Environmental Emergencies

Bio-Terrorism

  • Package has not leaked:
    • do not shake, open or empty the contents of suspected envelope or package
    • leave the room and immediately wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water
    • Keep your hands away from your face
    • contact the Frontier County Sheriff’s Office (308) 367-4411
  • Package has leaked:
    • stay in the area
    • remain calm and call Police & Parking Services
    • identify yourself, your location and a brief description of the situation
    • wait for the arrival of Law Enforcement
  • General provisions:
    • persons in the room at the time of the incident should remain in the area to be identified and questioned
    • do not touch other items, if at all possible
    • close the doors to the contaminated area

Bomb Threat

  • By phone
    • Remain as calm as possible.
    • Be courteous, listen and do not interrupt.
    • If the telephone has caller identification, note the phone number
    • Note the date and time you received the call and when the call ended.
    • Write down the exact words of the threat
    • Ask the caller the following questions:
      • Where is the bomb located?
      • When will the bomb explode?
    • If at any time you perceive you are in immediate danger, leave the building at once pulling the fire alarm as you leave. Call 911 when you have reached a safe area.
    • If you feel you are not in danger, have another person call the Frontier County Sheriff’s Department to relay information and continue to ask the caller:
      • What does it look like?
      • What kind of bomb is it?
      • What will cause it to explode?
      • Why did you place the bomb?
      • Who is this?
      • Where are you calling from?
    • As you are talking to the caller, try to answer the following questions:
      • gender of caller
      • age of caller
    • Caller’s voice description
  • By mail
    • Do not handle the object.
    • Do not use cell phones or 2 way radios within the area of the suspicious mail.
    • Contact the Frontier County Sheriff’s Office. Give them your name, location, nature of the emergency and other information requested.
    • If you should see a suspicious object or package, call the Frontier County Sheriff’s Office.  Do not touch, tamper, or move the object or package
    • If instructed, evacuate the building.  Do not re-enter until an “All Clear” is issued by emergency personnel.

Pandemic

  • A pandemic is a global disease outbreak. An influenza pandemic occurs when a new influenza A virus emerges for which there is little or no immunity in the human population, and the virus begins to cause serious illness, then spreads easily person-to-person worldwide.
  • If a pandemic occurs, it is expected that it will have world-wide impact with an unpredictable timeline, comprising multiple fast spreading events or waves.  Major disruptions are likely for health care, transportation, infrastructure, education, suppliers and other public services.  Although physical facilities will not be damaged, human resources will be affected, with high levels of absences from the work site.  An informed and prepared public can take appropriate actions to decrease their risk during a pandemic. To be prepared for such an emergency;
    • Create a home emergency plan.
    • Have necessary preparedness items on stock at home (food, water, medicines)  A preparedness list can be found at http://www.swhealth.ne.gov/
    • Talk with your local public health officials and health care providers, who can supply information about the signs and symptoms of a specific disease outbreak and recommend prevention and control action.
    • Adopt business/school practices that encourage sick employees/students to stay home.
    • Prioritize job duties to anticipate how to function with a significant decrease in your workforce.
    • Develop guidelines to modify face-to-face contacts.
    • Limit / discontinue travel for campus business.
    • Discontinue extracurricular events and large gatherings.
    • Practice good health habits, including eating a balanced diet, exercising daily, and getting sufficient rest. In addition, take common-sense steps to stop the spread of germs, including frequent hand washing, covering coughs and sneezes and staying away from others as much as possible when you are sick.

Active Shooter

  • Upon the first sighting or sounds of shots fired, individuals need to assess their surroundings and determine their safest response.
  • If shots are heard away from your location and you perceive you have a safe way to exit (in the opposite direction of the shots and the shooter) do so. Once out immediately call 911 and give them detail information about the situation.
  • If it is not safe or the only exit is towards the shots and the shooter, immediately secure your area
    • lock and barricade doors
    • turn off lights
    • close blinds
    • block windows
    • turn off radios (anything that makes noise) and computer monitors
    • keep occupants calm, quiet and out of sight
    • keep yourself out of sight and take adequate cover/protection i.e. concert walls, thick desks, filing cabinet (cover may protect you from bullets)
    • silence cell phones
    • if safe to do so, as quietly as possible have one person call 911
    • give detailed information about the situation
    • stay alert and adjust your plan as the situation changes
  • Un-securing an area
    • Do not un-secure the room you are in until law enforcement instruct you to do so.
    • Remember, the shooter will typically not stop until they are engaged by an outside force or run out of ammunition.
    • Attempt to rescue people should only be attempted if it can be accomplished without further endangering the persons inside your secured area.
      • What to report
        • your specific location, building name and office/room number
        • what specifically is happening
        • Assailant(s) location, number of suspects, race/gender, clothing description, physical features, type of weapons (long gun or hand gun), backpack, shooters identify if known, separate explosions from gunfire, etc…
        • number of people at your specific location
        • injuries - number injured, types of injuries
        • be aware the 911 system may become overwhelmed
  • Shelter-in-Place
    • Shelter-in-place order
      • Shelter-in-place orders will be made by the Dean or his/her designee or by the direction of the City of Curtis.
      • In situations where rapid deployment of shelter-in-place is critical to ensure the continued health and safety of the community, the on-scene command has authority to order the shelter-in-place.
      • Shelter-in-place area definition:  The definition of the area to be sheltered will be determined by those officials recommended or ordering the shelter-in-place based on the advice of appropriate advisory agencies.
  • Public notification
    • Shelter-in-Place Warning - All possible warning modes will be utilized to direct the affected population to shelter-in-place. This includes the use of phone, e-mail and text message. NCTA will also post information on the Campus web page, if possible. Whenever possible, the campus building evacuation personnel will walk through the building going door to door to notify occupants.
  • Public Information - The office of Media Relations will ensure that emergency information is disseminated to the media in a timely manner. Instructions to the public and situation update will be issued as the information becomes available.
  • Building emergency personnel
    • For the purpose of this plan, emergency personnel and their alternate have been selected to ensure that building sheltering is carried out as planned.
  • Procedures
    • Upon notification of sheltering in place, emergency personnel will complete the job tasks listed above. It is the responsibility of all building occupants to follow any emergency directions and immediately proceed to a safe location within the building. Faculty are responsible for dismissing their classes and relaying all emergency directions to their students. NCTA employees and students are responsible for relaying all emergency directions to their visitors/customers.
    • Contract workers will be made familiar with the procedure outlined herein and are expected to shelter upon notification.
    • Designated essential personnel needed to continue or shut down critical operations while a shelter-in-place is underway are responsible for recognizing and/or determining when to abandon the operation and shelter themselves.
  • Sheltering Instructions by types
    • If sheltering for a tornado, go to the predetermined tornado shelter in your building.
    • If you are sheltering due to a civil disturbance/hostage/active shooter situation;
      • lock and barricade doors
      • turn off lights
      • close the blinds
      • block any windows
      • turn off or silence anything that makes noise - radios, cell phones and computers
      • keep yourself and occupants calm, quiet and out of sight
      • take adequate cover/protection i.e. concrete walls, thick desks, filing cabinet (cover may protect you from bullets)
      • as quietly as possible have one person call 911 -  give detailed information about the situation
      • stay alert and adjust your plan as the situation changes
  • If you are sheltering due to hazardous materials, harmful contaminants or weather conditions
    • close and lock all windows, exterior doors and any other opening to the outside
    • close window shades, blinds or curtains
    • if possible seal gaps around doors and windows
    • select an interior room above the ground floor, with the fewest windows or vents
    • avoid overcrowding and avoid rooms with mechanical equipment
    • close the interior door to the room you are sheltering in
    • shut down all experiments
    • consider having a room with a standard landline phone available in case radios or cell phone systems fail during the emergency
    • separate anyone showing obvious symptoms of exposure to a contaminant from others
    • wash/shower with soap and water and place contaminated clothing in a sealed bag, if possible
  • Disability Procedures
    • Any person unable to shelter-in-place or who needs assistance with sheltering-in-place should inform a building occupant or a floor monitor. Move to an interior room. If it is unsafe to do so, remain in your office/classroom/residence.
    • Supervisory personnel and course instructors are responsible for identifying and escorting to safety individuals with disabilities located in their offices/classrooms, if possible.
  • Access Control
    • If possible building emergency personnel will lock all building outside doors to limit access to the building when necessary.
  • Re-Entry
    • Remain indoors until “All Clear” message is received and then follow any directions given. If needed maintenance will inspect campus buildings and property to ensure they are able to be utilized after a shelter-in-place event.