Texas Tech University

University Student Housing Emergency procedures

ALL RESIDENCE HALLS

University Student Housing has 24 hours a day “on call” staff available to assist with emergency situations.  All residence hall offices are open 24/7 unless otherwise designated and “on call” numbers will be posted if the office is closed. Should an emergency arise, please call either 911, TTPD 806-742-3931, or the residence hall office to report the emergency:

  • Bledsoe/Gordon/Sneed Office:
    (806) 742-0073
  • Chitwood/Weymouth Office:
    (806) 742-2633
  • Coleman Hall Office:
    (806) 742-2645
  • Horn/Knapp Office:
    (806) 742-2604
  • Hulen/Clement Office:
    (806) 742-2615
  • Murray/Carpenter-Wells/Honors Office:
    (806) 742-4543
  • Stangel/Murdough Office:
    (806) 742-2622
  • Talkington Hall Office:
    (806) 742-6389
  • Wall/Gates Office:
    (806) 742-2610
  • West Village Office:
    (806) 742-5265

EMERGENCY MAINTENANCE

In case of a maintenance emergency, please contact your Community Advisor (CA) or call/go to your residence hall front office. The hall staff will contact the Call Center (emergency maintenance) for you and will work to help remedy the problem.

FIRE ALARM PROCEDURES

Each building is equipped with smoke and heat sensors connected to a sprinkler system and a centralized panel. When a detector is activated, tampered with or hit, it will sound a local and building alarm.  When the alarms for the building sound, do the following:

  1. Close all windows. Take the your room key with you. Close and lock room door.
  2. Calmly use the stairs to evacuate the building and meet your fellow residents at least 100 feet from the building. Try to locate your Community Advisor if possible.
  3. Please do not hinder the first responder's response in any way.
  4. ALWAYs evacuate the building when the alarm sounds.
  5. Follow the lawful direction of university staff and first responders.
  6. In most cases, you will be encouraged to walk over to another building for shelter. You may also utilize your car as a possible shelter in place until the all-clear is given.
  7. USH staff will notify students when it is safe to re-enter the building.
  8. Fines will be assessed for vaping, smoking, sports in the hall, and/or other means of intentionally engaging the fire/smoke suppression system. Removal of exit signs and other damage to life safety equipment may also result in criminal prosecution.

DO NOT TAMPER WITH EXIT SIGNS, EXTINGUISHERS, SPRINKLERS, SMOKE DETECTORS, FIRE PULL STATIONS, OR FIRE EQUIPMENT OF ANY KIND. DOING SO IS NOT ONLY A VIOLATION OF THE TTU CODE OF STUDENT CONDUCT, BUT CAN ALSO BE A LAW VIOLATION.

IN CASE OF A TORNADO

Tornado Sirens, TECHALERT Emergency Notification system, and/or University Student Housing staff will alert students in the building if a tornado is in the vicinity of the campus. Follow the instructions given by staff explicitly and generic instructions are listed below.

TORNADO INSTRUCTIONS FOR RESIDENTS

In the event of a tornado, hall residents should take the following actions:

  1. Close all windows. Take your room key with you. Close and lock your room door.
  2. Take a pillow, blanket, and/or towel for protection.
  3. Proceed to an interior hallway away from windows on the 1st floor, basement, in bathrooms away from any windows, stairwells away from windows leaving room for egress, or any interior office or space away from windows and an expansive ceiling. Flying debris is often one of the greatest safety hazards during a tornado.
  4. Follow all instructions from USH Staff or first responders.
  5. Do not use candles.
  6. Do not use the elevators.
  7. Do not leave the building. Once you have left the building, it may be difficult for you to return. Always remember hail, large or small, can hurt you or even be fatal. Lightening is an additional threat.

MEDICAL EMERGENCY

If a student is unresponsive or in dire need of emergency attention call 911 immediately. Then notify your CA or hall staff.

AFTER calling 911, notify the hall office staff in person or call so staff know how to assist Police and EMS when they arrive.

IN CASE OF ACCESS DOOR MALFUNCTION

When an access door is not working or is malfunctioning, it is a safety and security threat to all residents and guests.  If a door is not working, you will need to report it immediately to your hall office. Go to the outside door closest to the hall office (if outside doors are not responding), go to the hall office if the wing doors are not functioning, or call the hall office for assistance.

LOSS OF POWER OR ELECTRICITY ISSUES

  1. Contact your hall office staff. The phone system may also be affected by the outage which will indicate you need to physically go to the office to alert them.
  2. Do not use candles.
  3. Emergency Lighting in the stairways and hallways should be functioning. Doors with magnetic locks will be closed and probably locked.

ACTIVE SHOOTER/SHELTER IN PLACE

Have an exit strategy no matter your location.

  1. RUN and escape, if possible.  Call 911 if possible but leave your belongings and get away from the threat.
  2. HIDE, if escape is not possible. Lock or block doors and turn off lights. Silence electronic devices. Spread out and don't hide in groups. BE QUIET.
  3. FIGHT as an absolute last resort. Commit to your actions and act as aggressively as possible. Throw items and improvise weapons to distract and disarm the shooter.

After: Keep hands raised, visible and empty. No sudden movements. Follow all law enforcement commands. Make sure to seek professional help to cope with long-term effects of the trauma.

Adapted from https://www.ready.gov/active-shooter on August 15, 2018.

CAMPUS LOCK DOWN

A campus lock down will be communicated via the TECHALERT Emergency Notification system or by Lubbock and/or Texas Tech Law Enforcement Officers. Find a safe location to shelter in place.  Should the campus go into full LOCK DOWN, the residence halls and most campus buildings will no longer be accessible through the access system or doors. Students should not try to enter or exit the halls but rather stay locked inside their rooms with the lights turned off and be silent. If not in the halls, find a safe place on or off campus. Avoid areas of active threat.

IN GENERAL

  1. When an event occurs, notify your hall office staff with the numbers provided or call 911.
  2. Give clear, accurate information to the offices or entities you contact.
  3. Stay at a safe distance from the disruption or issue to give staff and first responders the opportunity to render aid or solve the issue.

TECHALERT EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION SYSTEM SIGNUP -

https://appserv.itts.ttu.edu/EmergencyAlert/

http://www.depts.ttu.edu/communications/emergency/