Emergency Procedures
Texas Tech University employs the latest technology to alert all campus personnel and students in case of a significant emergency on campus. In case of emergency the TechAlert system can deliver emergency messages from the police or president to every campus email and also to cell phones, home phones, SMS devices, and personal email addresses in a very few minutes. eRaider accounts are automatically enrolled in the emergency alert system to receive an email notification. To receive notification at the same time by text message, cell phone or home phone, one must enter those numbers into a secure data base by going to www.ttu.edu/emergencyalert or clicking on the emergency communications link on the Web site www.ttu.edu. The information is secure and will never be used by Texas Tech University for any reason other than a serious emergency alert notification.
Any emergency can be reported by dialing 9-911 (TDD/TTY equipped).
In case of a fire, the respective department chairperson and the dean’s office should be notified after the fire has been reported. 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 742-3301 during regular working hours. If repair is needed immediately, call after normal hours.
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 Daily Toreador in advance of the tests.
The Communications and Marketing Office also assists in the dissemination of information on tornado procedures through 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. Emergency preparedness guidelines and homeland security information is available at http://www.depts.ttu.edu/ehs/SITE/TOI/TopofInt.asp#EPHS.