UIC Emergency Guide

EMERGENCY GUIDE

BE PREPARED

Do you know what to do in the event of an emergency at UIC?

EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBER: (312) 355-5555
(or 5-555 from a campus phone)
Critical Medical Emergency Dial 911 (9-911 from campus phone)

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No instructions can cover all contingencies. In case of an emergency, evaluate your situation, try to remain calm and take actions that will keep you and others safe.

Active Shooter

Protecting Yourself During an Active Shooter Situation – Guidelines

Situational Awareness: Before something happens take the next opportunity to study your surroundings and ask these questions.

Where are the exits?
Where are the alarms?
Where can I barricade?
Can I get out through a window?
Think of the “what if” questions so you can be prepared.

All actions taken in an Active Shooter Situation must be determined on the basis of your assessment of the situation. However, take the following actions as they apply to the situation:

GET OUT, Run to a safe area and as you are doing so raise the alarm to others.
When safe, CALL OUT to UIC Police (312) 355-5555 (5-5555 on a campus phone).
If you can’t get out, HIDE OUT, preferably in an area that can be locked and secured behind fortified walls. Barricade your position and when safe CALL OUT to UIC Police.
If you can’t Get Out or Hide Out and if you are confronted with deadly force you MUST, as a last resort – TAKE OUT the Shooter in any way possible.

Remember:

GET OUT - CALL OUT - HIDE OUT - KEEP OUT - TAKE OUT

Active Shooter

Telephone Bomb Threat

Remain calm and keep the person on the phone as long as possible and get as much information from the caller as possible.
If possible, try to find out the location and type of bomb and the time of detonation.
Listen carefully to the voice of the caller. Is it a male or female? Does the person have an accent or a speech impediment?
Listen for background noises - music, sirens, horns, trains, boats, etc. that would help determine the location of the caller.

Written Bomb Threat:

Save everything that came with the threat (e.g. envelope, container, etc.)
Immediately call the UIC Police at (312) 355-5555 (or 5-5555 from a campus phone) to report the situation.
Minimize handling of the message to preserve finger prints, handwriting/typewriting styles, paper, and postal marks.

Upon Notification of a Bomb Threat:

The UIC Police will evaluate the situation and determine if an evacuation of the building is necessary.
Personnel should not search the premises.
If time permits, all chemicals and select agents should be secured immediately. All lab operations, processes, and equipment should be turned off or put in a “safe mode.”
Normal operations can be resumed when an “all clear” is given by UIC Police.

If Authorities Order on Evacuation:

Do not operate any power switch or light switch.
Turn off cellular phones and other radio transmitting equipment in the area.
Take your purse, briefcase, car keys, coat or other important items.
Leave doors open.
Do not use elevators.
Do not congregate in the building lobby.
Gather in the area designated by the Police.

Bomb Threat

Chemical Spill or Release

Immediate Response Procedures

Vacate the affected area.
Isolate area by taping it off.
Define and classify the spill.
Summon help.
Do not attempt victim rescue unless spill evaluation indicates it is safe to do so.

Defining and Classifying a Spill
There are two basic types of chemical spills:
Simple spills which one trained person can clean up using a spill kit with guidance from the EHSO Health and SafetySection, and complicated spills which require outside assistance or equipment.

If your spill meets ANY of the following conditions of a complicated spill, call 312-355-5555 (5-5555 on a campus phone)immediately. Inform the campus police that there is a chemical emergency, the name of the chemical(s) involved, and that an emergency response team must be dispatched immediately. The campus police will contact the appropriate response personnel.

A Spill is complicated if any of the following applies:

A person is injured
Identity of the chemical is unknown
Multiple chemicals are involved
The chemical is highly toxic, flammable, or reactive
The quantity is sufficient that potential to contaminate the air with hazardous vapors exists
The spill occurs in a “public space” such as a corridor
The spill has the potential to spread to other parts of the building such as through the ventilation system
The clean up procedures are not known, appropriate materials or necessary personal protective equipment (e.g. chemical protective
clothing and supplied air respiratory protection) are not readily available
The spill may endanger the environment such as reaching waterways or outside ground.

If none of the above conditions are met, the spill is defined as simple. You must clean up simple spills as described in the Chemical Hygiene Plan, Chapter 4.

Chemical Spill or Release

Disruptive Behavior

Call UIC Police at (312) 555-5555 (5-5555 from a campus phone).
Leave the scene.
If you cannot leave the scene, do the following until police arrive:
- Stay calm and unhurried in your response to the person.
- Be empathetic and show your concern.
- Try to sit down with the person because sitting is a less aggressive posture than standing or moving around.
- Provide positive feedback such as, “We can get this straightened out,” or “I’m glad you’re telling me how you feel about this.”
- Stay out of arm’s reach.
- Limit eye contact.
- Do not argue, yell or joke.
- Do not touch the person.

Do not allow disruptive behavior to go unreported. Alert UIC Police and co-workers immediately.

Disruptive Behavior

Earthquake

For major earthquakes that cause strong shaking.

If indoors, drop, cover, and hold.Stay away from windows. Get under a table or desk or seek cover against an interior wall and protect your head and neck with your arms.
Do not stand in a doorway - it offers no greater protection.l
If outside, move away from structures, power poles, or other possible hazards. Stay in an open area. During the shaking, do not run for exits or attempt to leave the building, because heavy objects or debris may be falling.
Do not use the elevators.
When the shaking stops, check for injuries to personnel in your area. Do not attempt to move seriously injured persons unless they are in immediate danger. Render first aid.
Check the area for safety hazards. Begin evacuation procedures.
Exit the building and go to the area designated by the UIC Police. Report injuries, damage, and potentially hazardous conditions.
Once you have exited the building, do not reenter until directed.

Earthquake

General Evacuation Procedures

Leave your building immediately when an alarm sounds or if you are instructed to do so by authorized emergency personnel.
Notify others who may not have heard the alarm on your way out.
If time permits and these operations can be performed safely:
- Turn off equipment
- Secure hazardous operations if possible
- Take important personal items
Close doors behind the last person out.
Do not use elevators unless authorized emergency personnel tell you to do so.
Walk quickly to the nearest safe exit.
Report any missing or trapped persons to authorized emergency personnel.
Go to the assembly area designated by UIC Police and sign in.
Do not re-enter the building until authorized emergency personnel give the “all clear” signal.

Even if you were not in your building when it was evacuated, go to the assembly area so you will be accounted for.

If you are required to leave the building immediately but are unable to do so because of a physical disability, injury or obstruction, go to the nearest area where there are no hazards.

Notify UIC Police at (312) 355-5555 (or 5-5555 on a campus phone)
If possible, signal out the window to emergency responders.

Evacuation Procedures

In the event of a fire, it is necessary and safest for occupants to evacuate the building. In high rise buildings, the entire building is not immediately evacuated, but only the adjacent floors. This prevents persons evacuating from an upper floor from entering into a dangerous area. Authorized personnel will notify these occupants if and when to evacuate.

RACE:
- Rescue anyone in the immediate danger area if you can safely do so.
- Activate an alarm: call UIC Police at (312) 355-5555 (or 5-5555 on a campus phone) and activate a fire alarm pull station.
- Confine the fire by closing doors to the fire scene and securing potentially dangerous substances and/or equipment.
- Evacuate the building by the nearest or alternate exit if possible, or seek refuge in a safe area.
Go to the assembly area designated by UIC Police, and notify your floor/building monitor of your presence.
Do not congregate in the building lobby.
Do not use elevators unless instructed to do so by the Fire Department.
If safe to do so, assist persons with disabilities, or direct them to the building’s protected gathering area.
If safe to do so for small fires, use an extinguisher with PASS technique–
- Pull pin
- Aim
- Squeeze trigger
- Sweep at the base of the fire.
Crawl on the floor if there is smoke.
If you get trapped:
- KEEP THE DOORS CLOSED and place cloth material around and under the door to keep smoke out.
- SIGNAL FOR HELP by hanging a sign or an object at the window to attract the fire department. Give a room number or location.
If you are on fire, STOP, DROP and ROLL wherever you are to smother flames.

OBSTACLES HINDER EVACUATION – storage or placement of any items in corridors, stairwells or exits is strictly prohibited.

Fire

Mass Casualty/Major Disaster

1. If a decision is made to evacuate the campus, notification will be made via all available means of communication.
2. Persons with no transportation will go to a marshaling point for evacuation.

East Campus: UIC Pavilion.
West Campus: Student Center West (SCW).

As outlined in UIC’s evacuation plan, personnel from all departments and units will be directed to these locations.
UIC vehicles will provide transportation from the campus to a remote location until everyone has been evacuated.
Evacuees will have personal information taken to track their locations.

Mass Casualty/Major Disaster

Medical Emergencies

For critical medical emergencies call 911 (9-911 from a campus phone)
For all other medical emergencies:

Call UIC Police at (312) 355-5555 (5-5555 on a campus phone) to request assistance. Provide the following information:
- Building name/number
- Floor or room number
- Nature of injury
- Location of injured person
- Age of injured person
- Sex of injured person
- Current condition
- Any known medical history
Render First Aid if trained to do so.
Remain with the person with the medical emergency. Do not move them unless they are in immediate danger of further injury.
If alcohol poisoning is suspected, keep the person awake.

Medical Emergencies

Radioactive Materials

Radioactive materials are utilized in some campus laboratories. Those that might be encountered are considered lowlevel sources of radiation and pose minimal threat when properly stored and handled. If you encounter what you believe to be radioactive material in an inappropriate location:

Notify UIC Police at (312) 355-5555 (5-5555 from a campus phone).
Do not touch the material.
Isolate the area by cordoning it off or closing doors.
Notify people in adjacent offices and classrooms.
If you discover a radioactive material spill and you are authorized and trained to do so, clean up the spill. Then notify the EHSO Radiation Safety Section at (312) 996-7429 (6-7429 from a campus phone). EHSO can be reached 24 hours a day by dialing 312-996-SAFE (7233) (6-7233 from a campus phone )

Radioactive Materials

Storms/Tornado

If severe weather is approaching,

INDOORS:
- Move to an interior sheltered area on a ground or basement floor, away from windows and doors.
- If unable to go to a basement or ground floor, seek shelter under a table or desk until the danger has passed.
OUTDOORS:
- Stay away from buildings, windows and utility poles.
- Shelter in a low lying area such as a ditch, ravine or depression and lie face down, covering your head.
- DO NOT seek shelter in a highway underpass.

Storms/Tornado

Suspicious Package

Some characteristics of suspicious packages and letters include the following:

Excessive postage
Handwritten or poorly typed addresses
Incorrect titles
Title, but no name
No return address
Misspellings of common words
Excessive weight
Lopsided or uneven envelope
Visual distractions
Oily stains, discolorations or odor
Ticking sound
Protruding wires or aluminum foil
Excessive security materials such as masking tape, packing tape string. etc.
Marked with restrictive endorsements such as “Personal” or “Confidential”
Shows a city or state in the postmark that does not match the return address.

Actions to take once a potential suspicious package has been identified.

Stay calm.
Do not move or handle the package.
Do NOT clean up any spills.
Wash your hands with soap and water.
Call (312) 355-5555 for the UIC Police (5-5555 from a campus phone.

Suspicious Package

Utility Failures

1. Reporting all utility failures
  1. For campus buildings, call the UIC Police at (312) 355-5555 (or 5-5555 from a campus phone) and the Facilities Management Service Desk at (312) 996-7511 (6-7511 from a campus phone).
  2. For residence halls, call the Resident Assistant on duty.
  3. Provide the following information:

*Your name	*Your current accessible phone number
*Building name, room number, floors or areas affected	*Nature of failure

1. 1. Electrical Failures
    1. In buildings equipped with emergency generators, the emergency generator will provide limited electricity to crucial areas, inclusive of the fire alarm system and emergency lighting.
    2. Evacuate the building when instructed to do so. Do not re-enter until instructed to do so.
    3. Turn off all electrical equipment, including computers. Do not turn back on until power has been restored or you are advised to do so by Facilities Management.
    4. In the event of an extended, campus wide, or area wide power outage, instructions and information will be provided through the UIC standard communication systems.
    5. Elevators will not function during a power failure. Use the stairs to evacuate.
    6. If you are trapped in an elevator, use the emergency phone or the alarm button to notify the UIC Police.
  2. Steam Leaks
If the steam leak is inside a building, evacuate the area and close the door behind you. Steam can cause severe burns, displace oxygen, and conduct electricity.

Gas Leak/Unusual Odors
1. Cease all operations immediately.
2. Evacuate as soon as possible.
3. Do not use cell phones or other electronic equipment or switch lights on or off.
Flooding/Plumbing Failure
1. Cease using all electrical equipment.
2. Avoid contact with water.
3. Evacuate the building.

Utility Failures

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Environmental Health and Safety

UIC Emergency Guide

Environmental Health and Safety