Emergency Preparedness

Emergency Notification

Southwestern Community College District is committed to a safe educational and work environment for all students and staff, as well as community members. Emergencies can occur and it is the District’s policy to provide timely notification of risks and dangers to students, faculty, and staff members. An emergency is an immediate threat to the health and safety of students or employees.

The District has systems in place for communicating information quickly. The District’s emergency communication response plan is comprised of the following communication components in which any or all may be utilized:

Telephone calls to home and cellular telephones
Text messaging to cellular telephones
Email to all students and employees
Telephone paging to employee work stations
Messaging posting on District, colleges and Continuing Education websites and other social media sites
Posting on campus/site message boards
Classroom announcements
Emergency Blue Pole announcements and warning tones
Press releases

Face to face communication may also be used as a method of communicating immediate/emergency notifications.

The District encourages students to provide their cell phone numbers to the District in order to communicate with them in the event of an emergency. To provide this important information, students can log on to MySWC.

Emergency Response

Southwestern Community College District maintains an Emergency Response Plan that outlines responsibilities of campus personnel during emergencies and a FEMA-approved Hazard Mitigation Plan in the event of a natural disaster. These plans outline incident priorities, campus organization, and specific responsibilities of particular units or positions. College units are responsible for developing emergency response and continuity of operations plans for their areas and staff. Campus emergency management provides resources and guidance for the development of these plans.

In the event of an emergency that affects any or all campus locations, the Superintendent/President, Cabinet member or designee will activate the Emergency Team to assess the situation and determine the scope of the emergency. The Superintendent/President, Cabinet member or designee will initiate the communication protocols throughout the organization. The Emergency Team will determine the content of the communication response, the urgency of the response or timely notice parameters, as well as the appropriate components to be activated.

The District's response to most emergencies will involve a Secure Campus, Lockdown, Shelter in Place and/or an Evacuation, full or partial. Students, faculty, and staff members should take immediate steps to protect themselves from immediate danger, such as finding cover when an earthquake occurs.

Emergency Preparedness Campus Tips (PDF)

Featured Video

All staff and faculty members and students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the four District emergency responses. A short video describes those responses

Earthquake
- Seek refuge under a table or desk. Cover your head and neck as best as possible.
- Stay clear of windows and doorways. Doorways are not safe.
- If outside, stay outside. Move to and open area away from buildings, trees and power lines.
- Have emergency supply pack on hand (food, water, prescription medicine).
- Have an emergency contact predetermined.
- Be prepared for multiple aftershocks.
- Do not use the elevator
- Evacuate when shaking stops.
Fire
- Stay calm.
- Utilize fire extinguishers if possible.
- Evacuate building immediately.
- Sound/Shout alarm.
- Call 911 or x6691 to summon first responders.
- Do not use the elevator
- Do not re-enter building.
An evacuation will be ordered after a natural or man-made emergency or disaster. The evacuation may be District-wide, campus-wide or building/location specific. The goal of an evacuation is to separate students, faculty, and staff members from harm in an orderly and expeditious manner.

Persons who are ordered to evacuate should comply with communicated instructions or directions from staff members and follow these guidelines:
- Be familiar with building exits beforehand.
- When the evacuation is ordered, move in a calm and deliberate way to the nearest exit.
- Be mindful of events that could interfere with an evacuation, such as blocked stairways due to fire or smoke.
- Do not delay by gathering possessions or other items.
- Exit the building and proceed to the nearest evacuation zone.
- Assist others who may be injured or disabled.
- Stand by as staff members will be seeking to account for all persons.
A lockdown and/or shelter in place will be ordered in response to a threat of violence to the campus community or due to external contaminants, such as toxic fumes or spills. The goal of a lockdown and/or shelter in place is to enact barriers to protect students, faculty, and staff members from external or or harmful threats until first responders can arrive and secure the area. Persons ordered to lockdown and/or shelter in place should comply as quickly as possible and follow these guidelines:

Lockdown

A lockdown will be ordered in response to an immediate threat of violence or the presence of an armed intruder on campus. Such situations are unpredictable and can change rapidly. Persons must take steps to protect themselves and others until first responders arrive.
- Stay calm.
- Separate yourself from the armed person(s). Their motivate is to inflict harm.
- Run away from the threat if you can do so safely. Go to nearby locations and seek shelter.
- Do not attempt to reason or engage with the armed person(s).
- Lockdown your office, classroom, and building by securing all doors and windows. Close blinds.
- Place barriers against potential access points. Use bookshelves, desks or whatever is available to hinder entry.
- Keep silent, turn off lights, and silence cell phones.
- Fight to survive as a final resort if confronted by an armed person. Throw objects, use makeshift weapons, and attempt to disarm the person.
- Wait to evacuate until directed by District staff or first responders. Confirm the identity of police personnel before allowing access buildings, offices or classrooms.
Shelter in Place

A shelter in place will be ordered in response to an external threat due to air quality, toxins or communicable disease.
- Stay calm.
- Shut all doors and windows.
- Turn off air conditioning units.
- Stay inside.
- Wait to evacuate until directed by District staff or first responders.
The District engages in multiple drills and exercises throughout the year and also offers a wide-variety of emergency preparedness training topics to students, faculty, and staff members. A request for training can be to the Emergency Management Coordinator Zach Jones by calling x6787 or emailing him at zjones@swccd.edu.

Training topics include:
- A.L.I.C.E. (Active Threat) Training
- Fire safety training
- Earthquake preparedness and response training
- Personal preparedness and disaster mitigation training
- Evacuation drills and training

District Emergency Operations Plan (PDF)

Contacting College Police

The College Police Department can be contacted via phone or in-person during operating hours.

Emergency Preparedness

Emergency Notification

Emergency Response

Featured Video

Contacting College Police

Non-Emergencies

Emergencies

Location

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