Lockdown Alarm
The lockdown alarm will sound when the campus is notified of possible shootings or a dangerous situation occurs in the areas surrounding or on the campus. Each alert is to be taken as an authentic threat and everyone on campus is to carry out the following procedures.
What should I do?
Everyone must seek shelter or a safe area and await further instructions.
- If you are inside, lock or barricade access to your area, close blinds, turn off lights and avoid being directly in view of doors and windows and stay as low to the ground as possible. Keep quiet and act as if no one is in your area. Do not open the door for anyone.
- If outside, hide and stay out of view as much as possible. The objective is to have no people visible. This may mean taking shelter in the nearest building or hiding between cars in the parking lot.
- There will be many activities taking place during a lockdown event. In addition to seeking safe haven as instructed above, DPS and staff will be executing planned procedures to ensure your safety.
- Campus leaders will execute "internal to campus" call down procedures to call by phone all areas of the campus.
- Building coordinators, floor monitors, custodians, public safety officers, and maintenance employees will fan out and lock building doors, and encourage people to take shelter.
- Staff in areas with roll up doors/truck doors should close and lock those doors.
How do I know when it is safe?
The alert will sound continuously until DPS issues the "All Clear". When the “All Clear” message is heard, students and staff may return to class, work, etc.
- Do not sound the fire alarm to evacuate the building. People may be placed in harm's way when they are attempting to evacuate the building. If a fire alarm does go off during a lockdown, do not evacuate unless you smell smoke.
- Be aware of alternate exits if it becomes necessary to flee. Persons should lock themselves in classrooms, dorm rooms, and offices as a means of protection.
- Persons should stay low, away from windows and barricade their door(s) if possible and use furniture or desks as cover.
- Cover any windows or openings that have a direct line of sight into the hallway.
- Shut the blinds or pull the shades down. Turn off the lights and try to give the impression that the room is empty.
- Put your cell phones on vibrate.
- Do not make any noise.
- Students and staff should not attempt to leave the building until told to do so by DPS/ Police personnel. The exception to this is when a person believes that they are in more danger in staying in the building than in attempting to escape.
- If you are outside of a building when a lockdown is announced, if it is safe to do so, run into the nearest building and follow the above lockdown instructions. If it is not safe to run into a building or the building is already locked, hide behind a large heavy object (i.e. vehicle, tree).