Evacuation Appendix B
This Appendix describes the procedures recommended for evacuation of individual buildings or areas, or the entire campus, as a result of a campus emergency. All members of the University community should become familiar with these recommended evacuation procedures. This includes learning where exits are located in classroom, work, and residential buildings, knowing the location of the assembly area designated for your location, and knowing the off-campus transportation pick up site.
An evacuation may be necessary when conditions are such that it is no longer safe for individuals to remain inside of a single building or area, within a section of campus, or anywhere on campus, whether due to extensive failure of critical systems or other danger(s). You may be notified of the need to evacuate by the sounding of a fire alarm in the building, a directive from Public Safety or University Facilities personnel, or by an evacuation order communicated through the Emergency Communications Systems. However, if you are in a campus building and, despite not having received any order to evacuate, you believe it is not safe for individuals to remain inside the building (due to a fire or hazardous materials leak, for example), pull the nearest fire alarm to alert all those in the building to evacuate, and follow the evacuation procedures below.
Building or Area Evacuation
If a fire alarm sounds or you receive an order to evacuate from Public Safety or University Facilities personnel or through the Emergency Communications Systems, follow these procedures:
- Stay calm, do not rush, and do not panic.
- If safe to do so, gather your essential personal belongings, including personal identification, purse/wallet, keys, and prescription medications; it may be hours or days before you are allowed back in the building.
- If safe to do so, close the doors and windows in your immediate area, but do not lock them.
- Proceed to the nearest exit.
- Do not use elevators.
- Once outside, move quickly away from the building to the designated evacuation assembly area for your location. (See Accounting for Individuals Following Building Evacuation below).
- Report to the appropriate supervisor or instructor and let him/her know that you are safe.
- Report any medical emergencies or individuals remaining in the building to emergency officials, either in person (if emergency officials are present on the scene) or by calling 911 or Public Safety at extension 8999, or 540-458-8999 from off-campus.
- Contact Public Safety at extension 8999, or 540-458-8999 from off-campus, if you noticed significant damage to property or anything unusual during your evacuation.
- DO NOT REENTER THE BUILDING UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES until it has been cleared for reentry by Public Safety or through the Emergency Communications Systems.
- Await and follow instructions from Public Safety, other University personnel, or law enforcement/emergency officials.
Accounting for Individuals following Building/Area Evacuation
- It is important to report to your designated evacuation assembly area so that the University can attempt to account for all members of the community.
- As quickly as possible, depending on the nature and scope of the emergency and the feasibility of meeting at the designated assembly area(s), faculty of classes that were in session, workplace supervisors, Residence Life/Greek Housing staff, and other designated facility reporters will account for their students and staff known or presumed to have been in the building/area, and report missing and/or presumed missing individuals to Public Safety or emergency officials. As it is safe to do so, Public Safety or other designated individuals will conduct a search of the building/area for any sheltering, entrapped, or injured occupants.
- If you leave campus after evacuating a building or area without reporting to your designated assembly area, please try to email or call the faculty of your class that was in session at the time of the evacuation, your supervisor, Residence Life or Greek Housing staff, or your Class Dean, as appropriate, to advise them that you are safe and of your location.
- The University, through the Incident Commander and the EOG, will use all reasonable efforts to try to account for all members of the campus community following an evacuation, using information from reporting faculty, supervisors, Residence Life/Greek Housing staff, other designated facility reporters, Student Affairs, Human Resources, Public Safety, law enforcement, and other external emergency officials, and comparing that information with class schedules, work schedules, housing rosters, and other University records relevant to identifying the whereabouts of students, employees, and campus visitors at the time of the emergency evacuation and thereafter.
Campus Evacuation
In case of a campus-wide disaster, such as a major earthquake, large hazardous materials release, or widespread fire, certain sections of campus, or the entire campus, may need to be evacuated, whether because of extensive failure of critical systems or other dangers on campus. In such cases, the Incident Commander, in consultation with the EOG and the President (or surrogate/designee), Public Safety, and others, depending on the situation), may order an evacuation and, with the coordination of any appropriate external agencies, will determine the scope and method of implementing such an evacuation, as warranted by the situation.
Public Safety and the Emergency Communications Systems will alert the campus community on specific evacuation details. However, if an order is given to evacuate the campus or a section of campus, follow these general procedures:
- Individuals should follow the building evacuation procedures set forth above to evacuate the building or area in which they are located. Depending on the nature of the emergency leading to the order to evacuate, Public Safety and the Emergency Communications Systems will provide instructions on whether individuals should proceed to their designated evacuation assembly location first for an accounting of persons, or take other measures, which may depend on whether they have their own transportation off campus or need transportation.
- Students should not return to the evacuated building(s) or area(s) to retrieve personal belongings unless advised by Public Safety or the Emergency Communications Systems that it is safe to do so.
- It may be necessary to implement a phased evacuation, in order to minimize the time needed to evacuate and manage traffic congestion. The evacuation order and instructions will include specific information regarding the order in which particular campus locations or constituents will evacuate, when the evacuation will begin, the logistics and routes to be used, and other relevant information.
- Students, employees, and campus visitors who have vehicles on or near campus are encouraged to carpool with others who are without readily available transportation.
- The University will contract with vendors and/or make arrangements with other local or regional organizations to provide buses, vans, or other vehicles to transport students, faculty, staff and campus visitors without their own transportation to safe locations off campus, depending on the nature and scope of the emergency.
- Individuals who do not have their own transportation should report to the front of Early-Fielding on Washington Street to pick up University-provided transportation.
- In most cases, certain key personnel will be required to remain on duty until the evacuation is complete. Such key personnel may include (but is not limited to) all or some of the following (additional staff may be required to remain on campus at the direction of the President (or surrogate/designee), in consultation with the Incident Commander and the EOG):
- Senior staff as designated by the President (or surrogate/designee)
- Emergency Management Executive Team
- Public Safety
- University Facilities
- Student Life (Dining Services, Student Health Center, Residential Life)
Accounting for Individuals During or Following Campus Evacuation
- Processes for accounting for students and employees, and to the extent possible, campus visitors, will depend on the nature and scope of the emergency, whether individuals have been told to report to designated assembly areas before evacuating campus, and whether individuals use University-provided transportation, their own transportation, or carpool with others from campus.
- If individuals have been told to report to designated evacuation assembly areas before evacuating campus, faculty of classes that were in session, workplace supervisors, Residence Life/Greek Housing staff, and other designated facility reporters, will try to account for their students and staff known or presumed to have been in the building/area when the evacuation began, and report missing and/or presumed missing individuals to Public Safety or emergency officials on the scene.
- The University will use all reasonable efforts to account for those individuals using University-provided transportation in an evacuation before, during, or after the off-site transportation process, depending on how quickly the evacuation needs to proceed.
- As it is safe to do so, Public Safety or other designated individuals will conduct a search of all open buildings on campus for any sheltering, entrapped, or injured occupants.
- When safe to do so, individuals who have used their own transportation to evacuate, or have carpooled with others, should email or call the faculty teaching the class in session at the time of the evacuation, their workplace supervisor, Residence Life/Greek Housing staff, or their Class Dean, as appropriate, to advise that they are safe and of their current location.
- The University, through the Incident Commander and the EOG, will use all reasonable efforts to try and account for all members of the campus community following the evacuation, using information from reporting faculty, supervisors, Residence Life/Greek Housing staff, other designated facility reporters, Student Affairs, Human Resources, Public Safety, law enforcement and other eternal emergency officials, and comparing that information with class schedules, work schedules, housing rosters, and other University records relevant to identifying the whereabouts of students, employees, and campus visitors, at the time of the emergency evacuation and thereafter.
Evacuation of Individuals with Disabilities
If you have a disability and are unable to evacuate a building or area on your own, stay calm and take steps to protect yourself, as appropriate. Call 911 or Public Safety at extension 8999, or 540-458-8999 from off-campus, and tell the responder where you are or where you will be and if you have a service animal or other assistive devices or equipment. If you must move:
- Move to an exterior enclosed stairwell.
- Request persons exiting by way of the stairwell to notify emergency officials of your location.
- Follow all other evacuation procedures set forth in this Appendix.
NOTE: It is suggested that individuals with disabilities prepare for emergencies by learning the locations of exit corridors and enclosed stairwells and by informing co-workers, professors, and/or classmates of the best methods of assistance during an emergency. For assistance with preplanning for an emergency, contact the Title IX Coordinator and Director of Disability Resources (undergraduate students), the Assistant Dean of Finance and Administration (law students), or your supervisor or department head (employees). A few non-exclusive examples of preplanning measures include: Learning alternate exit routes from commonly used areas
- Learning alternate exit routes from commonly used areas
- Identifying a "buddy" to help
- Keeping extra medication, assistive devices, etc. on hand
- Wearing medical alert tags to inform emergency personnel or volunteers of pertinent health conditions
Assisting Individuals with Disabilities in Evacuation
During an emergency, if you notice an individual with a disability who may need assistance, ask him/her if s/he needs help, how you can properly provide assistance, and if s/he needs to take any necessary items, including, but not limited to, service animals or other assistive devices or equipment.
The following guidance is intended to provide general instructions for aiding individuals with disabilities during an evacuation based on the specific type of disability:
- Mobility Impairment
- If an individual cannot exit the building on his/her own, ask if assistance is needed.
- If s/he elects to await evacuation assistance, escort the individual to the nearest stairwell or other predetermined location (based on preplanning).
- Some individuals with mobility impairments who are able to walk independently may be able to negotiate stairs with minor assistance.
- Do not try to carry anyone with mobility impairment unless there is no other option. You could do more harm to him/her or yourself.
- After you leave the building, immediately inform emergency officials of the location of any person awaiting evacuation.
- If there are no other options, use any and all measures to evacuate the mobility impaired individual if it is safe to do so, taking any precautions necessary and advisable based on the specific emergency situation.
- Blindness or Visual Impairment
- Give verbal instructions about the safest route or direction using directional terms and estimated distances and, advising of obstacles they may encounter.
- Ask if assistance is needed. If so, offer your elbow and provide guidance through the evacuation route. This may be especially helpful if there is debris or a crowd. (Never grasp the arm of the individual you are assisting.)
- While escorting an individual out of the building, explain as you are walking where you are going, what you are doing, and any obstacles that you encounter.
- Orient the individual to their location after exiting.
- Do not separate an individual from his/her service animal and realize that the service animal may be anxious in an emergency and may act to protect the handler.
- Deafness, Hearing Loss, Language Difficulty
- Get his/her attention by eye contact or touch, if necessary.
- Communicate the problem including the need to evacuate. Gesturing and pointing are helpful but, be prepared to write a brief statement if the individual does not seem to understand.
- Offer visual instructions to designate the safest route or direction by pointing toward exits or evacuation maps.
- Offer to escort the individual from the building.
Designated Assembly Areas and Off-campus Transportation Pickup Site
In the event of any emergency where evacuation of sections of campus or the entire campus is necessary, the following locations have been designated as assembly areas where students, faculty, staff and visitors are to report once they have evacuated the listed buildings. Remain at the designated location until you are accounted for and/or receive further instructions.
| Work/Living Areas | Designated Assembly Location |
|---|---|
| 7 Courthouse Square (Communications and Public Affairs, Office of General Counsel) |
Front corner of courtyard near Main Street |
| 107 Henry Street (Advancement Operations) | Henry Street parking lot |
| 2 South Main Street (Business Office, Human Resources, Treasurer) | Front corner of courtyard near Main Street |
| 109 South Jefferson Street (Dance Program, Entrepreneurship) | Sidewalk in front of building |
|
115 Nelson Street (ITS Dept, Mail Services) |
Hopkins House front yard |
|
11 University Place |
Sidewalk on uphill (northwest) side of building |
| 13 University Place (Rental) | Sidewalk on uphill (northwest) side of building |
| 15 University Place (Rental) | Sidewalk on uphill (northwest) side of building |
| 17 University Place (210 N. Main St.) | Sidewalk on uphill (northwest) side of building |
| 19 University Place (Washingtonian) | Sidewalk on uphill (northwest) side of building |
| 21 University Place (Sustainability and Energy Education, University Chapel Museum Administration) | Sidewalk on uphill (northwest) side of building |
| 23 University Place (Financial Aid) | Sidewalk on uphill (northwest) side of building |
| 218 E. Nelson Street | Basketball Court between 218 E. Nelson Street and Sigma Chi Fraternity House |
| 5 Henry Street | Red Square parking lot |
| Alpha Delta Pi Sorority House | Grass area in front of sorority houses |
| Archaeology Laboratory | Parking lot across West Denny Circle |
| Arts, Recreation, and Culture House | Basketball Court between 218 E. Nelson Street and Sigma Chi Fraternity House |
| Casa Hispanica | Sidewalk near Early-Fielding |
| Chavis Hall | Walkway in front of Leyburn Library |
| Chavis House | Sidewalk in front of Early-Fielding |
| Chi Omega Sorority House | Grass area in front of sorority houses |
| Chi Psi Fraternity House | Sidewalk in front of house |
| Delta Society Sorority House | Grass area in front of sorority houses |
| Doremus Gym | Cannan Green |
| Duchossois Tennis Center | Parking lot on West Denny Circle |
| Early-Fielding | Sidewalk across Washington Street |
| Elrod Commons | Cannan Green near Doremus Gymnasium |
| Evans Hall | Washington Street Park |
| Gaines Residence Hall | Washington Street Park |
| Gilliam Admissions House | Patio/Courtyard beside Ruscio Center for Global Learning |
| Global Service House | Sidewalk in front of house |
| Graham-Lees Residence Hall | Cannan Green near Elrod Commons |
| Heating-Cooling Plant | Woods Creek parking lot |
| Hillel House | Sidewalk in front of Grace Episcopal Church |
| Holekamp Hall | Courtyard near Elrod Commons |
| Hopkins House | Hopkins Green |
| Hotchkiss Alumni House | Patio/Courtyard beside Ruscio Center for Global Learning |
| Howe Annex | Cul-de-sac on south side of Howe Annex |
| Howe Hall | Walkway at rear of Tucker Hall and grassy area behind Chavis Hall |
| Huntley Hall | Courtyard near Elrod Commons |
| Kappa Alpha Order Fraternity House | Davidson Park parking lot — rear of Kappa Sigma |
| Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority House | Grass area in front of sorority houses |
| Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority House | Grass area in front of sorority houses |
| Kappa Sigma Fraternity House | Basketball Court between 218 E. Nelson Street and Sigma Chi Fraternity House |
| Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity House | Parking lot |
| Lee House | Washington Street Park |
| Lenfest Center | Lenfest Box Office parking lot |
| Leyburn Library | Walkway near rear of Washington Hall |
| Mattingly House | Sidewalk near Early-Fielding |
| Morris House | Courtyard beside Huntley Hall |
| Newcomb Hall | Walkway in front of Leyburn Library |
| Nuestro Hogar Latino House | University Chapel Visitor Lot |
| Outing Club House | Pi Kappa Phi parking lot |
| Parmly Hall | Walkway at rear of Tucker Hall and grassy area behind Chavis Hall |
| Payne Hall | Walkway in front of Leyburn Library |
| Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity House | Jackson Avenue Parking lot |
| Pi Beta Phi Sorority House | Grass area in front of sorority houses |
| Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity House | Red Square parking lot |
| Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity House | Parking lot behind house |
| Reeves Museum | Walkway near rear of Tucker |
| Reid Hall | Courtyard near Elrod Commons |
| Richard L. Duchossois Athletic and Recreation Center | Cannan Green |
| Ruscio Center for Global Learning | Courtyard next to Great Hall of Science Center and in front of Howe Hall |
| Sankofa House | University Chapel Visitor Lot |
| Science Addition | Walkway at rear of Tucker Hall and grassy area behind Chavis Hall |
| Sigma Chi Fraternity House | Basketball Court between 218 E. Nelson Street and Sigma Chi Fraternity House |
| Simpson House | Courtyard beside Huntley Hall |
| Student Activities Pavilion (Outing Club) | Parking lot on West Denny Circle |
| Student Health Center | Leyburn Library loading dock driveway |
| Sydney Lewis Hall | Village Pavilion and grassy area |
| Tucker Hall | Walkway in front of Leyburn Library |
| University Chapel and Museum | Walkway on Colonnade side toward Washington Hall |
| University Facilities Maintenance and Operations Building | Parking lot on West Denny Circle |
| University Facilities Office | Parking lot on West Denny Circle |
| Village (lower area) (Upper-Division Housing including two community buildings) | Area in front of Natatorium |
| Village (Upper Area) | Middle of Big Grassy area between Apartments and Townhouses at least 50 feet from the building |
| Washington Hall | Walkway in front of Leyburn Library |
| Watson Galleries | Walkway near rear of Tucker |
| Wilson Field Stadium | Wilson Field |
| Wilson Hall | Lenfest Box Office parking lot |
| Woods Creek Apartments (East, Central and West) | Tennis Courts across East Denny Circle |