Safety Security – Handling Threats

April 19, 2022

Handling Threats

Emergency Procedures and Evacuation Plans

Stay calm, know your plan, and get a head count.

In General:

  • UCF Alert http://my.ucf.edu (Employee Self Service > Personal Information > UCF Alert)
    • Text Messages: everyone is automatically added
    • E-mail Messages: everyone is automatically added
    • Ensure that you have an emergency contact identified
    • Know your primary and secondary evacuation locations.
    • Take responsibility for any students or guests that may be in your presence or in your classroom.
    • Identify your building’s “disabled evacuation assistance” location. Let your building coordinator know if anyone in your area is permanently or temporarily disabled in such a way that they may need assistance.

Evacuation/Emergency Plan
Every unit/department should establish evacuation/emergency plans

  • Designate evacuation/emergency lead(s) who are responsible for contacting emergency officials and letting them know the location and nature of the emergency.
  • Determine how designee(s) will check-in with each other (particularly if you have more than one evacuation location)
    • Staff or guests with mobility issues are to be guided to the nearest “disabled evacuation assistance” location: This is the stairwell landing. Ask that they stay against the far side of the landing and wait for help to arrive. This will allow for others to continue the evacuation. Designees need to be informed of staff or guests with mobility issues and to which stairwell they were directed.
  • If anyone is unaccounted for, designee(s) should report that information to the authorities.
  • Once the evacuation/emergency plan is established:
    • Display your plan within your unit
    • Share your plan with COS staff
    • Departmental plans should be sent to Carl Jackson, Fire Safety (EH&S): Carl.Jackson@ucf.edu
    • Copy your plan to Jennifer Steele: Jennifer.Steele@ucf.edu
    • A Fire Drill will be conducted annually, or as required, and will be coordinated between Fire Safety/EH&S, the Building Coordinator and Safety Teams, where present.

Fire: Evacuate

  • Shut doors as you exit.
  • Evacuate: Identify a meeting location that is a minimum of 400 feet away from the building.
  • Take a head count at the meeting location
  • Fire Extinguisher Training offered by EH&S. Free to UCF employees.

Tornado/Severe Weather: Take Shelter

  • Take shelter wherever you are.
  • Shut doors as you exit.
  • Keep away from windows and exterior rooms of building, relocate to an interior room.
  • If in a modular/portable building, relocate to a permanent facility

Hurricane/Tropical Storm: Campus Closing
Office of Emergency Management Hurricane Information: http://emergency.ucf.edu/hurricanes.html

  • Check the UCF Website (http://www.ucf.edu) and your phone/email for updates, campus closings will be announced.
  • Campus closings will be specific to the affected areas – consider regional campus locations.
  • If a hurricane watch is in effect, secure any sensitive records or vulnerable equipment
  • Know whether or not you are critical to any operations within your unit (see COOP, above).

Bomb Threat/Suspicious Package: Respond and Evacuate if necessary
Office of Emergency Management Bomb Plan and Checklist: http://www.emergency.ucf.edu/plans.html

  • Assess the threat via the UCF Bomb Threat Checklist (keep where accessible or by your phone).
  • Do not pull any emergency alarm; turn off and do not use a cell phone (an explosive device may be triggered based on cell signal).
  • Any threat should be taken seriously and reported.
  • Evacuate: Identify a meeting location that is a minimum of 400ft away from the building or outside of a potential debris zone.
  • Leave doors open as you exit.

Hostile/Armed Intruder: Escape or Take Shelter

  • Silence your cell phone (mute, not vibrate).
  • Do not pull any emergency alarm.
  • Identify locations that are to be safe rooms (external, locking door or doors).
  • Lock all external doors, (if possible) shut blinds, silence cell phones, and (if possible) call for assistance.

To hold an active-shooter drill, first notify Jennifer Steele, Jennifer.Steele@ucf.edu (COS facilities). This effort will need to be coordinated between the building coordinator(s) as every unit within the building will participate, Emergency Management and the UCF Police Department.

Other Emergency Information