To people in the NWA community, Mike Gorgone is the security guard standing on the sidewalk in his orange vest. However, he plays a behind-the-scenes role in NWA’s safety as well. Alongside Candy Trujillo, the school Operations Manager, Gorgone leads the Safety Committee, the group that manages everything from setting the NWA’s policies on emergency drills to making sure the buildings are fire safe.
A safety committee is required for any business with more than 10 employees, per Oregon’s OSHA, and businesses with fewer employees are still required to hold safety meetings. With 65 employees, NWA is required to have at least four committee members. As the committee’s chairperson, Gorgone plans meetings and directs the conversation topics.
“Right now our Safety Committee consists of [Candy] and [I] as regular members and we have monthly meetings which include a rotating membership that represents staff, faculty and school leadership,” said Gorgone. “This year, our goal is to have at least one of the new deans present at each committee meeting, though who exactly that is will probably rotate through each of them at some point so everyone gets a chance to learn what we do.”
Trujillo serves as the committee’s secretary, taking notes during meetings. She also organizes the meetings, and communicates information to committee members.
“Mike [and I] work as a team, but for emergencies I am backup,” said Trujillo. “So if he wasn’t here for a fire drill or something equivalent then I would function as his replacement. I feel like we’ve been more on top of stuff since Mike and I have been in the school.”
The committee deals with both indoor and outdoor security. In meetings, according to Gorgone, they discuss potential hazards such as misuse of extension cords and light fixtures in need of replacement, as well as the security guards responsibilities.
“We’ve already done a lot to help keep NWA up to code when it comes to getting inspected by the fire marshal,” said Gorgone. “This included reorganizing how our theater supplies were being stored, to reduce the risk of a fire hazard, scheduling services for our alarm and sprinkler systems, as well as ensure that all of our power outlet usage followed correct safety standards.”
One improvement the safety committee has made is resetting the door codes for school buildings. Though the codes had been changed previously, old door codes continued to work which is a safety hazard according to Gorgone.
Along with reset codes, a higher profile change the safety committee has implemented this year is announcing fire, earthquake and active shooter drills in advance. Safety drills can cause slight to moderate psychological distress in participants, especially if the drills are frequent.
“The rationale for announcing those drills ahead of time is that a lot of studies show that unannounced drills, especially lockdown drills, cause an undue amount of stress in student bodies and in staff,” said Gorgone. “But if you’re told ahead of time that it’s a drill, you can more mentally prepare yourself for what it is you have to do and actually focus on why we’re doing the thing we’re doing.”
According to a study published by the National Library of Medicine, both announced and unannounced drills have their benefits. When students are informed of a drill in advance this can help with preparedness, whereas surprise drills better simulate an actual emergency. The U.S Department of Labor recommends a mixture of both types.
According to Brock Dunn, Interim Head of School, the change in security strategies is also intended to improve performance in actual scenarios though better practice. Instead of relying on a manual with strict step-by-step preparation instructions, Dunn believes training should prepare staff and students to make fast, informed decisions.
“We’re still behaving in ways that respond to certain catastrophes that are outdated,” said Dunn. “We want to activate muscle memory that activates logic, that trains for heightened anxiety and crisis so that you can think in those moments, because in a crisis it is really hard to use your brain.”
From senior Kodi Young’s perspective, the value of unannounced drills lies in their ability to mimic the unpredictable nature of a genuine emergency, announcing a drill beforehand encourages a level of complacency.
“If the fire alarm goes off, everyone [will be] like “Oh we weren’t told about this, what’s going on?” said Young. “I feel like the whole point of a drill is to be prepared and ready to go at any moment and this goes against that.”
Alongside the usual fire and earthquake safety considerations, a new possible security concern has emerged among Portland residents in the last month. On September 5th, Trump referenced Portland in a press conference about the deployment of the National Guard to various states. He accused the protesters at the ICE building of being paid to cause chaos, “it’s like living in hell,” said Trump. When a reporter asked if Trump was planning on deploying the National Guard to Portland, Trump responded that he was considering it.
Gorgone explained that while there is a small chance of clashes between protestors and the National Guard, it is unlikely to directly affect NWA. The ICE building is located on the South Waterfront, whereas NWA is downtown.
“For the most part when there is a riot in the city,” Gorgone continues. “It’s almost never going to take up the whole city. It’s going to be in very contained, isolated locations for the most part. We are outside where a lot of that is probably going to happen, like over in Pioneer Square or the city hall or what not.
According to Gorgone, the security team has adopted a more versatile emergency response system. Instead of relying on a rigid set of procedures, this new system uses flexible, modular protocols that can be adapted to a wider variety of threats and hazards, such as events caused by the National Guard deployment.
“Northwest Academy has a series of protocols we use that are flexible for basically any emergency,” said Gorgone. “We use an app called InformaCast. The [app] has a list of all of the possible disasters, and how we respond to certain emergencies in the school. In the event of one of those emergencies, this app is also on every school computer, [and] all the teachers have access to it.”
Reporting by Anthony Casuga, Sasha Greenblatt and Signe Miner
Way to go, security team!! I see you everyday from my roost, helping students, staff, parents, and everyone in the community. Excellent reporting on the flock, and bringing this important and undermentioned piece of every day into the spotlight. Coo, coo!