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:
- Get yourself to a place
of safety
- Call 911
- 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
- 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:
- Emergency Warning
Sirens
- Email (GroupWise
Directory Notices, Official Notices, etc.)
- UNT web site (www.unt.edu)
- Phone call
- Radio, Television
(KNTU, UNT Television, local radio/tv stations)
- Building Representative
- Building P.A. system announcement
- 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.
- Weather
- We are in North Texas,
on the southern edge of the central plains tornado alley
- We have bad storms
with high wind in the spring, and sometime all year long
- Ice storms are possible
- Heat and drought are possible
- We can have street
flooding any month of the year
- We can have high winds
any month of the year
- City layout
- The convergence of two
interstate highways
- IH 35E bisects the
main campus
- IH 35W is adjacent to
parts of the main campus
- IH 35N connects the
main campus and the North Texas Research Park by way of Loop 288
- Loop 288 is the main
route for hazardous cargos that must go around the City of Denton
- IH 35 is one of the
NAFTA highways that connects Mexico and Canada, with high volumes of
traffic and hazardous materials
- 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
- Economic and government
services
- Two universities
- DISD, with two high
schools, and many elementary and middle schools
- FEMA
- DPS office
- Three hospitals
- Shopping mall,
satellite malls, strip malls
- Lots of service
businesses, some industrial manufacturing
- Transportation
- Lots of cars
- 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:
- Flash flooding from
rain storms: high probability, high city-wide impact
- High wind event, severe
thunderstorm, tornado: high probability, high city-wide impact
- Chemical spill on area
highway or railway: moderate probability, high neighborhood impact
- Major traffic
accidents: high probability, moderate to high highway or neighborhood
impact
- Hail storm: moderate
probability, high neighborhood or city-wide impact
- Ice storm: high
probability in winter, moderate to high city-wide and regional impact
- Fire or explosion:
moderate probability, moderate to high neighborhood impact
- Heat wave: high
probability, moderate to high city-wide and regional impact
- Chemical or
radiological terrorism event: low probability, moderate to high
neighborhood impact
- Bioterrorism event: low
probability, moderate to high city-wide and regional impact
- Traditional weapons terrorism attack: low probability-moderate to high impact
- 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:
- High wind event, severe
thunderstorm, tornado: high probability, moderate to high impact
- Fire or explosion in
UNT building: moderate probability, moderate to high impact
- Ice storm: high
probability in winter, high impact
- Illness, injury, or
death of student, faculty, staff: high probability, low to high impact
- Hail storm: moderate
probability, moderate to high impact
- Chemical spill on area
highways: low probability, low to high impact
- Major traffic accident
on area highways: high probability, low to high impact
- Heat wave: high
probability, low to moderate impact
- Bomb threat: moderate
probability, low to high impact
- Incident of violence:
moderate probability, high impact
- Chemical or
radiological terrorism event: low probability, moderate to high impact
- Bioterrorism event: low
probability, moderate to high impact
- 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:
- 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)
- Fire alarm
- Explosion
- Bomb threat
- Chemical spill in the building
- Assemble on the lowest
level of the building away from windows, as directed
- Tornado warning
- On occasion, other
severe weather events, including
- Assemble on the highest
level of the building away from windows, as directed (these contaminants
may be heavier than air and tend to sink)
- Chemical spill outside the building
- Chemical or
radiological terrorism event
- Bioterrorism event
- Other directions for
whether to stay in your work area or where to go might be determined on a
case-by-case basis for:
- Incident of violence
- Illness or injury of a
co-worker or student
- 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:
- Telephone,
- radio and/or television station announcement,
- e-mail,
- and/or UNT web-site.
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:
- City of Denton Fire Department, Paramedics and Police
- Denton and/or Fort Worth Hazardous Materials teams
- UNT/County/State Emergency Management Resources
- State and Federal Resources (DPS, FBI, ATF, EPA, etc.)
- 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.
- Get a kit.
- Make a plan.
- 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:
- Family members, loved
ones, trusted friends and neighbors in Denton
- Family members, loved
ones, and trusted friends in another part of Texas
- 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
- 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
- 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
- DO NOT GO OUTSIDE
- 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
- Do not drive through
water of unknown depth
- If you are on campus,
at home, or in any safe location, stay in that location until flooding
subsides
Winter Storm
- 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
- 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
- If the University is
open but you cannot safely travel to work, call your supervisor and
explain your situation
- 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
- 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
- If the incident is not
in your building and you are not in immediate danger, stay in your
building unless instructed by emergency officials
- If the incident is in
your building, evacuate to a safe location immediately
- 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
- Assemble outside your
building in the location specified by your supervisor or emergency workers
- DO NOT reenter the
building
- Follow the instructions
of emergency workers, who will determine if you and your coworkers need
medical assistance
Bomb
Threat
- If you receive a bomb
threat by phone, listen to the threat and write down exactly what the caller says to you
- Write down the telephone
number of the caller shown in the phone display if you have this feature
- DO NOT hang up the
phone
- 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
- Go to different
telephone and call the UNT Police
at either 911 or 3000
- Follow the instructions
you receive from the police department
- Contact your immediate
supervisor and your Building Representative
- 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
- 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
- Preventive action is
the best detriment to terrorism, so notify police if you see something
that looks wrong
- If an radiological
event or chemical event occurs, go to the appropriate safe shelter
location
- Call 911
- If you are outside a
building, move to an area that is upwind of the event, or into a safe building
- If you are inside a
building, move to the highest level of the building
- If you believe that you
have contacted a hazardous substance, rinse contaminated area with water for at least fifteen minutes then seek medical attention
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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