Emergency Procedures

At times, emergencies may occur on campus, and while we cannot prepare for every eventuality, there are measures to be taken during any emergency, and some steps to be taken for specific emergencies. 

In general, emergencies require you to be able to do the following:

• Become aware of the emergency
• Report an emergency
• Respond to an emergency
• Recover from the emergeny and begin to resume normal activity.

Awareness

Being aware of an emergency can occur from first hand knowledge or through notification processes.

• AU Alert
• Individual building fire alarm/mass notification systems
• Tornado siren

Reporting

Once you become aware of an emergency, you need to make sure that others are aware of the emergency as well. This can include activating the fire alarm system for a fire, calling 911, or reporting non-life threatening emergencies to the Office of Campus Safety. 

When it comes to reporting, you cannot assume that others will call for help and you therefore must take that initiative. 

Whenever you report an emergency, you may be asked to provide some of the following information. It is important that you take the time to become familiar with these items in your daily routine, whether going to class or to work.

• Type of emergency (fire, hostile threat, medical, etc.)
• Location
  • Street address
  • Building name
  • Foor/room number
  • Cardinal direction (North, South, East, West)
• Any hazards (chemical storage, natural gas connection, weapons, etc.)
• Any personal knowledge (medical history, extenuating circumstances, etc.)

If your emergency may require the assistance of other University departments (Counseling & Testing, Campus Ministries, Plant Services, etc.) the Office of Campus Safety will contact these departments as well. 

Responding

While the response varies with each emergency there are some steps to consider when responding to any emergency.

• Upon notification of an emergency, you must act immediately. Whether a fire or a hostile threat, seconds to minutes can have a significant effect on the situation.
• In most large scale emergencies (affecting an entire building) you will need to either evacuate the building or shelter/secure yourself in the building. 
• During the emergency, having some level of training can prove beneficial for your own safety, along with the mitigation of the emergency.

While you are in class or at work, take time to identify the safest nearest exit and how to secure the room you are in.

The Office of Campus Safety does offer some training through the following venues. 

• In person fire extinguisher training (with live fire) 
• Lockdown training (both online and in person)
• Self-defense training
• Emergency preparedness drills (fire, lockdown, tornado)

If you would like to participate in these trainings, please contact our office.

Recovery

You must have a reliable method to identify when an emergency is over and cannot rely on on assumptions (i.e. when the fire alarm is silenced, it is safe to return). Whether you evacuated from a building or were directed to shelter in the building, you will typically be notified by emergency services or Campus Safety that the emergency is over. Until that time, you are asked to maintain the directed emergency response.

In large scale emergencies, AU Alert will be used to announce an "all clear" (except for a tornado). In small scale emergencies, the "all clear" may come from emergency services, Campus Safety, or an University employee.

If you are unclear on whether the emergency has ended, you can contact 911 or Campus Safety where applicable and when safe to do so.

After receiving notice of the "all clear", you may be directed to take additional actions which could include; moving to a different location, meeting with emergency services to provide statements, or adjusting your regular work/class schedule as directed by the University.

After an emergency the last step to take is to take care of yourself. Some emergencies can be traumatic and may have an effect on you. The University does have resources to help you resume your regular activities. If you or someone you know needs assistance, you can notify any of the following departments or submit a CARE report online.

Specific Emergencies

For information on specific emergencies, please see the following:

• Lockdown
• Tornado
• Severe Winter Weather