It's easy to jump to conclusions after a tragedy like the shooting that occurred at Virginia Tech this week.

According to a timeline on the college's Web site, an email was sent notifying students at 9:26 a.m., roughly two hours after police were notified of the first shooting.

Then, at 9:45 a.m., the second series of shootings were reported.

For those who may have tuned in to cable news yesterday, it was clear where newscasters were focusing their attention. Several questioned the two hours that passed until the campus was notified of the first shooting.

Time — and the inevitable investigation — will determine how well campus administrators reacted to the shooting. In the meantime, there are some lessons for facility executives who have been handed security responsibilities. First, there is clearly no substitute for having an emergency response plan in place. Equally important is making key decision makers familiar with that plan, an approach that has the potential to speed decision making.