Lubusz rescue and security services tested their operational readiness once again. This time, the exercises took place on the campus of the University of Zielona Góra. Everything followed a carefully planned scenario simulating crisis situations of a terrorist nature. The Thursday exercises included, among other things, an armed attacker, the evacuation of staff and students from one of the university buildings, and a hostage situation. All of this was designed to coordinate the actions of the services as effectively as possible in the event of a real threat.
The exercises at Campus A also provided an opportunity to test the university’s Security Management System. “We are continuously developing the competencies and scope of our Security Management Center, which handles information about dangerous events on the University of Zielona Góra campus. We are expanding the SOS system, which allows users to trigger an alarm about a threat, automatically notifying the Security Management Center of the location and calling the intervention team. We have also started enhancing the security system with threat notification systems, based on active voice alert systems about dangerous events in buildings. Exercises like this give us a chance to test internal mechanisms and, if necessary, improve them,” said Dr Katarzyna Łasińska, Chancellor of UZ.
“Following guidelines from the uniformed services, the exercises were conducted discreetly. The main goal was to realistically assess the effectiveness of actions, security systems, and the behavior of individuals within the exercise area. To prevent panic, our academic staff in the affected area were informed of the planned actions. University employees informed students after the first staged elements that these were only exercises,” Dr Łasińska explained.
It is worth noting that by the end of 2025, the University of Zielona Góra plans to complete the implementation of an electronic building information system (in the form of electronic information boards, replacing the traditional boards indicating the locations of organizational units in buildings). “The system will be managed by units responsible for campus security and will also be used to inform about threats in buildings and, for example, the need for evacuation. This is just one of the measures we are taking to ensure the safety of all members of our community. The safety of UZ students and staff is our priority,” added Dr Katarzyna Łasińska.
Thursday’s exercises continued earlier theoretical trainings organized across the region by the Lubusz Voivodeship Office. Active participants included representatives of the Zielona Góra City Police Headquarters, the State Fire Service, Emergency Medical Rescue teams (PRM), representatives of the City of Zielona Góra Department of Safety and Crisis Management, and the Department of Safety and Crisis Management of the Lubusz Voivodeship Office. Students of the University of Zielona Góra acted as role players during the exercises.
