![\"\"](\"http:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/IMG_9924.jpg\" "\\"Tim")
<\/a>In 2001, Stoecklein was a Fort Hays State University student headed for a weekend camping trip when a tornado ripped through nearby Hoisington, Kan. Instead of a weekend of fishing, Stoecklein and others taking part in his class spent several days helping Hoisington residents recover from an F4 tornado that ripped through the city of 2,700 and nearly wiped it from the map.<\/p>\n\u201cIt was an amazing experience,\u201d Stoecklein said. \u201cI realized then that while we can\u2019t control the weather, there is a lot that individuals can do to minimize their risk.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since 2011, Stoecklein has served as part-time assistant director of emergency management at UCCS. In July, he became program director following the promotion of Steve Linhart to the position of dean of students. He joined UCCS in 2007 as associate director of the Campus Recreation Center and previously served in student recreation-related positions at Kansas State University and Ferris State University, Big Rapids, Mich. He earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in marketing and a master\u2019s in health and human performance\u00a0from Fort Hays State.<\/p>\n
As program director, Stoecklein hopes to build on his personal and professional experiences to help the campus prepare for an emergency. He will work with other Department of Public Safety staff members to complete tasks ranging from teaching the proper way to operate a fire extinguisher to developing evacuation plans for campus buildings and both developing and testing campus emergency plans.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmergency preparedness is really about being aware of your surroundings,\u201d Stoecklein said. \u201cMany of us take the same path to work every single day and never think about what would happen if that stairway was blocked. The time to think about taking a different route is before you need to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among his plans are visits to classrooms this fall to encourage use of the E2Campus emergency notification system and to educate UCCS faculty, staff and students about campus emergency preparation. The emergency messaging system, in addition to sending text messages, will also call many campus telephone numbers, issue email messages, and tap social media to warn of an emergency.<\/p>\n
Communication is an important part of emergency preparation and an area where Stoecklein excels. For several years, he has served as a weather spotter for local television stations and the National Weather Service, earning the nickname \u201cTornado Timmy\u201d for his on-the-ground reports of severe weather. Storm chasing is a thrill, Stoecklein quickly admits, but also serves as an important function for people and businesses. Weather watching is a skill that Stoecklein earned growing up on a western Kansas farm where storms were an important component to his family\u2019s livelihood.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a calculated risk, one that is often much less dangerous than the perceived risk,\u201d Stoecklein said of his storm chasing. \u201cI\u2019m not crazy in my pursuit. It is rare that I\u2019m truly in danger of the weather out there. Occasionally, I get a hail stone to the head as a reminder.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stoecklein is also an advocate of mediums such as Twitter and Facebook as a way to communicate with students, faculty and staff. During the recent Waldo Canyon fire, he actively quelled rumors on social media sites and provided information about the status of the fire in Colorado Springs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Waldo Canyon fire provided a great learning opportunity,\u201d Stoecklein said. \u201cWhile this was a Colorado Springs disaster, the campus, as part of this community, was affected and played an active role. It\u2019s hard not to look around our campus and wonder \u2018what if\u2019 that fire was here.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"