AED Locations on Campus

Building Evacuation Instructions

Campus Evacuation Instructions

Emergency Safety Tips

Floor Marshal List By Building

Home Emergency Plan

Post-Emergency Psychological Counseling

Shelter In Place

Building Evacuation Instructions

• Actively participate in emergency drills.
• Follow the instructions that will be given to you by your Floor Marshal.
• Know at least two evacuation routes for your building, and know your assembly area. 
• ALWAYS respond to alarms.  Do not assume it is a false alarm.  Evacuate the building immediately. (In addition to keeping yourself safe, you should be aware that it is illegal under city ordinance to stay inside a building when the alarm is sounding. You could be assessed a fine of $1000 if you do. )
• Take your coat, keys, medication, etc., in the event you are not able to get back into the building quickly.
• Do not stop once outside the building. Move away from the door and proceed to your designated assembly area. Remain there for further instructions.
• Do not re-enter the building until told to do so by the responding agency (usually the City of Pittsburgh Fire Dept.).  Remember that silencing an alarm does not mean the building is necessarily safe to reenter.
• Know how and when to use a fire extinguisher.  If you do not know how, contact Environmental Health and Safety (8-8182) for information and training.
• Be prepared to assist disabled coworkers, or workers who may not be fluent in English.
• Do not expect emergency responders to have the time to answer your questions.  Stay out of their way and allow them to do their jobs.
• Be familiar with the campus evacuation plan, in the event that it becomes necessary to evacuate the campus.

Campus Evacuation Instructions

Should it become necessary to evacuate the campus, an announcement will be made by the President of the university. Please follow these instructions carefully so the evacuation can be completed as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Remain calm. Evacuate immediately and take only necessary items with you.

Evacuation Centers

Rodef Shalom Temple, Fifth & Morewood (use unless that facility is also affected by the emergency)

• Heinz Field
• PAT East Liberty Garage
• Mt. Lebanon School District

If you have access to a vehicle, use it to leave campus immediately.

If you do not have a vehicle, or if you have no place to evacuate to, proceed to the designated area (see below).

Once at an evacuation center, remain there until instructed otherwise. 

If you have special needs (e.g., medication or health concerns) let someone at the evacuation center know as soon as you arrive. We will accommodate you to the extent practical.

Information will be made available via the official university call-in number (412-268-2000), the university electronic bboard official.cmu-news, and the news media. Announcements will also be updated periodically at the evacuation centers.

If Rodef Shalom Temple is available (Availability will be made known through your Facility Coordinators):

Proceed in orderly manner to the temple, where temple personnel will direct you to an assembly area. Access vans will be available on Margaret Morrison Street for those unable to walk to Fifth & Morewood.

If Rodef Shalom Temple is not available:

Proceed to either of the following bus pickup locations: Margaret Morrison Street at Margaret Morrison Carnegie Hall

Schenley Drive, at Flagstaff Hill in Schenley Park (across from Phipps Conservatory)

Port Authority buses will take you to one of the designated evacuation centers. Access vans will be available for those who require assistance.

Children from the Children’s School in Margaret Morrison Carnegie Hall will be boarding special buses at the Margaret Morrison Street pickup location, and children from the Cyert Center for Early Education in Morewood Gardens will be boarding their buses at the bus stop at Forbes and Morewood. These buses will be going to a different location. Please do not try to board these buses or interfere with their evacuation in any way.

Emergency Safety Tips

Emergency Tips - General  

• Maintain perspective.  Don’t ignore warnings, but don’t let them cause you to panic.  The actual likelihood of a terrorist incident at CMU is much lower than the likelihood of a fire or chemical spill in one of our labs.
• Be aware of your surroundings.  Don’t be afraid to leave if you are uncomfortable with a situation.
• Take precautions when traveling. Watch for suspicious behavior, unattended packages, or strange devices, and report them to police. Do not leave luggage unattended, and don’t accept packages from strangers.
• Wherever you are, whether at work or traveling, know where the emergency exits are located.  Think about how you will get out in an emergency, even if you are in a place you’ve never been before.  
• Be prepared to do without services we all have come to take for granted:  electricity, water, telephones, gasoline pumps, heat, ATM machines, etc.  Develop an alternate plan for how you will cope without these services.
• Always respond to official announcements, and follow the instructions you will be given.
• Do not touch suspicious mail or packages.  Report them immediately.  Clear the area, and do not stand near windows or other breakable items if there appears to be a possibility of an explosion.
• If you become trapped in debris, do not light a match.  Cover your mouth with a handkerchief or piece of clothing to aid breathing.  Rhythmically tap on a pipe or wall to alert rescuers to your location.
• If you feel the need to talk to someone, even before an emergency strikes, remember that Carnegie Mellon has an active counseling program.  Faculty and staff can call the LifeWorks Employee Assistance Program at 1-888-267-8126 for confidential help.  Students can receive the same type of assistance by contacting the Student Services Response Team at 268-2922

Home Emergency Plan

• Talk to officials at your children's’ schools so you know ahead of time what their policies are with respect to dismissal during emergencies. 
• Develop a disaster plan for your home. 
• Identify meeting places should family members become separated.
• Identify a friend or relative who lives out of the area for separated family members to call to say they are OK.
• Develop an emergency telephone list and be sure every family member has a copy. 
• Be sure all family members know where all utility shutoffs are in your home, and how to operate them.
• Set up a procedure to help family members or neighbors who may need assistance
• Make arrangements ahead of time for pets (they may not be permitted in emergency shelters)
• If you are required to evacuate, use only one vehicle, to reduce traffic congestion and to keep the family together.  Follow designated routes.
• Review insurance policies before an emergency develops and update as necessary.
• Put together an emergency kit.  Keep everything together so it can be quickly gathered and thrown into your car if you have to evacuate.  Include the following:
• 1 gal water/person/day (3 days)
• Food for same period (if using canned goods, include MANUAL can opener)
• 1st Aid Kit Extra prescription medicines, glasses, contact lenses
• Battery operated radio with extra batteries Flashlight with extra batteries
• Matches in waterproof container
• Duct tape, scissors, plastic sheeting
• Mess kits or paper plates, cups, utensils
• Extra medicine
• Small fire extinguisher
• Signal flares, whistle
• Extra car and house keys
• Sanitary items (toilet paper, towelettes, soap, disinfectant, etc.)
• Personal ID, cash, traveler’s checks, credit or debit card
• Copies of important papers (will, insurance policies, passport, birth certificates, bank account numbers, powers of attorney, etc.).  Place these in a waterproof container.
• Emergency contact list, with phone numbers
• Blankets, sleeping bags, pillows, extra clothing
• Road maps
• Toys and games to keep children occupied, as well as baby food and diapers, if they are infants. 
• Food and water for pets, for emergencies that require you to remain in your home.
• Talk honestly with your children.  Keep them informed without raising undue concerns.  Watch for distress signs and give them reassurance.  Try to keep them from seeing graphic depictions of the emergency on television, especially repeat showings.  Children may not realize that the disaster is not really occurring again with each viewing.

Post-Emergency Psychological Counseling

Recognizing that traumatic events often produce short and long term psychological concerns, counseling will be offered to all students, faculty, and staff who desire such intervention. This service will be offered as soon as practical after the emergency is concluded.

Student counseling is handled through the Student Services Response Team. Faculty and staff can obtain confidential assistance through the LifeWorks Employee Assistance Program at 1-888-267-8126.

Sheltering in Place

If an emergency dictates that it will be safest for everyone to remain inside, no alarm will sound. Instructions will come from Floor Marshals. REMAIN CALM and:

• Stay inside the building you are in, even if you do not normally work in that building. Do not attempt to get back to your office.
• If outside, get into the nearest building until told it is safe to leave.
• Close and lock exterior doors and windows to provide a more positive seal. Seal vents, gaps around doors and windows, if necessary.
• Close blinds and drapes. Stay away from windows or objects that could fall or become projectiles.
• If instructed to begin shutting down experiments, do so immediately. This directive will not be given unless there is a legitimate need.
• Turn off all local ventilation, fans, fume hoods, window air conditioners, etc.
• Be prepared to relocate, according to the Floor Marshals’ instructions.
• Begin shutting down experiments, as directed by Floor Marshals.
• Do not leave the building until told it is safe to do so.

Weather-related

Tornado, severe high wind warning:

• Go to low area of building, interior rooms or hallways
• Windowless area if possible, minimal material that could become projectile

Flood:

• Go to higher area of building (2 nd floor or higher)

Hurricane:

• Above 2 nd floor, to avoid having people in potentially flooded areas
• Interior rooms or hallways
• Windowless area if possible, minimal material that could become projectile

Biological, Chemical, or Radiological release (will depend on type of release)

 If material will sink (heavier than air):

• Go to higher area of building, beginning with top floor and working downward
• Seal exterior windows and doors
• Turn off local ventilation (fans, air conditioners, etc.)

If material will rise (lighter than air):

• Go to lower area of building, beginning with bottom floor and working upward
• Seal exterior windows and doors
• Turn off local ventilation (fans, air conditioners, etc.)

Gunman or Civil Unrest

Hallways are not to be used unless they can be locked at both ends and made inaccessible from outside (don’t overlook elevator access).

If time permits, those in ground level rooms with window access should move to another area of building.

Use lockable rooms, windowless if possible, or at least equipped with blinds or drapes. If door has window, those inside should position themselves where they are out of sight if the room is viewed through the window.

Personnel should turn off lights, barricade door, stay away from windows.

Rules of thumb:

A 10’ x 10’ room (100 square feet) will hold 10-15 people comfortably in an emergency. For shorter periods of time, more people will fit into the same space.

A narrow hallway where only one side is usable for shelter can comfortably hold 4-5 people per every 10 feet. For shorter periods of time, more people will fit into the same space.

A wider hallway where both sides can be used for shelter can comfortably hold 8-10 people per every 10 feet (people lined against both walls). If hallway is wide enough that additional persons can be sheltered down the center of the hallway, it can comfortably hold 12-15 people per 10 feet of hallway length. For shorter periods of time, more people will fit into the same space.