General.  This site is for faculty, staff, and students. It will help you to plan for emergencies that might occur on the HSU campus in the future.

 

Step 1. Report what you see

If you witness an event that you consider an emergency, take the following steps: 

1. Get yourself to a place of safety.
2. Call 911.  From an on-campus number, dial 9-911.  Campus buildings have building numbers which are programmed into the Abilene 911 system.  Therefore, if you call for an emergency response, the operator should already know the building number that you are in.  Also, your 911 call appears on the campus police computer system.  If you call from a mobile/cell phone, be sure to tell them which HSU building that you are in.   Additionally, if you call from a mobile/cell phone, be sure to call the HSU Police at extension 1000 to let them know about the emergency.  
3. DO NOT EXPOSE YOURSELF TO DANGER. If you are not certain what hazards are in the area of the emergency, WAIT FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAMS TO ARRIVE
4. If you are sure that you are not in danger from fire, smoke, or hazardous materials, try to help victims of the emergency until emergency response teams arrive

Emergency responders (Police, Fire Department, Hazardous Materials Team, Risk Managers) will make decisions when they are on scene. The Police will probably be the first to arrive. Follow all of their instructions.  They will assess the situation and may set up a perimeter. Do not cross the perimeter. Answer the  questions from the police completely.  Police may not have hazardous materials protection, so they may not be able to help victims immediately. They will contact the teams that will help victims. Your cooperation with them will enable this to happen quickly.

 

Step 2. Follow emergency instructions

If you did not witness an emergency but might be affected by it, follow the instructions you receive from  University Police or other emergency responders.

Alerts will come in different ways depending on the emergency. These might be:

1. Emergency Warning Sirens
2. Email (GroupWise Directory Notices, Official Notices, etc.)
3. Phone calls/voice mail
4. Radio, television  
5. Building Coordinator

Follow the instructions you receive. They will be tailored to the type of emergency and will protect you and others from harm.

 

Step 3. Follow your office response plan

Later in this site, we will discuss your office response plan. After you receive instructions, go to the location(s) specified in your office response plan, assemble with your coworkers, and wait for instructions. This location might be outside, inside your current building, inside another building, or off campus. This will depend on the actual situation.  These instructions will explain why you would be directed to different locations depending on the type of emergency.  Here is how you can make the most difference. Response teams will be handling the emergency and helping victims. While you are in your assembly area, you can make sure all your coworkers, and possibly students or customers, are accounted for, and that they are okay. If someone needs help, you can bring this to the attention of emergency workers.  Depending on the nature of the emergency, you may need to help one another until more help arrives.

 

What is likely to happen at HSU?

What might happen at HSU is based on where the University is located, the types of activities that we carry out, and the number of people who attend or work here.

Location

HSU is in Abilene, which is in West Texas. Let’s look at the city and the surrounding area.

1. Weather
   1. We are in West Texas, and can expect tornadoes
   2. We have bad storms with high winds in the spring, and sometimes all year long
   3. We have ice storms in some winters
   4. We have extreme heat and drought in some summers
   5. We can have street flooding any month of the year 
2. City layout
   1. The convergence of one interstate highway and several state highways
   2. Interstate Highway (IH) 20 is just north of campus
   3. The high traffic volume and speed on IH 20 is dangerous
3. Economic and government services
   1. Three major universities and other local schools and colleges
   2. Three high schools, and many elementary and middle schools
   3. FEMA
   4. DPS office
   5. Two hospitals
   6. Shopping mall, satellite malls, strip malls
   7. Lots of service businesses, some industrial manufacturing
4. Transportation
   1. Lots of cars
   2. Public transportation

 

Nature of emergencies

Based on these aspects of Abilene and HSU, these are the types of emergencies that might occur:

Affecting the City:

1. Flash flooding from rain storms: high probability, high city-wide impact
2. High wind event, severe thunderstorm, tornado: high probability, high city-wide impact
3. Chemical spill on area highway or railway: moderate probability, high neighborhood impact
4. Major traffic accidents: high probability, moderate to high highway or neighborhood impact
5. Hail storm: moderate probability, high neighborhood or city-wide impact
6. Ice storm: moderate probability in winter, moderate to high city-wide and regional impact
7. Fire or explosion: moderate probability, moderate to high neighborhood impact
8. Heat wave: high probability, moderate to high city-wide and regional impact
9. Chemical or radiological terrorism event: low probability, moderate to high neighborhood impact
10. Bioterrorism event: low probability, moderate to high city-wide and regional impact
11. Other events, like airplane accidents are possible, but highly unlikely

 

Any event that affects the city may also affect the campus. Flash flooding and other bad weather may make it difficult or impossible to get to work or to get home from work. Here are the events that might affect HSU:

Affecting the Campus:

1. High wind event, severe thunderstorm, tornado: high probability, moderate to high impact
2. Fire or explosion in HSU buildings: moderate probability, moderate to high impact
3. Ice storm: moderate probability in winter, high impact
4. Illness, injury, or death of student, faculty, staff: high probability, low to high impact
5. Hail storm: moderate probability, moderate to high impact
6. Chemical spill on area highways: low probability, low to high impact
7. Major traffic accident on area highways: high probability, low to high impact
8. Heat wave: high probability, low to moderate impact
9. Bomb threat: moderate probability, low to high impact
10. Incident of violence: moderate probability, high impact
11. Chemical or radiological terrorism event: low probability, moderate to high impact
12. Bioterrorism event: low probability, moderate to high impact
13. Other events, like airplane accidents are possible, but highly unlikely

 

Where do I go in an emergency?

This depends on the nature of the emergency. In some cases, you need to evacuate your building. In other cases, you need to stay in the building. Here are the cases:

1. Evacuate the building—assemble outside or in an adjacent building in designated area(s) as directed
   1. Fire alarm
   2. Explosion
   3. Bomb threat
   4. Chemical spill in the building
2. Assemble on the lowest level of the building away from windows, as directed
   1. Tornado warning
   2. On occasion, other severe weather events, including
   Assemble on the highest level of the building away from windows, as directed (these contaminants may be heavier than air and tend to sink)
   1. Chemical spill outside the building
   2. Chemical or radiological terrorism event
   3. Bioterrorism event
3. Other directions for whether to stay in your work area or where to go might be determined on a case-by-case basis for:
   1. Incident of violence
   2. Illness or injury of a co-worker or student
4. Evacuate the campus—if you are instructed to leave the campus, either go home or to a designated shelter, following the instructions you receive. Evacuation routes are generally determined by emergency responders at the time of the emergency. There is no way to no in advance what routes will be open so that you can leave the campus.

 

How do I know where my assembly areas are?

Your supervisor will work with your area Vice President, University Police, and your Building Coordinator to locate an assembly area outside of your building if you need to evacuate.  They will also identify locations in your building where you can shelter from severe weather. They will also designate one or more locations in your building where you can shelter from hazardous materials that are outside your building.

 

Why do I have to go to the assembly area?

If you are ordered to evacuate the building where your work area is located, you need to assemble with your co-workers. If you go to another location, your co-workers may assume that you are missing. This may endanger or take time from other HSU personnel or emergency workers who start looking for you.  When you are in the assembly area, check with your co-workers and make sure that everyone is accounted for. If you are in a small office, you probably know who came to work that morning and who was unable to come to work. If you work in a large office, your supervisor will appoint one or more of your co-workers to track work attendance. For the welfare of your co-workers, it is important to assemble with them so that you can be accounted for.  Stay together until you receive directions to go to another location, go back to your work area, or go home.  If you are evacuated from a building other than your primary work area or office location, check in with the party whom you were visiting in this building and then return to your primary work area. The personnel in the building that was evacuated may not know you were in the evacuated building, so assembling with them may not help account for you.  If your job requires you to travel around campus—or off campus—during working hours, make sure that someone knows where you are, particularly when there is high risk of bad weather or terrorism event that is announced by local or national government agencies.

 

Where can I get accurate information and updates on developments during the emergency?

University Police, University Safety, or the President's Office.
 

How do I know the emergency is over?

If you shelter in place on campus, an emergency authority will announce when you can return to your office.  If you are evacuated from campus, someone will call you at home, or an announcement will be made on radio or television stations, instructing you to return to work.  If the campus is evacuated in an emergency, do not attempt to return to campus before you are told. You may hamper recovery efforts.

 

Who responds to emergencies?

The first responders will be the University Police. They will assess the situation and call for other needed assistance. These may include:

1. HSU Police
2. City of Abilene Fire Department and Paramedics
3. Abilene Hazardous Materials team

Each time that a more specialized team of responders comes to the scene of an incident, the person in charge may change. Please always follow the instructions that you receive from the person in charge. The directions you receive may change as the event unfolds. You may be told to stay in a particular location. Later you may be told to move to another location or to leave campus. These instructions are determined by the nature and magnitude of the event as it progresses and they are designed for your protection.

If the responders listed above cannot handle all the aspects of the emergency, they may request help from State officials (Health Department, Department of Public Safety), and other responders may arrive. If necessary, federal officials might be contacted as well.

 

What can I do for my own protection?

The American Red Cross and the Department of Homeland Security suggest that put together a kit of things you would need in an emergency. The most important suggestion is that you carry with you your personal prescription medications for the hours you usually are at work, plus one or two extra days in the event that you cannot get home immediately

If you have severe allergies or asthma, or if you are just concerned about chemicals, smoke, etc., you can protect your breathing or short periods of time by having a handkerchief or small towel to cover your face. It is most effective if you have time in an emergency to dampen it with water. If you wish more protection, you can purchase a box of surgical masks in a local drugstore. The masks that have a charcoal filter will fit in a purse or a short pocket. However, they should only be used while you are evacuating a building. They will not enable you to stay in the building.  The American Red Cross does not recommend industrial masks with HEPA filters. They are better than the others, but they may give persons a false sense of security and delay them from evacuating. They are also large and more expensive. The objective is to have something for protection that protects you while you evacuate. 

 

How do I communicate with family and loved ones?

Depending on the severity of an emergency, you will need to have different communication plans:

In most emergencies, you can contact family and loved ones by phone, cell phone, pager, or email. In a serious emergency, your cell phone likely will NOT work, and pagers may or may not work. In very serious emergencies, email, computer networks, and land-line phones also may not work.

The American Red Cross recommends that you have the land line phone numbers and email addresses of the following persons:

1. Family members, loved ones, trusted friends and neighbors in Abilene
2. Family members, loved ones, and trusted friends in another part of Texas
3. Family members, loved ones, and trusted friends in another state

Depending on the nature of an emergency, you should be able to reach one of these parties.

In the worst scenarios, communication may be impossible. In these cases, you should make prior arrangements to meet family and loved ones in one several locations either in Denton, at your home, near your home, or wherever you know that you will be able to find them.

In this case, you should wait until you are directed to leave campus. Go home or to one of these locations and wait for your family members or loved ones there.

Specific Emergencies

Tornado, Severe Weather

1. If you hear a forecast of bad weather or see it developing, a local radio or TV station, a weather radio, or a website that has weather updates
2. If you hear about a tornado approaching, follow the instructions that will be given and assemble in the designated shelter area on the lowest level of the building that you are in
3. DO NOT GO OUTSIDE
4. Stay in the shelter until an all-clear is issued

Flash Flooding

1. Do not drive through water of unknown depth
2. If you are on campus, at home, or in any safe location, stay in that location until flooding subsides

Winter Storm

1. If you are working when a winter storm begins affecting campus, you will be notified by email or voice mail if a decision is made for the University to suspend operations
2. If you are at home, check with local radio and TV stations, as well as the HSU website, to see if operations are suspended
3. If the University is open but you cannot safely travel to work, call your supervisor and explain your situation
4. If you have a long commute between work and home, it is a good idea to place a blanket, flashlight, bottled water, and nonperishable food in your vehicle in case the road you are on is closed and you are unable to immediately find shelter

Fire and Explosion

1. Familiarize yourself with the exits and escape routes from your building. Do this today. Signs are posted in your building showing how to evacuate
2. If the incident is not in your building and you are not in immediate danger, stay in your building unless instructed by emergency officials
3. If the incident is in your building, evacuate to a safe location immediately
4. If you encounter smoke as you evacuate a building, stay as low to the ground as possible. Try to cover your nose and mouth with a wet handkerchief or towel, or with some other breathing protection
5. Assemble outside your building in the location specified by your supervisor or emergency workers
6. DO NOT reenter the building
7. Follow the instructions of emergency workers, who will determine if you and your coworkers need medical assistance

Bomb Threat

1. If you receive a bomb threat by phone, listen to the threat and write down exactly what  the caller says to you
2. Write down the telephone number of the caller shown in the phone display if you have this feature
3. DO NOT hang up the phone
4. Go to different telephone and  call the HSU Police
5. Follow the instructions you receive from the police department
6. Contact your immediate supervisor and your Building Representative
7. If the caller wishes to engage you in conversation, get as much information as you can on the location of the bomb(s), their threatened time of detonation, whether the caller is male or female, any characteristics of the caller’s speech (accent), etc.

Terrorism Events

1. When there is a high or severe terrorism alert, be particularly alert to suspicious persons or packages, or anything that you believe is out of the ordinary. Terrorists who set a bomb may not call in a bomb threat
2. Preventive action is the best detriment to terrorism, so notify police if you see something that looks wrong
3. If an radiological event or chemical event occurs, go to the appropriate safe shelter location
4. Call 911
5. If you are outside a building, move to an area that is upwind of the event, or into a safe building
6. If you are inside a building, move to the highest level of the building
7. If you believe that you have contacted a hazardous substance, try to run as much water on the affected part of the body as you can, until you can receive medical attention
8. If clothing is badly contaminated, remove it as soon as you are in a safe location or wait until you are directed to do so by emergency responders
9. Bioterrorism tends not to be a sudden event. It most likely will be announced by health authorities as a result of changes in patterns of illness. In such a case, follow instructions you receive from government officials or consult with your physician.
10.  Emergency Contact Numbers:

Report emergencies                                                     911

HSU Police (other than emergencies)                            extension 1000

HSU Safety Officer                                                       extension 1507