Psychology Department Emergency Action Plan

Building Name

Social Sciences 2

Department Name

Psychology Department

Procedure Last Updated

February 26, 2018

To Report…

Notify…

Contact Method

Emergencies

Police / Fire

911

Non-emergency life and safety concerns

UCSC Police

(831) 459-2231

Chemical hazards / spills

Police / Fire

911

Facility concerns

Physical Plant

wodesk@ucsc.edu or

(831) 459-4444 (M-F 7am-5pm)

After hours call dispatch (831)459-2231

Topic

Source

·      Campus Emergency Operations Plan

·      Fire Extinguisher Training

·      Personal Emergency Procedures

·      Emergency Training Videos

·      Campus Emergency Procedures

·      Department Resiliency Planning

For emergency preparedness training and resources visit the Office of Emergency Services at https://oes.ucsc.edu/ and the UCSC Police Department at https://police.ucsc.edu/

To Register for CruzAlert

https://oes.ucsc.edu/cruzalert/

Specific Department Plans

Contact your supervisor

Event

Response

BOMB THREAT

If you receive a bomb threat via the telephone:

v Stay calm and keep your voice calm.

v Pay close attention to details. Talk to the caller to obtain as much information as possible.

v Write down the date and time of the call.

v Take notes. Pay attention to details. Ask as many questions as possible:

o   When will it explode?

o   Where is it right now?

o   What does it look like?

o   What kind of bomb is it?

o   Where did you leave it?

o   Did you place the bomb?

o   Who is the target?

o   Why did you plant it?

o   What is your address?

o   What is your name?

v Listen to the caller’s voice. See if you can identify speech patterns (accent, tone).

v Emotional state (angry, agitated, calm, etc.)?

v Background noise (traffic, people talking and accents, music and type, etc.)?

v Age and gender?

For all types of bomb threats:

v Write down:

o   The date and time the threat was received

o   How the threat was received (letter, note, telephone)

v Call the police and relay the information from the bomb threat. Follow the police’s instructions.

v Check your work area for unfamiliar items. Do not touch suspicious items; report them to the police.

v If conditions are unsafe, or you are instructed by emergency responders to evacuate the building, evacuate immediately.

CRIMINAL or VIOLENT intruder / Active Shooter 

v Report suspicious situations or persons to campus police.

v Be familiar with your building:

o   Which rooms provide the most security? Seek rooms that can be locked, have no windows and have cell phone reception.

o   If possible, select rooms with a landline phone (note: cell towers may be overwhelmed or damaged during emergencies).

v When in danger, prepare to Run, Hide, or Fight.

o   RUN: Escape as soon as a threat is apparent.

o   HIDE: Locate a secure room:

-     Lock all doors.

-     Barricade doors with furniture.

-     Silence cell phones.

-     Do not congregate in one portion of the room.

-     Avoid areas that can be seen from outside the room.

o   FIGHT: Use any object that will serve to stop the attacker.  If the doorway cannot be secured, quickly plan with others to stage an ambush near the entry. Tackle and pin the attacker when they pass through. Grab the weapon and push it to the ground. Protect yourselves!

v When police arrive, verify who they are, follow their instructions and keep your hands visible.

v If you are the victim of, are involved in, or are a witness to any violation of the law such as assault, robbery, theft, overt sexual behavior, etc. call the police as soon as possible.  If it is safe, wait for police in order to provide them with more information.

DEMONSTRATION OR CIVIL DISTURBANCE 

v In the event of a building occupation, for safety purposes, employees are expected to leave the building and, to the degree possible, secure office areas behind them. Do not wait for instructions to evacuate. If it is not safe to exit, secure in place and call 911.

v When it is safe to do so, employees should meet at the building’s designated Evacuation Areas.

v Check in with your Floor Marshal, Building Emergency Coordinator and/or supervisor for further instruction.

v If the assembly area is not safe, seek shelter and safety at an alternative location, then check in via phone or email with your Floor Marshal, Building Emergency Coordinator and/or supervisor.  

v Upon exiting, if it is safe to do so, employees should:

o   Secure confidential and sensitive information

o   Lock and close all doors

o   Take your laptop

o   Take other personal items you will need

EARTHQUAKE

Inside the Building:

v Duck under the nearest sturdy object and hold onto it until the shaking stops. If you are not near a sturdy object, make yourself as small as possible and cover your head and neck.

v If you stand in a doorway, brace yourself against the frame and watch out for a swinging door or other obstruction.

v Avoid windows, filing cabinets, bookcases, and other heavy objects that could fall or shatter.

v Stay under cover until the shaking stops, then leave the building and go to the emergency assembly area or another designated location. Check in with a Floor Marshal, Building Emergency Coordinator and/or your supervisor.

v If it is safe before evacuating, stabilize any laboratory procedures or equipment that could create further hazards (e.g., turn off Bunsen burners and electrical equipment).

Outside the Building:

v Move away from trees, signs, buildings, electrical poles, wires, fires, and smoke.

v Protect your head with your arms from falling debris.

v Proceed to the emergency assembly area or a pre-designated alternate assembly area. Report to your roll taker.

v Stay alert for further instructions.

ELEVATOR FAILURE

If you are trapped in an elevator, use the emergency telephone inside the elevator to call for assistance or press the elevator alarm inside the elevator to summon help.

EXPLOSION

If there is an explosion:

v Take cover under sturdy furniture, or leave the building if it is safe to do so.  Follow directions provided by emergency responders.

v Stay away from windows.

v Do not light matches.

v Move away from the hazard site to a safe location.

v If instructed to evacuate, use the stairs only; do not use the elevators.

FIRE

Building occupants are required by law to evacuate a building when a fire alarm sounds.

v Evacuate using your closest and safest emergency exit (follow evacuation signage).

v If you see a fire and the alarm is not sounding, immediately notify the fire department by pulling the hand pull at the alarm station upon evacuating. Call 911 from a safe location to provide details of the situation.

v If trained and able and it is safe (with a sure and safe exit), use a portable fire extinguisher to extinguish the fire. Attempt no more than 5 seconds of extinguisher use to put out the fire.  If the fire continues to burn, evacuate immediately.

v On your way out, warn others, and lock and close doors.

v Use stairs only; do not use elevators.

v Move away from fire and smoke. Close doors and windows if time permits.

v Touch closed doors with the back of your hand to check for heat. If cool, open slowly. Do not open doors if they are hot; seek an alternative exit.

v Re-enter the building only when instructed to do so by emergency responders.

FLOOD OR PLUMBING FAILURE

v Cease using electrical equipment.

v Evacuate the building if necessary and proceed to the emergency assembly area.

v Call Facilities Management.

GAS SMELL

If you smell natural gas:

v Cease all operations immediately.

v Do not operate light switches.

v Evacuate as soon as possible.

v Call 911.

v Call Physical Plant.  If the space is leased, call the building contact.

HAZARDOUS MATERIAL RELEASE

For Non-Users of the Hazardous Material:  

v If a hazardous material is released or spilled near you and you are not a user nor knowledgeable about hazardous materials, call 911 immediately and move away from the release area.

For Users of the Hazardous Material:  

v If you are a hazardous material user and you caused the release of a hazardous material, follow the department’s hazardous materials spill emergency procedures for cleaning up the spill. All hazardous materials users should be trained on proper use and storage of hazardous materials, including proper procedures for preventing spills and emergency procedures when a spill occurs. If you have not been trained and do not know what to do, leave the area and warn others. When you are at a safe location, call 911 immediately.

MEDICAL EMERGENCY

v If you are injured or have a medical emergency in the workplace, call 911. If you are unable to use the phone, verbally call for help. Anyone who hears you should summon help by calling 911.

v If you witness an injury or medical emergency in the workplace, immediately assist the injured if it is safe for you to do so. Then call 911 as soon as possible from a safe location.

STEAM LINE FAILURE

v Avoid live steam; serious burns can result.

v Call Physical Plant (see contacts on page 1).  If the space is leased, contact the building owner/manager immediately.

SUSPICIOUS PACKAGE

v A suspicious-looking box, package, object, or container in or near your work area may be a bomb or explosive material. Do not handle or touch the object. Move to a safe area and call the police immediately. Use a telephone in a safe area. Do not operate any power switches, and do not activate the fire alarm.

UTILITY FAILURE

v In the event of a major utility failure, notify Physical Plant, (831) 459-4444 (M-F 7am-5pm), wodesk@ucsc.edu. After hours call dispatch (831) 459-2231 If the space is leased, contact the owner or property manager.

v Evacuate the building if the fire alarm sounds and/or upon notification by police or CruzAlert.

v In laboratory buildings, fume hoods do not operate during a power outage and many laboratories should not be used until ventilation is properly restored.

VENTILATION PROBLEM

If you smell odors coming from the ventilation system:

v Immediately notify Physical Plant. If the space is leased, notify the building owner or contact person.

v If necessary, cease all operations immediately.

v If necessary, evacuate the building and proceed to the Emergency Assembly Area.

v If smoke is present, pull the fire alarm, then call police from a safe location.