Any emergency can be reported by dialing 9-911 (TDD/TTY equipped).

In case of fire, after the fire is reported, the respective department chairperson and the dean's office should be notified. Fire extinguishers are placed in all buildings in convenient locations on all floors. Evacuation routes are posted on the fire hose cabinets and elsewhere.

For urgent facility maintenance requirements, call Building Maintenance and Construction at 2-3301 during regular working hours and after normal hours, if repair is needed immediately.

Warning and Alert Systems

The University maintains several warning and alert systems for use in the event of major storms or other disasters.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce provides continuous broadcasts of the latest weather information from the National Weather Service. Taped weather messages are repeated every two to three minutes and are revised hourly. When circumstances warrant, specially designed warning receivers (weather alert radios) can be activated. The weather alert radios sound an alarm indicating that an emergency exists, alerting the listener to turn the receiver up to an audible volume. Personnel in departments where the weather alert radios are located are expected to convey the message received to all other people in the area or building.

Various sirens located throughout the campus are activated whenever the campus is in imminent danger. Persons should immediately seek shelter upon hearing the siren. University police car sirens and loudspeakers will be used to broadcast alerts and instructions. In the residence halls, fire alarm bells (with a sound distinctly different from that used for fire evacuation procedures) and public address systems (where available) will be used to signal persons to take cover immediately. Tests of the various warning and alert systems are conducted by March 15 of each year and are publicized in The University Daily in advance of the tests.

The Department of Environmental Health and Safety distributes informational literature on tornado procedures in all University buildings by March 1. The News and Publications Office also assists in the dissemination of information on tornado procedures through KTXT, The University Daily, Insight, and other appropriate publications.

If a tornado warning is issued or a tornado is sighted, the following actions should be taken: seek inside shelter, preferably a tornado cellar, steel framed or reinforced concrete structure (including all major University buildings); evacuate upper floors of all buildings; seek shelter in an interior hallway and stay away from windows; lie flat on the floor and use tables, mattresses, or blankets for cover; if caught in open country, lie face down in the deepest depression available such as a ditch, culvert, or ravine.