Emergency Action Plan

This Emergency Action Plan is intended to be used to protect all building occupants from serious injury, property loss, or loss of life in the event of an actual or potential major disaster. 

Unsafe Condition
If you observe an unsafe condition that poses a threat of injury or property damage, you should contact the Office of Environmental Health and Safety at 881-7602 or via email at safety@utm.edu.

If the situation is critical and needs immediate attention, call the Department of Public Safety at 7777 or contact the Elam Center facility manager at 881-7718. All unsafe conditions should be reported to avoid injury or property damage.

Power Failure
Emergency lights will come on when a break in power occurs. If the lights fail to come back on, notify Public Safety at 7777 and Maintenance at 7640.  Stop activities until power returns. 

Fights
If you observe a fight or altercation, contact the Department of Public Safety at 7777.

Injury or Illness
In the event that you respond to an injury during your employment with the University, the following protocol should be followed:
For minor injuries, you should:

• Administer first aid and fill out an Accident Report.
• Do not give out any type of medication such as anti-bacterial ointment, Tylenol, etc.
• You can help stop bleeding, give a band-aid, or give the victim a bag of ice.

For a seriously ill or injured person, you should:

• Follow the American Red Cross Emergency Action Steps: CHECK, CALL, CARE to assess the injured participant and care for the conditions that you find.
• Call 911 or instruct another employee or bystander to call. Notify the appropriate professional staff member of the situation. Make sure that the employee/bystander waits to verify the 911 call has been completed and comes back to notify you when all calls have been completed.
• Give the 911 operator as much information as possible about the injury or illness and the location of the victim.
• Instruct another employee or bystander to get the AED and bring it back to your location, if needed. (AED’s are located next to pool entrance and on Fieldhouse walk/jog balcony)
• Move an injured victim only if:
•  The scene is unsafe or becoming unsafe.
• Another victim must be reached who may have a more serious injury or illness.
• To provide proper care (i.e. someone has collapsed on a stairway and needs CPR, which must be performed, flat surface).
• Restrict participant use of the affected area(s).
• Remain with the person until the police or emergency medical personnel arrive.
• If the injured person is an employee, contact their supervisor as soon as possible.
• Ensure that all witnesses remain at the scene of the accident. Get detailed witness statements from anyone who saw what happened.
• Ensure that all documentation is completed and that all paper documentation is given to professional staff.

Non-Emergency ‘on the job’ employee injuries

• Report the accident/injury to your supervisor immediately.
• SEEK NECESSARY TREATMENT from the UTM Student Health Clinic during the regular workday, or the Emergency Room at Volunteer Community Hospital, if necessary, after regular work hours. (If further medical attention is deemed necessary, a list of approved Workers’ Comp specialists can be found on the following website: http://tn-admin.prime-health.net/provider_search.aspx or call Sedgwick CMS at 1-800-526-2305.
• COMPLETE AND SIGN the State of Tennessee Report Form immediately and return it to your supervisor. Your supervisor will also sign the Accident Report, complete a separate Supervisor’s Report and an Initial Medical Information Checklist, and send all forms to the Workers’ Comp representative in the Office of Human Resources.
• For necessary forms and further information, go to: http://www.utm.edu/departments/finadmin/personnel/workerscomp.php

Tornado Information

Tornadoes can happen at any time. However, tornadoes are most likely to occur in the late afternoon on a hot spring day. The Department of Public Safety will monitor weather conditions and call to alert the Office of Campus Recreation from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm and Rec. Check from 5:00 – 10:00 pm to notify of watch or warning being issued.
Tornado Watch – Conditions are favorable for tornadoes to develop. Listen for further instruction and/or the sounding of tornado sirens. Stay alert for sudden strong winds, rain, hail, or a funnel-shaped cloud. BE PREPARED TO TAKE SHELTER.
Tornado Warning – A tornado has actually been sighted or indicated on radar. TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY! All employees should secure their offices (if time allows) and take the shortest route to designated safe zones. Supervisors shall see that work areas are evacuated and all staff have vacated offices.

In the event of a Tornado, the following safety procedures are recommended:

• Avoid upper floors and especially the top floor of a multi-story building whenever possible. The upper floors receive the full force of the winds.
• Spaces in basement areas are better than locations on any other floor.
• Interior spaces – seek out spaces that form a part of a protected interior core, if possible.
• Avoid rooms with exterior walls, especially those facing south and west. Rooms facing north usually receive the least damage of all exterior rooms.
• A room that is completely interior protects against flying debris.
• Avoid interior partitions that contain glass.
• Avoid rooms containing windows.
• Avoid rooms with wide roofs that could collapse easily, such as the gym or pool area.
• People should be sitting with their faces to the wall, with their heads down, knees up and arms protecting their bodies and heads.
• If you are outside and you cannot get inside, crouch for protection beside a strong structure, or lie flat in a ditch or low-lying area and cover your head and neck with your arms or a piece of clothing.

Note: The Department of Public Safety gives the all-clear notification. Campus Recreation employees will assist in notifying patrons once word is received from Public Safety.

Tornado Watch/Warning Evacuation Plan

• The Department of Public Safety will monitor weather conditions utilizing the following resources to predict the potential for weather conditions causing the issuance of a tornado watch or warning.

NOAA Weather Alert Radios
            Weather Alert Web Sites
            National Weather Service Alerts over Law Enforcement Inter-Agency Alert    Systems
            National and Local Television/Radio Stations
            Local Emergency Management Alert Systems

• When weather conditions merit the issuance of such a watch/warning, the Department of Public Safety will by radio, telephone, and/or word-of-mouth:

Notify Campus Recreation and the Athletic/Health and Human Performance Departments in the Elam Center that a tornado watch has been issued and to be prepared to move to designated shelter areas if a warning is issued.

Those shelter areas are located in the basement area of the Skyhawk Field House, the basketball hallway (not the dressing rooms) and the racquetball hallway (not the courts) of the Elam Center. (Reference attached Elam Center Disaster Plan for more specific details.)

If the weather condition can be predicted far enough in advance, coordination between the Campus Recreation/Athletic/Health and Human Performance Departments and Public Safety will occur to possibly postpone, re-locate, or re-schedule any event that may be impacted.

• If a tornado warning is issued, the Department of Public Safety will notify the Elam Center occupants to move all personnel to the designated shelter areas. Refer to appendices to view evacuation routes.

• The Department of Public Safety will advise the Elam Center Occupants when the tornado warning is cancelled and it is safe to return to normal activities.

Fire Evacuation
If you smell smoke or other unusual odors suggesting a possible fire, immediately call the Department of Public Safety at 7777 and notify the Office of Campus Recreation at 7745. If you discover an actual fire situation, you should:

• Alert other building occupants by immediately sounding the building fire alarm. To do this, pull a wall-mounted fire alarm pull station.
• Dial 911 and provide the location of the fire.
• Evacuate the building through the nearest exit. DO NOT USE THE ELEVATORS. Most stairways are protected from smoke and are the safest way out of the building.

Never assume a fire alarm is false. If you hear a fire alarm sounding, exit the building immediately. DO NOT re-enter the building until told it is safe to do so by either the police or the fire department.

Earthquake Procedures
During an earthquake the following is recommended:

• First and foremost, stay calm. Think through the consequences of any action you take.
• If you are outdoors, stay outdoors: if you are indoors, stay indoors. Most injuries during quakes occur as people are entering or leaving buildings.
• If you are indoors, take cover under a heavy desk or table, in doorways, halls or against inside walls. Stay away from glass.
• If you are outdoors, move away from buildings and utility wires. The greatest danger comes from falling debris just outside of doorways or outer walls. Once in the open, stay there until shaking stops.

After an Earthquake:

• Be prepared for additional earthquake shocks called “after shocks”. Although most of these are smaller than the main shock, some may be large enough to cause additional damage.
• Stay out of severely damaged buildings. After shocks can shake them down.
• Check for injuries. Don’t attempt to move seriously injured persons unless they are in immediate danger of further injury.
• Don’t smoke. A cigarette could ignite gas leaks and cause an explosion. Don’t use candles, matches, or other open flames because of possible gas leaks. Douse all fires. Don’t turn on the lights.

Bomb Threat
In the event you receive a Bomb Threat, remain calm and get as much information in regard to the following:

• Document exact words of caller.
• Ask questions of the caller concerning the bomb.
• Who are you?
• What type of device is it?
• When is it set to explode?
• Where is it placed?
• Get description of caller.
• Male or Female
• Young, old, middle aged, or accent
• Tone of voice, speech impediment
• Is voice familiar?
• Who did it sound like?
• Time caller hung up
• Background noises
• Remarks
• Contact the Department of Public Safety immediately and give them any information you were able to obtain from the caller, as well as what time you received the call and where you are calling from.
• Inform your supervisor or department head.
• The police and the building manager will be responsible for building evacuation.
• If you are instructed to evacuate the building, move a safe distance away from the building. Do not re-enter the building until told that it is safe to do so by authorized personnel.
• If you should see a suspicious object or package, report it to the Department of Public Safety. DO NOT TOUCH it or move it in any way.

Missing or Lost Child

• If someone reports a child is missing, immediately contact the nearest professional staff member or supervisor on duty.
• Get a detailed description of the child from the reporting person: what he or she is wearing, who is responsible for the child, and the child’s parent/guardian’s name if different from that of the child or reporting person.
• Professional Staff and/or Supervisor will begin looking in the facility for the child.
• As designated, all available employees will monitor main entrances to the facility.
• If the child is not found within 3 to 5 minutes or if there is immediate indication that the child may have been abducted, contact the Department of Public Safety at 7777.
• The person reporting the missing child must remain on site to assist staff and speak with the Public Safety Officer responding to the emergency.
• If the child is found and appears to have been lost and unharmed, the child is reunited with the searching family member or guardian. Document who the child was turned over to.
• If the child is found accompanied by someone other than a parent or legal guardian, reasonable efforts to delay their departure will be used without putting the child, staff, or visitors at risk.  If possible, follow the person at a safe distance and record the direction of travel and any vehicle information if applicable. Public Safety will be notified and given details about the person accompanying the child.

Appendices

• Elam Center Tornado Evacuation – Large Event
• Elam Center Tornado Evacuation – Small Event