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Evacuations

 

EVACUATION INFORMATION

 

  • Situations requiring evacuation could include but are not limited to the following:

  • Natural gas leak

  • Flammable liquid spill/and or release

  • Bomb threat

  • Power failure

  • Hostage situation

  • Hazardous chemical spill/and or release

  • Tornadoes

  • Flooding

  • Winter storms

 

In the event of a fire alarm, University Police are dispatched to the location of the alarm to lead the evacuation effort.  In the event of fire, elevators are not to be used.

  

RELOCATION/EVACUATION OPERATING PROCEDURES FOR RESIDENCE HALL

 The following represents a general strategy to be employed in the event a student residence hall become uninhabitable due to events such as fire, flood, contamination or loss of critical services. The type of response will be determined by the extent of the emergency.

EVACUATION PROCEDURES    

  1. Units first on the scene must decide whether immediate evacuation is necessary or not. This decision can be made independently, in consultation with other officers, or by information received at the scene.

  1. Immediately designate the area to be evacuated. The evacuation will require a door-to-door check of the facility.  IMPORTANT NOTE: If a working fire, smoke or other evidence of combustion is present, under no circumstances will anyone except fire service personnel equipped with self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) enter any structure.  Should any occupant refuse to evacuate, continue the evacuation and time permitting, return to the refusal site, obtain name and advise disciplinary action will be taken.

  2. Move all evacuees to a staging area, and begin a census, to establish that the evacuation is complete

  1. Upon notification of the need for an evacuation, the telecommunications center will notify the Director of Public Safety – Chief of Police or his/her designee.  (An exception to this is in the case of a fire alarm, the Director of Public Safety – Chief of Police or his/her designee will be notified only after an actual emergency is verified.)

NOTE: It is standard policy that a general evacuation takes place in each event of a fire alarm.

 

EVACUATION OF THE PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED

In the event that physically challenged individuals are involved in an evacuation effort, the UTSA Police Officers at the scene will make every attempt to lead them to safety. As a precaution, wheel chair users are housed on the ground level floor.  Hearing impaired students have TTY phone capability in their rooms and strobe lights are connected to the fire alarm system. The Disability coordinator should be consulted in developing a plan for these evacuations. Have this individual evaluate residence halls to determine if they qualify as requiring areas of rescue assistance.

EVACUATION OF PERSONS IN WHEELCHAIRS

Evac-Chair  emergency  wheelchair devices  are located on  the  fourth floor  stairwell of each building at the 1604 campus, Downtown campus and the Institute of Texan Cultures. The Evac-Chairs are specifically designed to allow an emergency responder the ability to assist wheelchair users during evacuations down several flights of stairs with ease. Evac-Chair Locations

PROCEDURES FOR USE OF THE EVAC-CHAIRS:

  1. During a building evacuation, the floor safety monitor will direct or assist persons in wheelchairs to a safe stairwell.

  2. The floor safety monitor will call the University Police Dispatch Office and give the dispatcher the individual’s name and the location of the stairwell.

  3. A police officer or other UTSA emergency responder will be notified to proceed to the fourth level of the affected building to obtain the Evac-chair.

  4. The emergency responder will proceed to the stairwell where the individual is located and evacuate him / her to the designated assembly area. The individual’s wheelchair will be left in the stairwell.

  5. If time and circumstances allow, the emergency responder will return the Evac-Chair to the original storage location or reuse the device to assist other persons as needed.

  6. Once the building has been deemed safe for re-entry, the individual will contact the University Police or the building evacuation captain for assistance in retrieving his / her wheelchair.

SHORT TERM EVACUATIONS

  1. Students are moved to the nearest safe designated assembly area.

  2. Auxiliary support services are employed (emergency food, showers, medical or disability related needs are arranged as needed with other campus services.)

MEDIUM TERM EVACUATIONS

  1. Students will be directed to a pre-determined large building out of the affected area. When necessary, the local chapter of the American Red Cross is a resource for such items as cots and blankets.

  2. Students are assigned to other university public area spaces that can be satisfactorily arranged.

  3. Students are assigned to vacant spaces in an unaffected housing area.

  4. Students are evacuated to local hotels.

LONG TERM EVACUATIONS

  1. All items, (numbers 1-4) under Medium Term Evacuations are initiated unless a substantial part of the campus is under an evacuation order.

  2. In the event that the university classes remain in sessions and a significant portion of the residence facilities are inaccessible, arrangements will be made with  local hotels or motels for student housing. 

 

EVACUATIONS TO OFF-CAMPUS FACILITIES

In most cases evacuees will be relocated to another shelter on campus. If necessary, the Parking and Transportation Manager may be contacted for the use of UTSA shuttles and private rental vehicles.

BUSES AVAILABLE FOR EVACUATION USE

In the space provided below, a list of available buses for transporting evacuees may be recorded. For these resources, consider:

_____ UTSA Shuttle Buses (30 passengers with wheelchair lifts) (210-458-4288)

_____ UTHSC Shuttle Busses  (210-567-2800)

_____Additional Busses may be contracted through local rental agencies, as needed

_____Rental companies:     Rent-A-Van -  (210-340-7982)

                                            Blue Bonnet – (210-342-8666)

                                              San Antonio City Tours – (210-212-5395)                      

 

REFUGE SHELTERS

Structures available locally to the UTSA Community in case of an emergency requiring shelter are:

The structures named below are of concrete construction with masonry walls.  The best location in these buildings is the lowest level because of the lack of windows.

NOTE:  If the emergency condition is near one of the below mentioned refuge shelters, other shelters outside of the exclusion zone will be used.

 

In the event of a major emergency within the City of San Antonio that requires the establishment of emergency shelters, The American Red Cross will designate such shelters.  News announcements will be made via local radio and TV stations advising the public of the designated shelters within each geographical area (City of San Antonio Emergency Management Plan, July 2001).

Structures available locally to the UTSA community:

  1. UTSA 1604 Campus

            ______   John Peace Library

            ______   Science Building

            ______   Multidisciplinary Studies

            ______   Humanities and Social Studies

  1. UTSA Downtown Campus

            ______   Frio Street Building

            ______   Buena Vista Street Bldg

            ______  Durango Street Bldg

  1. Institute of Texan Cultures

 

NOTE:   Refuge should be taken on the lower interior levels of these buildings.  DO NOT ASSEMBLE NEAR LARGE GLASS AREAS WITHIN THE BUILDINGS.  Interior offices without windows offer adequate protection in most cases.

 

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