Emergency Procedures

Timely and accurate information regarding an emergency can be the difference between life and death. The Office of Emergency Preparedness and Fire Safety maintains an Emergency Notification System capable of pushing out emergency messages to everyone affiliated with the University of Denver in a very short period of time. We expect every student, staff, and faculty member to utilize the Emergency Notification System.

Points of Contact

• Email: Every member of the DU community will receive an email when the system is utilized.
• Telephone: Members of the DU community have the option to register a telephone number with the system to receive a telephone call with an automated message when the system is used.
• Text message: Members of the DU community also have the option to register a mobile device capable of receiving text messages with the system to receive a text message when the system is used. This is generally regarded as the best way to reach you in an emergency.
   

When the System is Used

• An impending emergency situation
• An actual emergency situation
• Updates regarding a current emergency situation
• School closures due to weather or other circumstances

To sign up for the Emergency Notification System, see the link on the Campus Safety Website https://www.du.edu/campussafety/emergency-preparedness, or go directly to MyDU – MyWeb – Personal Info – Notification Preferences.

In addition to the emergency notification system, the law school administration will send a message to all students and all employees providing notification and reminding all students and employees to ensure they are using the emergency notification system.

Active Shooter

1. If outside the building: get to locked room, turn off lights, hide, call 911.
2. If inside the building: exit if possible, call 911; if exit is not possible, seek refuge in locked room; call 911
3. If inside your room: escape if possible, hide, play dead, or overpower the attacker with force.
    

Fire

1. Pull fire alarm.
2. Notify Campus Safety – x13000 or 303-871-3000
3. Close doors, windows, use nearest exit
4. Do not use elevator
5. Walk beyond flower garden if exiting west; to Evans Avenue if exiting south; to Asbury Avenue if exiting east
    

Tornado

1. Go to interior room
2. Move away from windows
3. Do not exit building until warning sirens stop
    

Bomb Threats

1. Call Campus Safety – x13000 and 911
2. Coordinate with Campus Safety to search premises
3. Complete bomb threat report
    

Hailstorm

1. Do not leave the building
2. Move away from windows
3. If outside, look for cover
    

Earthquake

1. Take cover under table/desk
2. Move with table, hold legs
3. If outdoors, stay in open space
    

Work Place Violence

1. Call Campus Safety – x13000
2. Locate ‘safe’ area
3. Warn other occupants
4. Stay calm – DO NOT confront aggressor

Medical Injury or Illness
In the event of an accident or serious illness to an employee, student, or visitor:

• If life threatening – call 911, then Campus Safety (303-871-3000).
• If not life threatening, call Campus Safety Emergency 303.871.3000 to report the injury or illness. If necessary, Campus Safety will contact the Fire Department and/or ambulance. (Campus Safety has a direct link to 911 and will dispatch DCS Officers immediately).
  
  Stay on the line while the dispatcher speaks with 911. Be able to provide the dispatcher with the following information:
  • Your name and phone number
  • Building name
  • Building address
  • Floor or location of emergency
  • Any details available on the accident or illness (i.e., name of person requiring emergency services.)
     
• DO NOT move the injured or ill person. Try to make them comfortable.
• Have someone meet DCS or other emergency personnel at the main entrance. Only if qualified, provide First Aid as needed or find a qualified assistant.
• Assist DCS with obtaining a full report of the accident or illness.
   

If Work-Related, follow the same steps as above. In addition:

Go to designated provider. You must be treated by DU’s designated provider to be covered for medical costs under the Worker’s Compensation law.

• Designated providers:
  • Student Health Services, Ritchie Wellness Center (3rd floor north), 871-2205.
  • For a life-threatening emergency or occurrence after normal business hours, go to:
    • Swedish Medical Center
      501 E. Hampden Avenue
    • University Hospital (Urgent Care)
      Colorado Boulevard & 9th Avenue
    • Porter Adventist Hospital
      2525 South Downing Street
    • Rose Medical Center
      4567 East 9th Avenue
       
• Submit the following information to Risk Management within 24 hours:
  • Employee’s first report of injury
  • Supervisor’s report of injury
  • Please note that injury report forms are found on the website – https://www.du.edu/risk/workers-compensation
  • Fax completed report to Loss Control Manager at 303.871.4455 or x14455
  • Please call 303.871.2354 or x12354 with questions or visit https://www.du.edu/risk/workers-compensation.

Disasters and emergencies affecting large areas and many people can sometimes develop quickly. Flash floods and earthquakes, for example, can strike with little or no advance warning. There are certain things you can learn and do, which will help you get ready for, and cope with, almost any type of emergency. Perhaps the most basic thing to remember is to keep calm and take time to think.

Your State Office of Emergency Preparedness will activate warning signals in the affected areas. Whenever a major storm or other peacetime disaster threatens, keep your radio and/or television set tuned to those channels that will enable you to hear weather reports and forecasts (issued by the National Weather Service), as well as other information and advice that may be broadcast by your local government.

Use your telephone only to report important disaster events to authorities and DU Campus Safety. If you tie up the telephone lines simply to get information, you may prevent emergency calls from being completed.

Stay away from disaster areas and follow the advice and instructions from the building’s emergency response team. Your building response team will direct you if evacuation is required. In the event you are instructed to evacuate, remain calm. Close all doors as you leave and proceed to the nearest practical fire stairwell and form a straight evacuation line. Following the instruction of the safety representative on your floor, proceed down the stairwell keeping to your right so that emergency personnel may use the stairwell. Request help for persons with disabilities from emergency personnel. Do not return to the evacuated floor or building until so instructed by the Fire Department or authorized DU personnel.

If a hostile intruder/active shooter is OUTSIDE your building:

• Get to a room that can be locked; close and lock doors and windows
• Turn off the lights
• Get everyone down on the floor so no one is visible from outside of the room
• Call 911 and answer the dispatcher’s questions
• Stay in place; calls from unfamiliar voices may be the attacker attempting to lure you out
• Do not respond to any voice commands until you are sure that they are from a Police Office or a Campus Safety Officer
   

If a hostile intruder/active shooter is INSIDE your building:

• If it is safe to do so, exit the building immediately
• Notify anyone you may encounter that they should exit the building immediately
• Call 911 and answer the dispatcher’s questions
• If exiting the building is not possible, take the following actions:
  • Go to the nearest room or office
  • If you are locked out of all rooms, seek refuge in the nearest restroom, lock yourself in a stall, stand on the toilet, and keep calm
  • Close and lock the door and/or block it with furniture
  • Cover any windows
  • Call 911 and answer the dispatchers questions; if you cannot speak, keep the line open
  • Keep quiet and act as if no one is in the room; silence all cell phones
  • DO NOT answer the door
  • Stay in place
  • Do not respond to any voice commands until you are sure they are from a Police Officer or Campus Safety Officer
     

If a hostile intruder/active shooter ENTERS your office or classroom:

• Remain calm
• Dial 911; if you cannot speak keep the line open
• Try to escape if you are able
• If escape is impossible, you must take action to survive!
• Try to hide
• Play dead
• Attempt to overpower the attacker with force; use anything at your disposal and fight for your life
• If someone other than yourself acts to overpower the attacker it is recommended that you assist; the more people involved will increase the success of overpowering the attacker
   

If a hostile intruder/active shooter LEAVES your area:

• Close and lock the door and/or block it with furniture
• Call 911 if you have not already done so
• DO NOT answer the door
• Do not respond to voice commands until you are sure that they are from a Police Officer or Campus Safety Officer
   

If you decide to flee during a hostile intruder/active shooter situation:

• Make sure you have an escape route and plan in mind
• Do not attempt to carry anything while fleeing
• Do not attempt to remove injured people
• Move quickly
• Keep your hands up; high and visible
• Follow the instruction of any Police Officers or Campus Safety Officers you encounter
   

What to expect from responding police officers:

• Police Officers responding to an active shooter situation proceed immediately to the area in which shots were last heard. Their purpose is to stop the shooting as quickly as possible. The first officers to arrive will not stop to aid injured people; rescue teams composed of other officers and emergency medical personnel will follow after areas have been secured.
• Understand that the police will be treating all those they encounter as possible suspects. When you encounter the police:
  • Remain calm
  • Do as the officers tell you
  • Put down and bags or packages you may be carrying
  • Keep your hands up and visible at all times
  • If you know where the hostile intruder/active shooter is, tell the officers
• Once out of harm’s way, remain at whatever assembly point authorities designate
• Do not leave until you have been interviewed and released

Any attempt to fight a fire should be limited to the discharge of one handheld fire extinguisher, if properly trained. Know in advance where fire extinguishers are located throughout the building. Also determine in advance, the nearest exit to your work location and the route you will follow to reach that exit in the event of an emergency. Establish an alternate route to be used in the event your first route is blocked or unsafe to use (i.e., heavy smoke).

Should you encounter heavy smoke, the smoke may camouflage the exit signs above the doors. If you know in advance how many doors you will have to pass, you can then crawl or crouch low with your head below the smoke (watching the base of the wall) and count the doors you pass so you will know when you reach the exit door.

Immediately leave your area, closing all doors behind you. Immediately call Campus Safety at 871-3000, x13000 as Campus Safety is in direct contact to the Fire Department. Report the following information:

• Street address
• Nearest cross street
• Suite number
• Other pertinent information about the fire emergency
   

Should your clothes catch on fire – STOP…DROP…ROLL

If you receive a bomb threat, remain calm and:

• Write down the number from which the call is coming
• Write down the exact time of the call
• Write down as accurately as possible the statements made by the caller
• Listen to the voice to determine the sex, age, accent, speech impediments, tone, etc. Note any distinguishing features.
• Listen for background noises
• Quietly signal for someone else to listen on the line, if possible
• Do not hang up; stay on the line as long as possible; wait for the caller to hang up
• Keep the caller talking and ask as many questions of the caller as you can, including:
  • When will the bomb go off? How much time remains?
  • Where is the bomb located?
  • What does it look like?
  • What kind of bomb is it?
  • How do you know about the bomb?
  • Why was it placed here?
  • Who are you?
  • What is your name?
     

Call Campus Safety immediately at 303-871-3000

Stay in place and refrain from touching objects, open doors or cabinets, or searching for the bomb.

Have your notes ready for responding officers when they arrive.

If you have any reason to believe that a letter or parcel is suspicious, DO NOT take a chance, call Campus Safety immediately at 303-871-3000.

• DO NOT touch the package or object
• DO NOT tamper with the package or object
• DO NOT attempt to move the package or object
• DO NOT open the package or object
• DO NOT put the package or object in water or an enclosed space such as a drawer or box
• Isolate the package or object and evacuate the area
   

Characteristics of Suspicious Packages

• Special deliveries, foreign mail, or air mail
• Restrictive markings such as “Confidential” or “Personal”
• Excessive postage
• Handwritten or poorly typed addresses
• Incorrect titles
• Misspelled words
• Stains or discoloration on the package
• Excessive weight
• Rigid, lopsided, or uneven envelopes
• Protruding wires or foil
• Excessive tape or string
• Visual distractions such as illustrations
• No return address

These may include electrical outages, plumbing failure/flooding, gas leaks, ventilation problems, elevator failures, etc.

For your personal safety, in the event of a utility failure:

• Remain calm
• Immediately notify Campus Safety at 303-871-3000 and/or Facilities Management at 303-871-2200 (during business hours)
• If the building must be evacuated, activate the building’s Fire Alarm and follow the instructions in the “Fire and Evacuation” section
• Unplug all electrical equipment and turn off light switches
• Use a flashlight; do not light candles or use other open flames for lighting
• Elevators:
  • If passengers are trapped in an elevator, advise them to stay calm and tell them you are getting help
  • If it is safe for you to stay in the building, stay near the passengers until assistance arrives
  • If you are inside an elevator when it stops, use the emergency phone or call button to report your situation
  • Do not attempt to climb out of the elevator

If you receive notification of a tornado in your area or you see one, take the following actions:

• Go to a underground parking, or lower floor, or seek shelter in an interior room without windows; avoid rooms that are exposed to the outside.
• Listen for reports on television and radio stations
• Avoid:
  • Top floors of buildings
  • Areas with glass windows or doors
  • Auditoriums, gymnasiums, cafeterias, or other areas with large, free-span roofs
• If out in the open:
  • Do not wait out the storm in your car, attempt to outrun the tornado by driving perpendicular to its path
  • Move away from the path of the tornado
  • Seek shelter in a sturdy building
  • If no buildings are available, lie face down in the nearest depression, ditch, ravine, or culvert; cover your head with your hands and stay there until the storm has passed

• Stay away from large windows, shelving systems, or tall room partitions
• Get under a desk, table, or door arch
• If none of these is available, move against an interior wall and cover your head with your arms
• Remain under cover until movement subsides
• After the shaking stops, survey your immediate area for trapped or injured persons and ruptured utilities (water, gas, etc.)
• If damage has occurred in your area or there are injured people, inform Campus Safety at 303-871-3000 immediately
• If it is safe to do so, remain at your location and await further instructions from University personnel
• If out in the open:
  • Stay in an open area away from buildings, power lines, trees, and roadways
  • If in a car, pull over and stop. Do not park under an overpass or near a building
• After an earthquake:
  • Put on enclosed shoes to protect against glass and debris
  • If the power is out, use a flashlight. Do not use open flames
  • Be alert for safety hazards such as fire, electrical wires, gas leaks, etc.
  • Check on others
  • Give or seek first aid
  • Evacuate if the building seems unsafe or if instructed to do so
  • DO NOT use elevators
  • Be prepared for aftershocks
  • Cooperate with emergency personnel

If you observe a crime in progress or behavior that you suspect is criminal, immediately notify Campus Safety 303-871-3000.

Be prepared to provide as much of the following information as possible:

• What is the person doing?
• How many people are involved?
• Has anyone been injured?
• Where is it happening?
• Physical and clothing description of those involved
• Are weapons involved?
• If a vehicle is involved, vehicle description, license plate number and direction of travel.
   

DO NOT approach or attempt to apprehend the person(s) involved.

Stay on the phone with the dispatcher until officers arrive and provide additional information as it becomes available or as the situation changes.

DO NOT WALK ALONE AT NIGHT! Walk with a friend or request a Campus Safety Escort (303-871-2334).

Bicycles

• Always use bicycle racks. They are provided all over the campus for your use. Always lock with a U-lock.
• All bicycles parked at campus bike racks should be registered with Parking Services. Registration is free and can be accomplished at the Campus Safety Center, Parking Office between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. (Monday – Friday). Keeping your bill of sale and a color photograph is also helpful.
   

Car Security Tips

• Decrease the risk of thefts by removing all valuable personal property from sight (i.e., watches, textbooks, purses or wallets, tap deck radar detectors, CD’s, etc.).
• Secure all doors and windows.
• Install an audible security alarm system on your vehicle.
• Park your vehicle in a well-lighted area.
• Participate in Operation Identification. Mark your property with your own personal I.D. number. Contact Campus Safety at 303.871.2334 to borrow an electric marking pencil.
• Never hide a key on the exterior of your car.
• Always keep your keys in a secure place.
• Mark your Social Security number on your car somewhere out of sight (wheel well or trunk).
• Always look inside and around your car before getting into it.
• Report any suspicious or abandoned cars to DU Campus Safety immediately.
• Report any theft or tampering to DU Campus Safety immediately. Be prepared to give your vehicle registration information as well as any other details that might help determine the time of the incident.

• Record serial numbers, account numbers, model numbers, brand names, and descriptions of valuables, credit cards, etc. Keep a duplicate copy in a separate location.
• Personal property, purses, briefcases, etc. should never be left unattended, not even for a short time. Wallets and purses should be locked in a desk or drawer when not carried.
• Always lock your office when you leave.
• Never loan equipment, property, or keys to people you don’t know well or to people who have no right to use them.
• Leave expensive items at home.
• Never keep large amounts of cash or checks in your office.
• Report stolen property immediately to DU Campus Safety.

Persons with disabilities may need assistance during an emergency evacuation.

• Never attempt to carry someone down stairs unless there is imminent threat of injury or death. The use of improper carrying techniques can result in injury to all persons involved. If possible, notify rescue personnel of the whereabouts of a disabled person as well as the disability involved.
• Disabled individuals can be evacuated through any of the handicap accessible entrances on the first floor of the Law building.
• If a disabled individual is unable to move or be moved to the first floor, they should be taken immediately to any one of the stairwells in the building. Each floor has adequate space to accommodate numerous people and is equipped with a sign on the inside of the stairwell, which notes ‘Area of Rescue Assistance’. A call box is also located on each floor of the stairwell in order to notify rescue personnel of the need for assistance and the individual’s location.
• Persons who are profoundly deaf cannot hear alarms. If deaf persons are known to be in a specific area of a building, and no sign language interpreter is with them, write on a piece of paper “fire drill – follow me.” Do not expect them to “lip read”. Safety Department Officers and fire officials will “sweep” the building including restrooms where persons who are deaf may be located. If there is a probability that there is a deaf person in the building whose whereabouts is unknown, notify Safety Department Officers and other emergency personnel at once.
• Assistance dogs (for the blind, deaf, or mobility limited) may become disoriented or panic during an emergency evacuation, especially if it is dark or smoky. Note that these animals have been trained to cope with similar situations, but fear may override training. Be aware that both the person and the animal may need help, but always volunteer assistance rather than taking over immediately. If there is imminent danger of serious injury or death, the person is the primary concern. Do not attempt to evacuate an uncontrollable animal. If possible, leave the animal in a room and close the door. Let Fire and/or the Safety Department officials know the whereabouts of the animal, so they can initiate rescue efforts.
• If someone experiences a sudden, acute medical condition that causes immobilization, such as a seizure, heart attack, etc. during an evacuation, notify officials at once. Assistance may be given by a person(s) at the scene unless there is imminent danger of injury or death to the person(s) providing assistance. Once Safety or Fire officials reach the immobilized person, the “assistant(s)” should evacuate the building immediately.