Safety Guidelines and Procedures
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Active Shooter/Use of Weapon
Presence of Weapon
Seriously Troubled and/or Disruptive Student
Fire Alarm/Bomb Threat Evacuation
Power Outages
Where to go?
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All staff that have offices and are in them at the
time of the alert should remain there and
follow instructions for securing the area.
For staff working at the service counter in
Criser lobby: Offices behind the front desk.
For staff working in Criser open work area:
Closest office near work station or the records
office.
Where to go?
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Staff working in open Peabody Administration
lobby: Closest office in Administration suite.
Staff with offices in Peabody that have large
ground floor windows should consider moving
swiftly to interior offices in the advising suite
or to the SFA break room.
Staff working on 3rd floor in Systems area:
Remain in the systems area and in your office
with door locked.
What to do?
If in Criser lobby and able:
 Activate the panic button that contacts UPD
 Use InformaCast on your phone to send
message to lockdown
 Lock courtyard glass doors and close double
doors off connector into lobby.
 Gather any individuals in area and take them
to the designated locations for the Criser side of
SFA
What to do?
If in Peabody Administration area or advising
suite and able:
 Use InformaCast on your phone to send
message to lockdown
 Lock entrance door adjacent to elevator and the
access door leading to hallway and stair well.
 Gather any individuals in area and take them
to designated locations for the Peabody side of
SFA.
Once in your secured location:
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Lock the doors to your room
Turn off lights
Turn off computer monitors and radios and silence cell
phones
Close blinds
Keep out of sight and take cover under desks, behind filing
cabinets or concrete walls
Stay away from windows
During a live situation (not a drill) lay on the ground
Remain in a secured location until area is cleared by law
enforcement personnel
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Assure your personal safety – keep a safe personal distance.
If the person is not threatening with the weapon, utilize the Lync
system to send a message to someone on the administrative staff
to come to your assistance and to contact UPD. Administrative
staff should notify other units in the building about what is
transpiring.
If at the front desk, activate the panic button to notify UPD and
use Lync to contact your supervisor to come to your assistance.
Quietly direct yourself and others to safety. This may be
accomplished by sending a Lync message or email to staff in close
proximity to the area where the potential threat is, warning others
not to enter the area.
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Try to discreetly direct persons in public waiting areas (lobby)
outside unless it is safer for them to remain inside. Do not allow
others to enter the building until cleared to do so.
If you are not directly involved, remain in your office or other
secured area with the door locked until you are notified by police
or official personnel it is safe to come out.
The student is:
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Loud
Demanding
Disruptive to others
Agitated
Non-compliant and uncooperative
Verbally or physically threatening
Non-threatening (loud, demanding and
interfering)
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All staff are to keep their personal safety in mind and
avoid physical contact.
If the student is in a public area, remove them to an
adviser’s office or other private setting where you can
consult with them in a safe environment.
If you feel uncomfortable continuing the conversation
alone or wish to have a witness to what is being said,
call or use Lync to ask an AD to sit in or take the
student to the AD’s office. LEAVE YOUR DOOR
OPEN!
Aggressive or threatening, no weapon
If the situation escalates and you do not have
another staff member in the office, or, if you are at
the front desk or other public area, and you do
not feel you can safely leave the area, ask if you
can call a supervisor. If the person is supportive
of the phone call, call a supervisor and indicate
you have a person who needs to talk to “Mr.
Turner”.
Aggressive or threatening, no weapon
The individual answering the “Mr. Turner” call
should ask a short series of yes/no questions such
as:
 Do you feel there is an immediate danger?
 Do you want me to call UPD?
 Do you want me to come out to the front
desk/office?
Aggressive or threatening, no weapon
 If you do not feel confortable asking the person
if it is OK to call a supervisor, as
inconspicuously as possible, email or use Lync
to send a message to an AD alerting them for
“Mr. Turner’s” assistance.
 The AD should take appropriate action and
make sure all necessary calls are made and
should remain available until the situation has
been resolved.
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Leave the building using the closest exit in a
timely fashion.
If accessible, gather important personal items
such as keys, purse, wallet, and cell phone.
Do not take the time to shut down your
computer.
Close your door but do not lock it.
Insure all stairwell doors in your means of
egress are closed.
Do not use the elevator.
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Direct students that may be in the lobby or in
your office to leave the building.
If the building is filled with smoke, stay low
and crawl out. If there is too much smoke or it
is too hot, return to your office. Call 911 and
inform them you are still in the building,
provide them floor and room number.
Mobility, visually or hearing impaired persons
needing assistance in exiting the building are to
be accompanied.
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If the person is unable to navigate a stairway, a
staff member should take them to the nearest
stairwell exit and notify a building emergency
coordinator (orange vest) of the situation. The
building emergency coordinator will notify a
fire official to obtain assistance in getting the
person out of the building.
Once out of the building, all SFA staff should
report to the Plaza of the Americas.
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Supervisors of each area should account for
their staff.
If staff are missing, report it to a building
emergency coordinator (orange vest).
Procedures for handling the receipt of a bomb
threat via the telephone will be provided to all
staff and should be kept readily accessible for
reference should an incident occur.
In the event of a power outage in the CriserPeabody complex, staff should observe the
following:
 ADs should report to the Director for any
information that may have been communicated
in regards to the outage. ADs will be
responsible for informing their units with
information pertaining to the outage.
 All staff should remain at their work station or
office location.
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Staff working at the front desk who are
assisting students should inform them they
may wait until it is determined what the
situation is and if there is any expected time
frame known for restoration of power.
Staff are expected to remain available and at
their assigned work station through their
regularly established work hours unless
informed by appropriate university officials
that the office should close.
SFA Policy Manual
 Building Lock Down/Active Shooter:
Guidelines for SFA Staff
 Student Financial Affairs – Crisis Protocols
Desk top document outlining emergency
procedures with a special EMERGENCY button
icon for easy recognition and access