University Operations In Emergencies

The University Operations Under Emergency Conditions Policy (OPR-4600-003) reaffirms UIC’s commitment to the welfare, health, and safety of its students, faculty, staff, and visitors. If a condition arises that constitutes an emergency or disaster, the university will utilize all resources necessary and available to mitigate the situation as efficiently and safely as possible.

In serving its commitment to the welfare, health, and safety of everyone in its community, the university will develop and maintain a comprehensive Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) that provides a concept of operations for each phase of emergency management and facilitates a timely, effective, efficient, and coordinated University response. The EOP will designate areas of responsibility and define for the university the framework components, including those necessary to protect life, secure critical infrastructure and facilities, and restore teaching, research, and patient care programs.

Emergency Operations Plan

The Emergency Operations Plan outlines a comprehensive concept of operations for all phases of emergency management, ensuring a timely, effective, and coordinated university response. It clearly designates areas of responsibility and establishes the framework necessary to protect lives, safeguard the environment, secure critical infrastructure, and restore business operations, instruction, patient care, and research programs following a disaster or emergency.

The EOP is prepared in compliance with the federal National Response Framework, the National Incident Management System, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency-Office of Homeland Security Act (20 ILCS 3305 and 29 ILCS 305, the Higher Education Opportunity Act (20 U.S.C 1001), the Campus Security Enhancement Act of 2008 (110 ILCS 12), and related actions as governed by the Robert T, Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act) (42 U.S.C. 5121).

Emergency Action Plans

UIC has developed Emergency Action Plans (EAP) for Chicago Campus East and Chicago Campus West buildings, which are accessible online. These plans are designed to meet the requirements of OSHA standard 29 CFR 1910.38.

The Environmental Health and Safety Office offers all UIC employees three online training courses on fire safety and evacuation protocols. The EAP training course outlines the requirements of the EAP, evacuation procedures at UIC, and procedure for floor monitors assisting in an evacuation. Annually, when evacuation drills are announced, the email notification includes links to these training courses and encourages participation. The drills themselves serve as practical training for implementing the plans.

Building Evacuation

In the event of a fire or other emergency, UIC may require the immediate evacuation of building occupants to ensure their safety. This is supported by annual evacuation drills designed to educate and train the UIC community on building-specific fire safety and evacuation procedures. All UIC community members are encouraged to familiarize themselves with emergency stairwells, exit routes, and designated Evacuation Assembly Areas for each building they frequent.

Procedures

A building evacuation will be initiated by the fire alarm system, which may include strobe lights, audible alerts, and other emergency notifications such as electronic or cellular alerts. Upon receiving an evacuation notification:

1. Evacuate immediately: Leave the building using the nearest safe exit and proceed to the designated Evacuation Assembly Area as indicated on the building’s evacuation map. Assist others if it is safe to do so and do not attempt to use elevators as a means of exit.

2. If you are not able to evacuate: If you’re not able to evacuate without assistance and there is immediate danger (smoke/fire) in your area, proceed to the nearest stairwell landing and wait for evacuation assistance. If there is no immediate danger, you may go into any room that has a door that can be shut. Call 911 or UICPD at (312) 355-5555 with details of the emergency and your exact location so they know where to find you.

3. Safety Measures: If you detect fire or smoke, pull the manual fire alarm. Turn off equipment, secure hazardous materials, take critical personal items only, and close (but do not lock) doors behind you. Assist others if it is safe to do so.

4. Remain at Assembly Area: Stay at the Evacuation Assembly Area, or at least 50 feet away from the building, until further instructions are given. Do not use elevators or reenter the building until emergency personnel provide an “all clear” signal.

5. Call police: Once in a safe location, dial 911 or call UIC Police at (312) 355-5555 to alert them of the activated alarm. Be prepared to tell them the name and address of the building a

Shelter in Place

In certain emergencies, such as severe weather or hazardous material release, UIC community members may be directed to shelter in place instead of evacuating. When shelter-in-place is required, all individuals should move indoors to the nearest protective building and remain there until it is safe to leave.

Testing of Emergency and Evacuation Procedures

As part of the comprehensive EOP, UIC conducts regularly scheduled drills, emergency response exercises, and follow-through activities designed to assess and evaluate our emergency plans and capabilities. These tests, which may be announced or unannounced, are documented with details including the date, time, nature of the test, and whether it was announced or unannounced. Additionally, UIC publicizes its emergency response and evacuation procedures annually, ensuring that this information is disseminated in conjunction with at least one test each calendar year.

Evacuation Drills

Chicago Campus East & Chicago Campus West

Evacuation drills for UIC Chicago Campus East and Chicago Campus West are coordinated by the Environmental Health and Safety Office (EHSO), the UICPD, UIC Facilities Management, and Campus Housing each semester to ensure that emergency evacuation procedures are tested at least twice each year (for non-residential buildings) and four times each year (for UIC-owned/controlled student housing facilities).

UIC School of Law

Evacuation drills for UIC School of Law are coordinated by the UIC School of Law Campus Safety & Security Department, and the UIC Environmental Health and Safety Office each semester to ensure that emergency evacuation procedures are tested at least two times each year. The School of Law evacuation procedures are available on the School of Law Fire and Building Evacuation website.

Peoria Campus

Evacuation drills for UIC Peoria Campus are coordinated by the University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria. Evacuation drills are conducted at least two times per year, once with the City of Peoria Fire Department present.

Rockford Campus

Evacuation drills for UIC Rockford Campus are held annually in the fall to ensure that emergency response and evacuation procedures are tested annually. These drills are coordinated through the various colleges/programs at the Rockford campus in conjunction with UIC EHSO (for coordination with UIC College of Pharmacy).

Springfield Campus

Evacuation drills for UIC Springfield Campus are coordinated by the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) Residence Life and the UIS Police Department (UISPD) each year to ensure that emergency response and evacuation procedures are tested. At least one annual evacuation drill is conducted for non-residential campus buildings.

Urbana Campus

Evacuation drills for UIC Urbana Campus are coordinated by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) University Housing. Campus Code Compliance and Fire Safety and local fire departments are invited to participate. Drills are typically conducted each semester for all university residence halls to ensure that emergency response and evacuation procedures are tested at least twice each year.

Emergency Notifications

UIC is committed to the safety and well-being of its students and employees. The university will immediately notify the campus community upon the confirmation of a significant emergency or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of students and employees occurring on campus. This notification will be made without delay, taking into account the safety of the community,unless issuing a notification will, in the professional judgement of responsible authorities, compromise efforts to assist a victim or to contain, respond to, or otherwise mitigate the emergency.

Confirmation Process

The process to confirm a significant emergency or dangerous situation involves collaboration between UICPD for the Chicago Campuses, UISPD for the Springfield Campus, UIUCPD for the Urbana Campus, and local law enforcement agencies for the Peoria, and Rockford Campuses. These agencies work with key administrators, local law enforcement agencies, local emergency responders, and, when relevant, the National Weather Service to verify the situation. Upon the confirmation of an emergency or dangerous situation that poses an immediate threat to the health or safety of some or all members of the campus community, the administrators described in the following tables will determine the content of the notification and the appropriate campus segment or segments to receive the emergency notification.

Notification Methods

Each campus will issue emergency notifications using multiple communication modalities, such as SMS text messages, mass email notifications, website postings, or other electronic and cellular communication channels to ensure that the appropriate segments of the campus community receive timely and accurate information.

Follow-Up Information

Following the initial notification, UIC will provide timely updates through the same communication channels to inform the community about ongoing measures, safety instructions, or to announce when the situation has been resolved. Information may also be provided through the uic.edu website, social media, and public announcements.

Emergency Information to the Larger Community

Emergency information will also be disseminated to the larger community and the general public as needed. This may include press releases, updates on the uic.edu website, and coordination with local media outlets.

UIC Alert

The UIC emergency notification system (ENS) is more commonly referred to as UIC ALERT. UIC ALERT emergency notifications are the primary alerts issued to Chicago Campus East, Chicago Campus West, UIC School of Law, Peoria Campus, and Rockford Campus. If there is an immediate threat to the health and safety of the campus community, a UIC ALERT will be sent describing the nature of the situation and instructions on immediate protective actions that may be taken. The university uses several information delivery methods/modalities to reach the campus community because, at any given time, one form of communications might be better to reach the community than another.

Chicago Campus East, Chicago Campus West & UIC School of Law

Available Emergency Notification Modalities and Authorities

Description of Modalities

Testing of the Emergency Notification System

This emergency notification system is tested monthly, on the first Tuesday of each month at 10:00 a.m., to ensure the system’s readiness. These procedures ensure a coordinated and effective response to emergencies, enhancing the safety and preparedness of the UIC community.

Peoria Campus

Available Emergency Notification Modalities and Authorities

Description of Modalities

Testing of the Emergency Notification System

This emergency notification system is tested monthly, on the first Tuesday of each month at 10:00 a.m., to ensure the system’s readiness. These procedures ensure a coordinated and effective response to emergencies, enhancing the safety and preparedness of the UIC community.

Rockford Campus

Available Emergency Notification Modalities and Authorities

Description of Modalities

UIS Alert

The University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) uses emergency notifications, more commonly known as “UIS Alerts” to notify students and employees in a timely manner when it is determined that there is a significant emergency or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or employees occurring on campus. UIS Alert messages will also be issued to students, faculty, and staff with UIS affiliations upon the confirmation of a significant emergency, dangerous situation, or incident or crime impacting the campus community.

Springfield Campus

The UIC Springfield Campus is located on the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) campus, therefore UIC Springfield students and employees participate in the UIS emergency notification system, “UIS Alert,” as their primary alert system. Accordingly, the authorities described herein are UIS authorities.

Available Emergency Notification Modalities and Authorities

Description of Modalities

ILLINI-Alert

UIC delivers a comprehensive set of substance abuse education initiatives to support student well-being and compliance with alcohol and other drug (AOD) policies. For additional information on Illini-Alert, visit go.illinois.edu/illinialert.

Urbana Campus

The UIC Urbana Campus is located on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) campus, therefore UIC Urbana students and employees participate in the UIUC emergency notification system, “Illini-Alert,” as their primary alert system. Accordingly, the authorities described herein are UIUC authorities. Individuals who are not affiliated with the university may sign up to receive Illini-Alert messages on their phones by texting “IlliniAlert” to 226787. Campus affiliates are encouraged to update contact information for the Illini-Alert emergency notification system by visiting emergency.illinois.edu.

Available Emergency Notification Modalities and Authorities

Description of Modalities