Greetings. You are well into
your studies and course work so it may seem to be a distraction to give
attention to emergency preparedness, but I hope you will take a moment to
read this report of what SPU is doing to provide a safe environment for you.
In the last several years the University has made great strides in its
efforts to create a safe environment in which to live and learn. We now have
in place a rapid electronic communication system with multiple avenues of
sending messages. We have increased the numbers of message boards in key
areas around campus and we have deployed a public address system in certain
areas to alert pedestrians on campus. We have added to our ability to rapidly
secure classrooms and buildings against intruders. It is important for you to be
familiar with SPU’s Emergency & Crisis Management Plan not only for your
own knowledge, but also to be in a position to help others respond and act
appropriately as well. This plan is available at http://www.spu.edu/info/emergency/index.asp.
Links to the plan are also located on the “Current & New Students” and
“Faculty & Staff” tabs on the SPU main page. Drills Drills are a necessary
component of preparing for a potential emergency. To both prepare for
emergencies and comply with increased government requirements drills will
include an evacuation drill targeted at preparation for an event such as an
earthquake, a likely hazard for the Seattle area, and a separate lock-down
and shelter-in-place drill. If you were on campus last year, you may recall,
the University experienced a campus-wide lockdown in January 2009 due to a
bank robbery at the U.S. Bank. This was the sixth time in the past fifteen
years that the campus branch has been robbed. At the time of the bank
robbery it became apparent that not everyone understood what procedures they
should follow when the campus went into lock-down. It is important that you
are familiar with the procedures to follow in the event of a lockdown
(summarized below and in the emergency plan). “SPU-Alert” – Emergency
Notification System Although limited in length of
message, this has proven to be the quickest, most effective method of
communication in the event of an emergency. To date the University has 47%
student and 75% Faculty/Staff participation. To be fully effective, this
system needs the cooperation of all faculty, staff and students. If you have
not done so yet, go to https://www.spu.edu.banweb/
and select the Personal Menu then choose the SPU-Alert System to enter or
update your information. “Stop.Think.Act.” Books This booklet on SPU’s emergency
procedures is distributed to all offices, classrooms and other locations
around campus and contains a list of evacuation sites for each building as
well as steps to be taken in response to specific types of emergencies.
Please review and become familiar with this book. If you cannot find this
book, please contact Melanie Whitehead at melaniej@spu.edu. Campus Lockdown and Evacuation
Information In the event of a violent
incident on campus there would likely be a campus wide lockdown. The
University community would be notified via the SPU-Alert System that a
lockdown is in effect. In a lockdown, building entrances will be locked and
all persons inside should find a secure location to take shelter in. Those
individuals locked out during an event should seek shelter off-campus. In
such an event, it can be assumed that, unless specific notice is given
otherwise, all remaining classes and events for the day have been cancelled.
The purpose of this default policy is to avoid confusion due to lack of
information so that any person who is off campus when violence occurs on
campus can assume that they should not come to campus. A communication will
go out via number of avenues to the community if classes or events will
resume as originally scheduled. In the case of evacuation, most
classrooms contain a wall plaque or poster on or next to the classroom door
showing the evacuation route and the assembly site for the building. All
campus buildings have evacuation signs posted near each building entrance. Building Emergency Coordinator
(BEC) One or more BECs have been
appointed for each building to assist the community during emergencies. In
the residence halls, the RLCs serve as BECs. These individuals are vital in
the efforts to respond successfully to an emergency situation and during an
evacuation are easily recognizable by their bright orange vests. In
the event of an emergency or a drill, please give the BEC your full
cooperation. Emergency Contact &
Emergency Medical Information Please ensure that your
Emergency Contact Information is up to date. The SPU-Alert System identifies
how to contact you in the event of a campus emergency, but the Emergency
Contact Information identifies who to contact if something should happen to
you. This is accessed from the same Personal Menu page noted above. If you
wish to make additional medical information available to emergency
responders, you may do so by selecting the Additional Emergency/Medical
Information link on the bottom of the Emergency Contact Information page.
Access to this data will be strictly limited to Safety and Security staff to
assist in responding to an emergency and will not be forwarded to any other
person or department. It is important that all of our
community be vigilant and report to Safety and Security (206-281-2911) any
suspicious activity or person that does not fit the “normal” pattern of daily
campus life at SPU. This is hard to define and will be different for each
person, perhaps, but the encouragement here is to err on the side of being
cautious. Thank you for taking the time
to review this message and I wish you the best success in your academic
pursuits this year.
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