Students, Faculty, Staff and Family Members/Caregivers!

Emergency Preparedness Guide

Emergency preparedness is about being ready when an emergency happens, as well as learning from any past experiences, and so preparing yourself for the next event. During the time of an emergency it takes ongoing effort from the student, and all of UAF faculty and staff to put an effective emergency preparedness plan in place.

As you are your own best first responder, you know the best what you will need during an emergency or time of crisis. Because emergency situations can be intimidating, Disability Services (DS) recommends that all students, faculty and staff, as well as family members and caregivers, review this guide. So students are prepared to manage emergencies, and that UAF employees can successfully assist students with disabilities during an emergency. ​

UAF Students

Because students are their best first responder, students can prepare themselves the best for potential emergency situations by developing a personal emergency plan. When developing this plan, there are a few key points students should keep in mind. These key points are:

  • Specific evacuation plans that fit the students' needs.
  • Sheltering procedures put in place.
  • Ways to communicate effectively in the event of an emergency.

In the case of an emergency, each individual should be able to:

  • Know their exact location.
  • Know where the nearest exit and fire alarm are located.
  • Be prepared to communicate with others. This includes:
    • Have emergency phone numbers saved in your phone or on another accessible device.
    • Make sure you are able to receive messages from the UAF Alert System.
    • Be ready to inform emergency personnel of your exact location.
  • Determine what you will need at a temporary shelter:
    • 1-2 days of medications
    • 1-2 days of necessary medical supplies
    • A backup power supply for electronic devices.
    • Food for a service animal.
    • An emergency preparedness kit. Things it might include:
    • Allergen-free food items
    • Bottled water
  • Have an accessible evacuation route planned out:
    • Determine if you will need assistance evacuating.
    • Identify if you will need any assistance evacuating a location. We recommend you have two assistants who would be able to provide assistance during an emergency. These assistants should be a friend, who is likely to be in the same building as you. Identify at least two assistants who are willing and able to provide you with assistance during an emergency. 
    • In the event you cannot evacuate safely, independently or with assistance, identify the safest location/areas of refuge, where you can wait for the assistance of emergency personnel. For more information on evacuation assistance, please Contact Us to set up a meeting.

If assistance is required we recommend that all students, faculty and staff keeps these steps in mind:

  • Students should, if possible, request assistance from friends, colleagues or UAF employees at a discussed location, then students and the assistants often visit. Make sure to communicate what kind of assistance is needed and how others can assist. It is also important that the selected assistants are able to physically assist the student, and that they communicate with the student if they are unable to do so. 
  • Familiarize yourself with the buildings you frequent. Practice using each of the possible evacuation routes. Check for obstacles, if possible. Remember: smoke, debris, flooding, loss of electricity, or other impediments may be present. Have a plan in place for these occurrences. Elevators are not safe to use for fire evacuations.
  • If you are unable to evacuate the building, seek a location that provides refuge. Call 911 for emergency assistance and/or inform another evacuee of your location. Possible refuge areas:
    • Enclosed stairwells that do not impede the evacuation process of others.
    • An adjoining building behind fire doors.
    • An office with a closed door, located a safe distance from the hazard.
    • Exit balconies and/or corridors. 
  • It is important that you notify emergency responders immediately about your location and the conditions inside of the building.

We advise students and UAF employees to make sure to practice your evacuation plan. This is the best way to discover unanticipated issues and solve them before, instead of during an emergency.

Faculty, Staff and Evacuation Assistants

DS recommends that all faculty, staff and evacuation assistants be aware of students who could require assistance in the case of an emergency. You can assist students with disabilities in an emergency in the following ways:

  • Ensure that students are aware of the emergency and what is happening. Do not assume that students might know what is happening by watching others around them. Make sure to inform students who are deaf, hard of hearing and/or blind individually. 
  • Before attempting to offer assistance, always ask an individual with a disability how you can best assist them and whether there are any special considerations that should be made or items that need to come with them.
  • You may assist in evacuating individuals with disabilities if it does not place you in personal danger.
  • Assist individuals who are unable to use the stairs by guiding them to a location that provides refuge and notifying 911 of the individual's location. Possible refuge areas:
    • Enclosed stairwells that do not impede the evacuation process of others.
    • An adjoining building behind fire doors.
    • An office with a closed door, located a safe distance from the hazard.
    • Exit balconies and/or corridors. 
  • If on the ground floor, most people with disabilities will be able to exit safely without any assistance. However, it is important to verify that individuals using any kind of assistive device are capable of successfully leaving the building unassisted, via emergency routes.

We advise students and UAF employees to make sure to practice your evacuation plan. This is the best way to discover unanticipated issues and solve them before, instead of during an emergency.

Friends, Family Members and/or Caregivers

As a friend, family member and/or caregiver you can assist students with disabilities by helping them prepare for potential emergency situations. Students can prepare themselves the best for potential emergency situations by developing a personal emergency plan. When developing this plan, there are a few key points students should keep in mind. These key points are:

  • Specific evacuation plans that fit the students' needs.
  • Sheltering procedures put in place.
  • Ways to communicate effectively in the event of an emergency.

As a friend, family member and/or caregiver, you know best what the students' needs and limitations are. When developing a personal emergency plan, it is important to keep the students' needs and possible limitations in mind, and be prepared to accommodate them. 

 

Tips for Students and Evacuation Assistants

Below are some tips for students and evacuation assistants (friends, peers, faulty and staff) on how to handle the evacuation of a building as a student with a disability:

Vision Disabilities

  • If possible, familiarize yourself with the main, and alternative, evacuation routes of every building you will be in. 
  • If you have an evacuation assistant, make sure that your assistant knows how to best assist you during an emergency. 
  • If you have a service animal, and an alarm is sounded, always leave the building. Otherwise your service animal might learn to disregard the alarm, and not leave in the case of an emergency. Additionally, never let go of your service animal.

  • As a potential assisting individual, it is important that you individually explain to the student what is happening around them. 
  • Give verbal instructions to the student, about the safest route or direction, using estimated distances and directional terms.
  • As you walk, make sure to inform the student of potential obstacles and danger.
  • After evacuating the building, ensure that the student is at a safe location, and make sure that they no longer require any assistance. 

Hearing Disabilities

  • Make sure to have an evacuation assistant, who knows how to assist you during an emergency.
  • Make sure that your phone or other electronic devices are connected to the UAF Alert System, so you can receive text messages in the case of an emergency.

  • Students who are deaf or hard of hearing might not be able to perceive the sound of a  fire alarm. It is important to notify the student using another method, such as:

    • Turn the light on and off again to get their attention.
    • Write on a piece of paper or the board what alarm is going off and what they should do.
    • Signal towards the safest exit route and/or guide them towards a safe area.

Mobility Disabilities

  • During an emergency, only use elevators if safe. 
  • If it is not safe to use an elevator, consider the possibility of a student(s) carrying you, and potentially the wheelchair, scooter and/or cane as well, outside of the building or towards a safe refuge. 
  • If necessary leave all equipment behind, as it can be replaced at a later time. 

  • Ask a student with a mobility disability on how you can assist them during an emergency.
  • If possible, assist the student out of the building. If not, assist them to an area of refuge. 
  • Consider all evacuation routes, and the possibility of carrying the student.
  • If lifting a student out of a wheelchair, make sure to talk about their condition first, as students in wheelchairs might not have a lot of mobility. 
  • Inform emergency responders of the location of the student, if you were unable to assist them out of the building. 

Cognitive Disabilities

  • Familiarize yourself with the building, if possible, prior to an emergency.
  • Have a personal emergency plan and an evacuation assistant in place, who can assist you. 

  • Communicate with the student what is happening, and ask them how you can assist them.
  • Follow the personal emergency preparedness plan. 
  • Once having evacuated the building make sure the student does not require additional assistance.