When a gas-fueled blaze erupted Tuesday on 23rd Street after workers demolishing the old hospital ruptured a gas line, University administrators promptly enacted contingency plans that ran surprisingly smoothly. Students witnessed calm hospital employees evacuate about 120 patients to an emergency triage center set up in the Smith Center and University Police Department officers working in conjunction with the D.C. Fire and Metropolitan Police departments to cordon off local streets, direct traffic and evacuate three GW residence halls. Besides some small coordinating snafus, the incident seemed to be handled quite professionally.

Rapid response and swift action calmed what could have been a much more chaotic scene. There were no injuries related to the evacuation. The unfolding of the emergency should be seen as a good test-run for future, larger incidents.

But there are some worrisome issues openly recognized by administrators that need work. Senior Vice President for Student and Academic Support Services Robert Chernak mentioned communication problems among city officials that caused confusion in the evacuation’s aftermath, which we can trust the University to work on. The DCFD and MPD sent the University mixed messages regarding when to end the evacuation, which could have proven troublesome in different conditions. Chernak is right when he says, “We’ve got to make sure we’re dealing with one voice.”