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Emergency Planning

Who is responsible for helping in an emergency?

We all are, but in several steps.

Step 1. Report what you see

If you witness an event that you consider an emergency, take the following steps:

  1. Get yourself to a place of safety
  2. Call 911
  3. DO NOT EXPOSE YOURSELF TO DANGER. If you are not certain what hazards are in the area of the emergency, WAIT FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAMS TO ARRIVE
  4. If you are sure that you are not in danger from fire, smoke, or hazardous materials, try to help victims of the emergency until emergency response teams arrive

Emergency responders (Police, Fire Department, Hazardous Materials Team, Risk Managers) will make decisions when they are on scene. The Police will probably be the first to arrive. Follow all of their instructions .

They will assess the situation and may set up a perimeter. Do not cross the perimeter. Answer their questions completely.

Depending on the hazard, the police may not be able to protect themselves from the hazard, so they may not be able to help victims immediately. They will contact the teams that will help victims. Your cooperation with them will enable this to happen quickly.

Step 2. Follow emergency instructions

If you did not witness an emergency but might be affected by it, follow the instructions you receive from  University Police or other emergency responders.

Alerts will come in different ways depending on the emergency. These might be:

  1. Emergency Warning Sirens
  2. Email (GroupWise Directory Notices, Official Notices, etc.)
  3. UNT web site (www.unt.edu)
  4. Phone call
  5. Radio, Television (KNTU, UNT Television, local radio/tv stations)
  6. Building Representative
  7. Building P.A. system announcement
  8. Police vehicle loudspeaker announcement

Follow the instructions you receive. They will be tailored to the type of emergency and will protect you and others from harm.

Step 3. Follow your office response plan

After you receive instructions, go to the location(s) specified in your office response plan, assemble with your coworkers, and wait for instructions. This location might be outside, inside your current building, inside another building, or off campus. This will depend on the actual situation.

Here is how you can make the most difference. Response teams will be handling the emergency and helping victims. While you are in your assembly area, you can make sure all your coworkers, and possibly students or customers, are accounted for, and that they are okay. If someone needs help, you can bring this to the attention of emergency workers.

Depending on the nature of the emergency, you may need to help one another until more help arrives.

What is likely to happen at UNT?

What might happen at UNT is based on where the University is located, the types of activities that  we carry out, and the number of people who attend or work here.

Location

UNT is in Denton, which is in North Texas. Let’s look at the city and the surrounding area.

  1. Weather
    1. We are in North Texas, on the southern edge of the central plains tornado alley
    2. We have bad storms with high wind in the spring, and sometime all year long
    3. Ice storms are possible
    4. Heat and drought are possible
    5. We can have street flooding any month of the year
    6. We can have high winds any month of the year
  2. City layout
    1. The convergence of two interstate highways
    2. IH 35E bisects the main campus
    3. IH 35W is adjacent to parts of the main campus
    4. IH 35N connects the main campus and the North Texas Research Park by way of Loop 288
    5. Loop 288 is the main route for hazardous cargos that must go around the City of Denton
    6. IH 35 is one of the NAFTA highways that connects Mexico and Canada, with high volumes of traffic and hazardous materials
    7. The high traffic volume on IH 35 results in many accidents, some close to the campus, and some of which delay people from getting to work and school
  3. Economic and government services
    1. Two universities
    2. DISD, with two high schools, and many elementary and middle schools
    3. FEMA
    4. DPS office
    5. Three hospitals
    6. Shopping mall, satellite malls, strip malls
    7. Lots of service businesses, some industrial manufacturing
  4. Transportation
    1. Lots of cars
    2. Public transportation
University

Our main purpose is to teach students and conduct research. We currently have over 33,000 students and we are growing faster than expected ten years ago.

We have growing science research programs and new programs coming in Engineering. These do not currently have significant amounts of hazardous materials, compared with other major research universities in the state and nation. But as we grow, we will be preparing for the increased risks that come naturally with more advanced research programs that are critical to our nation’s economy.

Nature of emergencies

Based on these aspects of Denton and the University, these are the types of emergencies that might occur:

Affecting the City:

  1. Flash flooding from rain storms: high probability, high city-wide impact
  2. High wind event, severe thunderstorm, tornado: high probability, high city-wide impact
  3. Chemical spill on area highway or railway: moderate probability, high neighborhood impact
  4. Major traffic accidents: high probability, moderate to high highway or neighborhood impact
  5. Hail storm: moderate probability, high neighborhood or city-wide impact
  6. Ice storm: high probability in winter, moderate to high city-wide and regional impact
  7. Fire or explosion: moderate probability, moderate to high neighborhood impact
  8. Heat wave: high probability, moderate to high city-wide and regional impact
  9. Chemical or radiological terrorism event: low probability, moderate to high neighborhood impact
  10. Bioterrorism event: low probability, moderate to high city-wide and regional impact
  11. Traditional weapons terrorism attack: low probability-moderate to high impact
  12. Other events, like airplane accidents are possible, but highly unlikely

Any event that affects the city may also affect the campus. Flash flooding and other bad weather may make it difficult or impossible to get to work or to get home from work. Here are the events that might affect UNT:

Affecting the Campus:

  1. High wind event, severe thunderstorm, tornado: high probability, moderate to high impact
  2. Fire or explosion in UNT building: moderate probability, moderate to high impact
  3. Ice storm: high probability in winter, high impact
  4. Illness, injury, or death of student, faculty, staff: high probability, low to high impact
  5. Hail storm: moderate probability, moderate to high impact
  6. Chemical spill on area highways: low probability, low to high impact
  7. Major traffic accident on area highways: high probability, low to high impact
  8. Heat wave: high probability, low to moderate impact
  9. Bomb threat: moderate probability, low to high impact
  10. Incident of violence: moderate probability, high impact
  11. Chemical or radiological terrorism event: low probability, moderate to high impact
  12. Bioterrorism event: low probability, moderate to high impact
  13. Other events, like airplane accidents are possible, but highly unlikely

Where do I go in an emergency?

This depends on the nature of the emergency. In some cases, you need to evacuate your building. In other cases, you need to stay in the building. Here are the cases:

  1. Evacuate the building— assemble areas are listed on the Risk Management web site (you will need to scroll down the page to view the different buildings)
    1. Fire alarm
    2. Explosion
    3. Bomb threat
    4. Chemical spill in the building
  2. Assemble on the lowest level of the building away from windows, as directed
    1. Tornado warning
    2. On occasion, other severe weather events, including
   i.      High winds   ii.      Thunderstorm  iii.      Severe hail
  1. Assemble on the highest level of the building away from windows, as directed (these contaminants may be heavier than air and tend to sink)
    1. Chemical spill outside the building
    2. Chemical or radiological terrorism event
    3. Bioterrorism event
  2. Other directions for whether to stay in your work area or where to go might be determined on a case-by-case basis for:
    1. Incident of violence
    2. Illness or injury of a co-worker or student
  3. Evacuate the campus—if you are instructed to leave the campus, either go home or to a designated shelter, following the instructions you receive. Evacuation routes are generally determined by emergency responders at the time of the emergency. There is no way to know in advance what routes will be open so that you can leave the campus.

How do I know where my assembly areas are?

The assembly areas for building evacuation and severe weather shelter for each building are posted at Risk Management web site (you will need to scroll down the page to view the different buildings) .   For a hazardous materials incident outside the building; stay in the building and follow emergency response personnel instructions.  For hazardous materials inside the building follow evacuation procedures.

Why do I have to go to the assembly area?

If you are ordered to evacuate the building where your work area is located, you need to assemble with your co-workers and report to your Safety Emergency Coordinator (SEC). If you go to another location, your co-workers may assume that you are missing. This may endanger or take time from other UNT personnel or emergency workers who will search for you.

When you are in the assembly area, your SEC will make sure that everyone is accounted for. Report the location of anyone known to be in the building, to your Safety Emergency Coordinator (SEC).  Also report anyone known not to be in the building and not in the assembly area, to your SEC.  For the welfare of your co-workers, it is important to assemble with them so that everyone can be accounted for.

Stay together until you receive directions to go to another location, go back to your work area, or go home.

If you are evacuated from a building other than your primary work area or office location, check in with the party whom you were visiting in this building and then return to your primary work area. Ensure the SEC in your building and the SEC in the building you are visiting both have accounted for you.

If your job requires you to travel around campus—or off campus—during working hours, make sure that someone knows where you are, particularly when there is high risk of bad weather or terrorism event that is announced by local or national government agencies.

Where can I get accurate information and updates on developments during the emergency?

Police and other emergency responders will need to devote full-time to taking care of the crisis situation. Therefore, during emergency situations at UNT, first priorities for the Division of University Relations Communications and Marketing will include establishing a communications center. Spokespersons designated by URCM will provide updates and verify new information discovered by emergency managers at regularly scheduled intervals. URCM and other department on campus will also send out e-mails and post updates and information on the UNT web site.

How do I know the emergency is over?

If you shelter in place on campus, an emergency authority will announce when you can return to your office.

If you are evacuated from campus, you will be contacted via:

If the campus is evacuated in an emergency, do not attempt to return to campus before you are told. You may hamper recovery efforts.

Who responds to emergencies at UNT?

The first responders in most cases will be the University of North Texas Police. They will assess the situation and call for other needed assistance. These may include:

  1. City of Denton Fire Department, Paramedics and Police 
  2. Denton and/or Fort Worth Hazardous Materials teams 
  3. UNT/County/State Emergency Management Resources 
  4. State and Federal Resources (DPS, FBI, ATF, EPA, etc.) 
  5. Other agencies/organizations as appropriate to address the emergency.

Each time that a more specialized team of responders comes to the scene of an incident, the person in charge may change. Please always follow the instructions that you receive from the person in charge. The directions you receive may change as the event unfolds. You may be told to stay in a particular location. Later you may be told to move to another location or to leave campus. These instructions are determined by the nature and magnitude of the event as it progresses and they are designed for your protection.

What can I do for my own protection?

The American Red Cross and the Department of Homeland Security suggest that you put together a kit of things you would need in an emergency. The most important suggestion is that you carry with you your personal prescription medications for the hours you usually are at work, plus one or two extra days in the event that you cannot get home immediately

If you have severe allergies or asthma, or if you are just concerned about chemicals, smoke, etc., you can protect your breathing or short periods of time by having a handkerchief or small towel to cover your face. It is most effective if you have time in an emergency to dampen it with water. If you wish more protection, you can purchase a box of surgical masks in a local drugstore. The masks that have a charcoal filter will fit in a purse or a short pocket. However, they should only be used while you are evacuating a building. They will not enable you to stay in the building.

The American Red Cross does not recommend industrial masks with HEPA filters. They are better than the others, but they may give persons a false sense of security and delay them from evacuating. They are also large and more expensive. The objective is to have something for protection that protects you while you evacuate.

www.ready.gov has a three step process to protect yourself and loved ones.

  1. Get a kit.
  2. Make a plan.
  3. Be informed.
Please go to www.ready.gov to get more information.

How do I communicate with family and loved ones?

Depending on the severity of an emergency, you will need to have different communication plans:

In most emergencies, you can contact family and loved ones by phone, cell phone, pager, or email. In a serious emergency, your cell phone and/or pager may NOT work. In very serious emergencies, email, computer networks, and land-line phones also may not work.   (Even if your cell phone does not work text messaging may still work.)

The American Red Cross recommends that you have the land line phone numbers and email addresses of the following persons:

  1. Family members, loved ones, trusted friends and neighbors in Denton
  2. Family members, loved ones, and trusted friends in another part of Texas
  3. Family members, loved ones, and trusted friends in another state

Depending on the nature of an emergency, you should be able to reach one of these parties.

In the worst scenarios, communication may be impossible. In these cases, you should plan to meet family and loved ones in one of several predetermined locations, depending on your plan.

In this case, you should wait until you are directed to leave campus. Go home or to one of these locations and wait for your family members or loved ones there.

Specific Emergencies

Tornado, Severe Weather
  1. If you hear a forecast of bad weather, get an e-mail from Risk Management Services informing you of a weather watch or warnings, see a watch or warning issue on the UNT homepage, or see it developing, check with KNTU, a local radio or TV station, a weather radio, or a website that has weather updates for further instructions
  2. If you hear the tornado warning siren, assemble in the designated shelter area on the lowest level of the building that you are in and tune to KNTU or a weather radio
  3. DO NOT GO OUTSIDE
  4. Stay in the shelter until an all-clear is issued.  All clear will be issued by KNTU, UNT homepage, building P.A. and/or UNT Police Department vehicle loudspeaker
Flash Flooding
  1. Do not drive through water of unknown depth
  2. If you are on campus, at home, or in any safe location, stay in that location until flooding subsides
Winter Storm
  1. If you are working when a winter storm begins affecting campus, you will be notified by email and the UNT web site if a decision is made for the University to suspend operations
  2. If you are at home, check with local radio and TV stations, as well as the UNT web site, to see if UNT operations are suspended
  3. If the University is open but you cannot safely travel to work, call your supervisor and explain your situation
  4. If you have a long commute between work and home, it is a good idea to place a blanket, flashlight, bottled water, and nonperishable food in your vehicle in case the road you are on is closed and you are unable to immediately find shelter
Fire and Explosion
  1. Familiarize yourself with the exits and escape routes from your building. Do this today. Risk Management web site (you will need to scroll down the page to view the different buildings) has evacuation plans posted for each building
  2. If the incident is not in your building and you are not in immediate danger, stay in your building unless instructed by emergency officials
  3. If the incident is in your building, evacuate to a safe location immediately
  4. If you encounter smoke as you evacuate a building, stay as low to the ground as possible. Try to cover your nose and mouth with a wet handkerchief or towel, or with some other breathing protection
  5. Assemble outside your building in the location specified by your supervisor or emergency workers
  6. DO NOT reenter the building
  7. Follow the instructions of emergency workers, who will determine if you and your coworkers need medical assistance

Bomb Threat

  1. If you receive a bomb threat by phone, listen to the threat and write down exactly what the caller says to you
  2. Write down the telephone number of the caller shown in the phone display if you have this feature
  3. DO NOT hang up the phone
  4. When the caller hangs up- quickly hang up the phone then pick up the phone, wait for a dial tone and press *57 to conduct a trace.  Listen for confirmation of a successful trace
  5. Go to different telephone and  call the UNT Police at either  911 or 3000
  6. Follow the instructions you receive from the police department
  7. Contact your immediate supervisor and your Building Representative
  8. If the caller wishes to engage you in conversation, get as much information as you can on the location of the bomb(s), their threatened time of detonation, whether the caller is male or female, any characteristics of the caller’s speech (accent), etc. A form to assist in this information gathering is provided on the Risk Management web site.
Terrorism Events
  1. When there is a high or severe terrorism alert, be particularly alert to suspicious persons or packages, or anything that you believe is out of the ordinary. Terrorists who set a bomb may not call in a bomb threat
  2. Preventive action is the best detriment to terrorism, so notify police if you see something that looks wrong
  3. If an radiological event or chemical event occurs, go to the appropriate safe shelter location
  4. Call 911
  5. If you are outside a building, move to an area that is upwind of the event, or into a safe building
  6. If you are inside a building, move to the highest level of the building
  7. If you believe that you have contacted a hazardous substance, rinse contaminated area with water for at least fifteen minutes then seek medical attention
  8. If your clothing is contaminated with the hazardous substance, it must be immediately removed and the affected areas of the body rinsed for at least 15 minutes and then seek medical attention
  9. Bioterrorism tends not to be a sudden event. It most likely will be announced by health authorities as a result of changes in patterns of illness. In such a case, follow instructions you receive from government officials or consult with your physician
  10. If a terrorist incident or the threat of terrorism makes you so anxious that it affects your health, call the Employee Assistance Program at 1-800-343-3822. You can call this number 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You may also wish to speak with your physician
  11. Remember that the objective of terrorism is to incite fear. If you and your coworkers are committed to helping each other and our students, we all defeat the fear that terrorism tries to create

Emergency Contact Numbers

Report emergencies                                                     911

UNT Police (other than emergencies)                           940-565-3000

UNT Risk Management Services            940-565-2109

Poison Control                                                             800-222-1222

Emergency Information Sites

UNT website                                                             www.unt.edu

Homeland Security website                                     ready.gov

CDC website                                                             www.cdc.gov

FBI web reporting of suspected terrorism                     www.fbi.gov

United States Office of Personnel Management                 www.opm.gov/emergency
Texas Homeland Security                                        www.texashomelandsecurity.com