Emergency Management and Campus Assistance

It is impossible to predict the actions and specific circumstances of every crime or violent act. The following procedures may help lessen the potential for injury:

• If you observe a criminal act or suspicious person, from a campus phone dial 7575. Otherwise, dial 1-508-793-7575.
• Be mindful of your personal safety.
• Remember details of incident: description of clothing, physical characteristics, accent, tattoos, more than one suspect, etc.
• Do not sound the fire alarm.
• Exit the area immediately and report to University or local police.
• Use your instincts.
• In a hostage situation, stay calm, keep everyone together and stay hidden.
• If you are unable to hide, play dead if other victims are around you.
• If captured, obey all commands.
• Encourage conversation to develop rapport.
• Use comfortable eye contact.
• Evaluate intruder’s body language to determine your next action(s).
• If you are in the vicinity of an active shooter situation, barricade doors and place any available solid material between you and the shooter.
• Stay in place if it is safe to do so.
• Wait for police to clear and evacuate the area.
• Remain calm and quiet. Silence cell phones.
• Use common sense not to expose yourself or others to harm.
• If you are outdoors, seek shelter away from the area that is involved if it is safe to do so.

If you observe a suspicious object or potential bomb on campus, do not handle the object. Call University Police at extension 7575 immediately.

If you receive a bomb threat telephone call:

• Have someone nearby contact University Police at extension 7575 or 1-508-793-7575.
• Keep caller on line as long as possible.
• Ask caller:
  • When will the bomb will go off?
  • Where is the bomb? Which building?
  • What kind of bomb? Description of it
  • Why did you place the bomb?
• Note time of call and approximate age and:
  • Speech pattern (accents)
  • Emotional state of caller
  • Background noise

If you find a suspicious object:

• Don’t touch the object.
• Don’t activate the building alarm.
• Don’t open drawers or cabinets.
• Don’t turn on/off electrical devices or switches (light switches, cell phones, radios, or any other kind of electronic device).
• Don’t use elevators.
• Be aware of secondary devices

Hazardous spills and hazardous chemical exposure can cause damage to individuals, the environment, critical infrastructure, and property. The spill, release, or exposure incident can be an unplanned sudden or a non-sudden release. Potential hazard spills or exposure can include Chemical, Biological (Human Waste or Etiological Agent), Radiological, Thermal, and Asphyxiation Hazards.

• Faculty or staff in control of the area/classroom/laboratory should evacuate the affected area immediately.
• If individuals are exposed or contaminated they should remain in the vicinity but away from danger for first aid and decontamination mitigation by a hazardous materials research specialist.
• The area/classroom/laboratory hazard zone should be isolated and contained from further exposure or additional contamination spread.
• Wait for direction from University Officials and First Responders (Certified and trained emergency personnel).
• When reporting a chemical exposure or hazardous spill be specific about the identification of the hazardous material by severity of the hazard using three principal categories (Health, Flammability, and Instability) and the exact location of the chemical exposure/hazardous spill.
• All chemical exposures/hazardous spills/non-hazardous spills should be immediately reported to the University Police.
• University Police have access to main shut off valves. Call extension 7575 (1-508-793-7575) so that we can take the necessary actions.

Before faced with a fire, familiarize yourself with fire extinguisher locations, exits, and building fire alarms / pull stations. Smoke is the greatest danger in a fire. As you evacuate, or if you are trapped, always stay near the floor where the air is less toxic.

• Do not panic.
• Activate the closest building fire alarm for emergency response.
• When the building fire alarm is sounded, always assume an emergency exists, EXIT the building immediately, UNLESS prior to the alarm gunshots have been heard or a Clark Alert has been received advising you to stay in place. Use common sense.
• If a fire appears controllable, discharge a fire extinguisher toward the base of the flame.
• As you exit the building, notice any individuals not responding to the emergency alarm and call out to them to leave the building.
• Assist persons with disabilities to exit.
• Close but do not lock doors to confine fire.
• Do not use elevators.
• Use alternate evacuation routes if the normal route is blocked.
• Feel closed doors from top to bottom, in the evacuation route, IF COLD open the door, IF HOT, DO NOT OPEN the door and use an alternative evacuation route. (Hot doors may be an indication of fire on the other side of the door).
• Avoid smoke filled areas. If the room or evacuation route is filling with smoke, crouch down as you exit. Smoke rises, pushing available air to the floor.
• Should your clothing catch on fire-STOP DROP and ROLL to smother flame.

If trapped during a fire:

• Shout at regular intervals to alert emergency crews of your location.
• Use your cell phone to alert University Police of your location (1-508-793-7575)
• Find a window and place an article of clothing outside of it and or use the back of an Emergency Guide book (HELP) to place in outside windows as a marker for rescue crews.
• Wait for the all-clear announcement from University officials before reentry of the building / area.

University Police is equipped with automatic external defibrillators and police officers are certified as first responders. To notify police, call on-campus extension 7575 or, via cell phone or off-campus phone, dial 1-508-793-7575.

• When assisting, make sure there are no safety concerns for you. Use protective gloves and barrier devices to protect yourself from bodily fluids when available.
• If person is vomiting with no trauma and is unable to move, roll the person on side, and lay head on arm. Tilt head up to open airway.
• If injured, keep person on back. If no neck/ spinal injury is suspected, elevate legs 6 to 12 inches.
• Cover with blanket/coat to keep body warm.
• Don’t move person with neck/spinal injury unless factors will cause more harm (i.e. fire).
• Elevate bleeding extremities; maintain direct pressure; control bleeding with a thick cloth.
• If the person is not breathing, has no pulse and you are trained in CPR, begin immediately. Ask a bystander to call extension 7575 or 1-508-793-7575
• Seizures: clear area around the person; don’t restrain or place anything in person’s mouth.

Fear at the time of a disaster may breed panic. Panic can account for more injuries than the disaster itself. Therefore, calming personnel and students and preventing panic are critical.

Familiarize yourself with assembly area locations listed in this guide prior to any emergency. You are expected to meet at these locations. Always follow the direction of emergency response personnel.

Earthquakes

• Stay away from windows or bookcases.
• Identify safe places such as:
  • In a doorway
  • Under sturdy furniture
  • Against an inside wall
• Protect yourself at all times and be prepared for aftershocks.

Severe Storms

• Don’t use the telephone and plumbing fixtures.
• Wind, rain and lightening can cause dangerous situations. Avoid water, metal objects, open spaces and electrical appliances during lightening storms.

Hurricanes/Tornadoes

• Use the basement level of all campus buildings as a designated tornado shelter.
• If no basement, go to a small interior room with no windows, such as halls, closets, stairwells.

Procedures to Follow When a Sexual Offense Occurs

For a person subjected to a sexual offense, especially an act of sexual assault, there can be time-sensitive decisions to make about sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy, and collecting physical evidence in the event of prosecution.

Protect Yourself: Find a safe place as soon as possible.

Contact Someone You Trust: You may wish to ask a trusted friend or family member to assist and support you.

Get Medical Attention:Seek medical attention immediately. Injuries and exposure to disease may not be immediately apparent. A medical examination can provide necessary treatment and collect important evidence. It is recommended that a physical exam be conducted within 72 hours of the incident in order to adequately preserve evidence.

Survivors of a sexual assault are encouraged to go to the UMass Memorial Hospital Emergency Department (119 Belmont Street, Worcester, MA 01605), before washing yourself or your clothing. A Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (a specially trained nurse) at UMass Memorial Hospital is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week (call the Emergency Department at 508-334-6481, if you first want to speak to the nurse). A representative from the University and/or a support person can also accompany you to the hospital and University Police can provide transportation if necessary. If you go to the hospital, local police will be called, but you are not obligated to talk to the police or to prosecute. The exam will help to keep that option open for you, should you decide later to exercise it. The hospital staff will collect evidence, check for injuries, and address the possibility of exposure to sexually transmitted infections. If you have changed clothing since the assault, bring the clothing you had on at the time of the assault with you to the hospital in a clean, sanitary container such as a clean paper grocery bag or wrapped in a clean sheet (plastic containers do not breathe, and may render evidence useless). If you have not changed clothes, bring a change of clothes with you to the hospital, if possible, as they will likely keep the clothes you are wearing as evidence.

Try to Preserve Physical Evidence: It is important to preserve all physical evidence following an act of sexual violence. Physical evidence may be necessary in the event criminal prosecution is pursued. If possible, a victim should not to wash, eat, drink, shower, use the bathroom, or change clothes. If clothes are changed, all clothes that were worn at the time of the incident should not be cleaned and should be placed into a clean paper bag. Do not disturb the crime scene. Leave all sheets, towels, etc. that may bear evidence for the police to collect.

Health and Support Services: Various health and support services are available on-campus and off-campus for students involved in incidences of sexual violence or the Title IX process. Please also see How to Help a Friend page for tips on how to support your friends, as well as, the reporting options available

Report the Incident: Clark strongly encourages victims of sexual offense to discuss what happened so they can get the support they need, and so the University can respond appropriately to assist the victim and help ensure the safety of other members of the Clark community. Please see Clark’s Sexual Offense Policy for reporting options.

The default location for any evacuation on campus is the Kneller Athletic Center. If an alternate location is established due to the nature of the situation, you will be redirected by a Clark official.