What is UAF's plan in the event of a major incident on campus?

No two incidents are exactly alike and it's nearly impossible to plan for every emergency, but UAF's emergency responders have well-established guidelines for how to respond to certain types of crises. Comprehensive emergency operations and crisis communication plans help guide actions in the event of an emergency on campus.

The UAF Police Department and the University Fire Department are the first to respond to many emergencies. Personnel at these on-campus departments are trained for myriad scenarios, including bomb threats, terrorist activities and active shooter scenes. The police department has developed an informational sheet for what to do in an active shooter situation.

In the event of a major incident the campus would operate under the guidelines of the National Incident Management System and an Emergency Operation Center would be put in place. This system ensures that a team of trained responders would direct the response to a crisis and would be able to call on other area resources, such as the Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska State Troopers or the Fairbanks Police Department as needed.

How does the university communicate with students, staff and faculty members and the community in an emergency?
Communication is a critical piece of the emergency response plan. Students, staff and faculty may receive information through a variety of channels, including:

• fax and e-mail
• websites: www.uaf.edu/alert/ and www.uaf.edu/news/
• local radio and television news broadcasts
• the UAF recorded hotline at 474-7UAF(7823)
• door-to-door in the residence halls

Emergency messages can also be sent to UAF staff and faculty phones if they have voice mail capability.

How can the university prevent crises?
Although the university cannot prevent all crises, many staff and students are involved in ongoing efforts to prevent harmful events from occurring and to keep us all as safe as possible. Some prevention efforts are obvious, but many are a result of coordinated support via a team of professionals in multiple departments, including:

• Student and Enrollment Services
• Residence Life
• UAF Police Department
• UAF’s Center for Health and Counseling
• UAF's Environmental Health Safety and Risk Management

Team members communicate with each other regarding potential problems. Key staff members are trained to evaluate situations and determine the most appropriate action.

Do we do any emergency drills involving the whole campus, including students?
The University Fire Department and the UAF Police Department conduct drills with the campus community and specialized drills for specific types of responses. Limited drills have been conducted. In August 2005 an exercise, conducted in conjunction with several university departments and the National Guard 101st Civil Support Team from Boise, Idaho, was used to walk through life-safety decisions, communication and business resumption plans.

Do we have different-sounding alarms for different emergencies?
We do not have specific sounding alarms for emergencies, but will use the various communication options discussed above.

What if I don't feel safe or see something suspicious?
Learn to trust your instincts. If something doesn't feel right, report it and never hesitate to call for help. Walk in pairs or call the UAF Police Department for a security escort.

In an emergency:

• Call 911 and provide as much information as possible to the dispatcher.
• If it’s safe to do so, wait in the area until the fire department, police department or ambulance arrives.
• In large facilities, have someone meet emergency response personnel at the entrance and guide them to the scene.

Call a security escort.
Call 474-7721 at any time to have a community service officer escort you to your car, campus residence or any other building on the UAF campus.
Emergency phones
All campus phones and pay phones have 911 access. Emergency phones are marked with blue lights and are available throughout the UAF campus.

For more information on personal safety or for locations of emergency phones, visit www.uaf.edu/police/Personal_safety.html

Additional safety measures can be found at
www.uaf.edu/alert/