Universal Emergency Action Considerations

Incident/Hazard Recognition

Recognize the three different incident types in terms of their severity, as follows:

• Level 1 — incidents of minimal severity, normally mitigated by trained on-campus personnel and/or FEC’s
• Level 2 — incidents of moderate severity, normally managed and/or mitigated by HERT, with the occasional assistance of external emergency responders
• Level 3 — incidents of the highest severity, normally managed and/or mitigated by external emergency responders, with CMT/HERT aiding and assisting as necessary

Hazard/Risk Management

It is critical to prioritize emergency incident avoidance through risk management and controlling workplace hazards and risks in the first place. Simultaneously, all employees and students should have a general understanding of where emergency equipment is located, including but not limited to the following:

• Fire extinguishers, fire alarm pull stations, 1^st aid kits, telephones, emergency exits, eyewashes/showers and chemical spill kits.
• All departments that require its employees or students to use hazardous chemicals or dangerous equipment must ensure they are properly trained.
• All employees and students should be familiar with applicable fire safety rules and regulations, and are encouraged to become acquainted with the Fire Safety Plans for the buildings they live/work in or otherwise frequent.

Evacuation Procedures

Muster Points

• All routinely occupied College facilities have a muster point, which is a location selected by designated Building Coordinators and/or CA’s where occupants should gather immediately following an evacuation or fire alarm signal to await further instructions. Please contact your designated Building Coordinator or CA if you have not been advised of your building’s muster point, or consult your Fire Safety Plan.

Assembly Points

• All routinely occupied College facilities also have primary and alternate assembly points, which are secure locations of assembly and head counting in the event of actual emergencies that necessitate building evacuations and temporary relocation/sheltering. Should such an incident occur, individuals should proceed from their muster point to their primary assembly point (or alternate assembly point if the primary point is also affected by the incident), until either the emergency is terminated or further direction is provided. See the last section of this document for your building’s primary and alternate assembly points.

Shelter-In-Place Procedures

In certain emergency situations, seeking interior sources of shelter are more desirable actions than building evacuations, or otherwise remaining in spaces external to campus buildings. A shelter-in-place command may be given for several incident types, such as a severe weather emergency (tornado), an environmental emergency (chemical release/plume), or a high severity law enforcement emergency (active shooter/hostile intruder). Should such a command be given, take the following actions:

• Stay inside the building you are in, even if you do not normally work or reside in that building. If you are outdoors, proceed to the nearest accessible building. Terminate any classes, athletic activities, work/business operations. If there are visitors or other members of the public around you, invite them to follow your lead.
• For severe weather emergencies, move to areas away from glass windows, shelving, and any other unsecured equipment that could become dislodged, and take refuge in supported building archways, or under desks/chairs.
• For environmental emergencies, close windows and terminate any source of fresh-air ventilation to the greatest extent that you can.
• For high severity law enforcement emergencies (active shooters/hostile intruders), secure yourself/others to the greatest extent possible, or RUN, HIDE, FIGHT in a “shots fired” active shooter situation.
• Be prepared to go to more secure locations as directed by College personnel, and do not leave the building or secured area until and unless directed to do so.