Emergency Procedures

Protective Actions

Everyone on campus is responsible for being familiar with personal protective actions they can take during emergencies. ECC's Emergency Management will provide drills, posters around campus, and special training opportunities to reinforce these protective actions. Anyone in the campus community should engage in all opportunities to learn and practice these protective actions.

Life safety is the primary concern of all personal protective actions. However, these actions may also cause harm or damage to property. Personal protective actions reduce emergency risk to life safety but cannot eliminate the possibility of personal harm during such events.

Evacuation

Evacuation is moving away from a place with a hazard.

Hazards

Evacuation is appropriate for fires, hazardous spills inside a building, a suspected bomb, or other threats. This is not an exhaustive list of hazards where evacuation is appropriate.

Trigger

Fire alarms will be used for most evacuations. They make a loud, blaring sound and have a flashing strobe.

Warnings such as RAVE and PA announcements may be made when fire alarms are inappropriate.

Actions

• Quickly but calmly, use the nearest exit and report to the nearest Evacuation Assembly Point (EAP).
  View Evacuation Assembly Points
• Use the stairs. Never use the elevator, as you may become stuck in it.
• If it is safe for you to assist persons with access or functional needs, do so. If you are unable to help, call 911.
  • Give your location and the number of people with you.
• When exiting a classroom:
  • Turn off all lights.
  • Close the door to the room after exiting. This decreases fire department search time for trapped victims and helps limit the spread of fire or hazardous materials during emergencies.
• Do not attempt to fight the fire or clean the hazardous material.
• If forced to travel through smoke from a fire, stay low, taking shallow breaths using clothing as a filter.
  • Do not travel through smoke from hazardous material.
• If any door feels hot to the touch, do not open it.
• Wait for the “all clear” signal from emergency personnel or the automated voice system before reentering the building after an emergency. Wait for the “all clear” even when the alarm stops.

If you are exposed to a hazardous material:

• Call 911.
• Individuals exposed to hazardous materials should avoid contact with others.
• Remove all contaminated clothing, ensuring that it does not contaminate other areas of your body.
• Flush with copious amounts of cool water for 15 minutes, ensuring you don’t scrub the chemical onto your skin.
• Exposed persons should receive or seek medical attention.

Access and Functional Needs

Evacuating can require actions that a person with access or functional needs may find difficult or impossible. Evacuations are necessary only when danger is severe and leaving the building, though difficult, is safest for personal safety.

In a fire, designated areas on stair landings are appropriate.

• Go to the staircase closest to your location.
  • The best staircases will be marked with an “area of refuge” sign.
• Call 911 from an area of refuge or use the “emergency help” button.
  • Give your location and the number of people with you.

Sheltering

Sheltering is using a building or other structure for protection against a hazard.

Different actions and spaces are more effective depending on the hazard.

Severe Weather (Tornadoes)

Trigger

Alerts like ECC’s tornado alarm and Elgin’s tornado sirens trigger severe weather sheltering. ECC’s tornado alarm uses a wailing tone and voice announcement to instruct people to move to designated severe weather shelters.

Warnings may also trigger severe weather sheltering. The National Weather Service may activate ECC’s RAVE alerts, Wireless Emergency Alerts, and PA announcements to notify people during emergencies.

Actions

If you are inside:

• Quickly, but calmly, go to the nearest designated severe weather shelter. Yellow shelter signs designate safer locations on campus.
  • If you cannot reach a designated shelter, move to an interior hallway or room.
• Stay away from windows, doors, and outside walls.
• Use your arms to protect your head and neck.
• Wait until an “all clear” is given by emergency/administrative personnel before resuming normal activities.

If you are outside:

• If you can safely get to a sturdy building, do so immediately.
• If outside or in a car without shelter, protect your head and neck with your arms and cover yourself if possible.
• You’re safer in a low, flat location.
  • Do not try to outrun a tornado in a vehicle.
  • Do not get under an overpass or bridge.

Access and Functional Needs

Sheltering is required only when there is a significant danger to a person’s life. Even if it is difficult, reaching the safest place in a building is the best way to protect yourself.

• If on the lowest level or able to take stairs, promptly follow directions to reach a designated Severe Weather Shelter location.
• If you can’t take stairs and are upstairs, shelter in an interior room on your floor.
  
  • Do not seek shelter in an elevator, as power may be lost and you will become stuck.

Lightning

Trigger

The lightning warning system will trigger when lightning has been detected within 10 miles of Burlington or the Main Campus. The system will make three blasts of one second each, and a yellow strobe will also flash.

If you hear thunder, these actions should also be taken regardless of the detection system status.

Actions

• Seek shelter in buildings if able.
  • Seek shelter in a hard-topped vehicle when there is no nearby building.
  • There is no safe place outside to protect from lightning.
• Stay inside until it has been 30 minutes since the last lightning strike.
  • After 30 minutes without lightning, alarms will sound three times and the strobe light will turn off.

Access and Functional Needs

Those who cannot take any special actions due to access and functional needs. Follow the recommendations under Severe Weather as able.

Hazardous Material Spills Outside

Trigger

A RAVE alert, PA announcement, or other warning listed in the Annex triggers sheltering for hazardous material spills outside.

Actions

During some chemical releases outside a building, staying inside is safer than evacuating the area. Based on the chemical, trained first responders on the scene will determine the safest action.

• Stay inside a building.
• If outside, enter the nearest building.
• Stay away from exterior doors if possible.
• Remain in place until emergency personnel advise that it is safe to leave.

If you are exposed to a hazardous material:

• Call 911.
• Individuals exposed to hazardous materials should avoid contact with others.
• Remove all contaminated clothing, ensuring not to contaminate other areas of your body.
• Flush with copious amounts of cool water for 15 minutes, avoiding scrubbing the chemical onto your skin.
• Exposed persons should receive or seek medical attention.

Access and Functional Needs

There are no special actions that those with access and functional needs can take. Follow the recommendations under Severe Weather as you can.

Run, Hide, Fight (Lockdown)

During active threats, three separate actions are appropriate. During an active shooter, the actions can be interchangeable. For example, fighting and running may be relevant in one situation. Hiding and then running might be applicable in another situation. In general, running is preferable over hiding or fighting, and hiding is preferable over fighting.

Hazards

Run, Hide, Fight is only appropriate for active threats such as active shooters.

Triggers

Warnings for an active threat will be sent using RAVE and/or the PA system.

Actions

Run

Getting away from the shooter or shooters is the top priority.

• Leave your things behind and run away.
• If it is safe to do so, warn others nearby.
• Call 911 when you are safe.
  • Describe each shooter, their locations, and weapons.

Hide

If you cannot get away safely, find a place to hide.

• Get away from the shooter and stay very quiet.
  • Silence your electronic devices and make sure they won’t vibrate.
• Lock and block doors, close blinds, and turn off the lights.
• Try to communicate with the police silently.
  • Communicate through text messages, or
  • Put a sign in an exterior window.
• Stay in place until law enforcement gives you notice that all immediate danger is clear.

Fight

Defending yourself is your last resort when you are in immediate danger.

• Commit to your actions and act aggressively to stop the shooter.
• Ambushing the shooter with makeshift weapons such as chairs, fire extinguishers, scissors, and books can distract and disarm the shooter.

Access and Functional Needs

People with access or functional needs may find some actions difficult to perform. However, these are life-saving measures, and there are no substitutes. The best action is to exit the dangerous situation. Hiding is the next best. Fighting is a last resort.

Drop, Cover, Hold On

Drop, Cover, Hold On is a series of actions that helps protect oneself during an earthquake.

Hazard

Drop, Cover, Hold On is only appropriate for earthquakes.

Triggers

The Shake Alert System doesn’t cover the Midwest, so no earthquake detection or alert system is currently maintained. The time from initial alerts to shaking is usually a few seconds. ECC personnel cannot detect earthquakes before shaking or issue alerts quickly enough after receiving earthquake information.

Action

Drop, Cover, Hold On. These actions should be taken to provide the best protection.

Drop

Drop where you are onto your hands and knees. This position prevents being knocked down and helps you stay low to crawl safely to a nearby shelter if available.

Cover

Cover your head and neck with one arm and hand.

• If a sturdy table or desk is nearby, crawl underneath it for shelter.
• If no shelter is nearby, crawl next to an interior wall (away from windows).
• Stay on your knees; bend over to protect vital organs.

Hold On

Hold on until the shaking stops.

• Under shelter: Hold on to it with one hand. Be ready to move with your shelter if it shifts.
• No shelter: Hold your head and neck with both arms and hands.
• Crawl only if you can reach better cover without going through an area with more debris.
• If inside, stay there until the shaking stops. DO NOT run outside.
• Expect fire alarms and sprinklers to go off.
• Do not use elevators.

If in a vehicle:

• Stop in a clear area away from buildings, trees, overpasses, and utility wires.

Access and Functional Needs

Persons with access and functional needs should follow Drop, Cover, Hold On as closely as possible. Wheelchair users should lock their chair, protect their head with a hard object, and hold on until shaking stops. More information on best actions for those with access and functional needs can be found at Earthquake Country Alliance.