wasn’t a late-summer blockbuster superhero. It was university mascot George participating with hundreds of others in the GW Safety Expo as the event unfolded for its 10th year.
Representatives from over 40 on-campus, local, federal and nonprofit agencies and organizations gathered on University Yard to take part in the expo, presented by GW’s Office of Safety and Security as part of National Preparedness Month.
George Nunez, director of the GW Office of Emergency Management, who has been working with the initiative since its inception, said the expo has grown exponentially in its decade of existence.
“When we started, it was a smaller event,” he said. “Now it’s the largest collegiate-based emergency management event in the region.”
Under huge white tents packed with booths, attendees gathered safety tips and information on preparedness topics from safe drinking to fire prevention to financial risk management. Organizations like the university’s Emergency Medical Response Group (EMeRG) and the GW Police Department mingled with representatives from the American Red Cross and the D.C. Department of Health, among many others.
A few yards away stood what Mr. Nunez called the “traditional highlight” of the event: an open-air station where anyone could assemble a free emergency preparedness “starter kit” to take home. Attendees assembled more than 1,000 kits with items like Band-Aids, sanitizing wipes, gauze, rubber gloves and a glow stick as well as information on responding to various emergencies.
Besides equipping and informing themselves—and enjoying pizza and ice cream—participants also could get a rare, up close look at emergency management’s professional tools of the trade. Around the green, command vehicles from DC Water, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Postal Service stood open for exploration.
Inside the DHS’s Mobile Command Vehicle, an agent showcased a high-tech workspace that included several computer workstations, multiple screens for cellular and satellite data connectivity, impressive security imaging systems—zooming in close enough to investigate what kinds of pizza were being eaten across the wide lawn—and even a small but comfortable conference area.
“One of our big objectives is to familiarize the university community with our partners,” Mr. Nunez said. “We are in downtown D.C., so these organizations are our neighbors. This is a great opportunity to interact with them and understand what it is they do.”
There were practical demonstrations on hand as well—and one larger-than-life participant. George, the Colonials’ mascot, went up against an officer wielding padded equipment to show off some of the moves offered in the GWPD’s self-defense classes, which are free to students, faculty and staff.
Mr. Nunez said the event was a great success and had broken all previous attendance records, with #GWSafetyExpo popular on social media.
“By the way,” he assured George Washington Today on the subject of the mascot’s antics, “George is OK.”
The Virginia Science and Technology Campus will host its Safety Expo from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 24, at the Enterprise Hall Executive Dining Room.
Visit GW Campus Advisories for preparedness tips and safety information, including the GW Emergency Response Handbook.