About Augsburg Alerts
All students, staff, and faculty are encouraged to register for Augsburg Alerts, an emergency notification system operated by Augsburg University. Augsburg Alerts is an electronic communications tool to communicate timely information regarding active emergencies or weather closures via text message, voice mail, and/or email to registered personal cell phones, landlines, or personal email addresses.
Augsburg Alerts will only be used to communicate important information related to weather closings, or during an active emergency, to help individuals make sound decisions about their personal safety. Examples of situations in which Augsburg Alerts may be used could include natural weather events that lead to an unscheduled closing of the University, or for emergency situations such as a gas leak, fire, bomb threat, active violence, power failure, or other event. Augsburg Alerts will NOT be used to notify the community of things such as enrollment deadlines, sporting events, or other non-emergency information.
Augsburg Alerts is only one communication method the University may use during a weather closing, or during an emergency, to disseminate timely information. The University may also send notifications to Augsburg email accounts, campus message boards, the Inside Augsburg homepage, and other appropriate communications tools.
How to Sign Up for Augsburg Alerts
- Click here to go the Emergency Notification Services website.
- Log in with your Augsburg username and password.
- Enter contact information according to the manner in which you would like to receive Augsburg Alerts. Registrants can register as many of the following options as they choose to get Augsburg Alerts:
- Cell phone text message (up to 2 cell phone numbers).
- Voicemail via landline/home phone (1 home phone number).
- By email (up to 4 email addresses) to personal email account.
- Authenticate the accounts by replying to a text/email that is sent to the registered cell phone/landline/personal email account.
Community members may choose to register a phone or email address for a spouse or parent. This registration will count towards the total of 2 cell phone numbers, 1 landline/home phone, and 4 email addresses available to each registrant.
Members of the community are encouraged to register for all three communication options. Doing so will help ensure registrants receive important communications regardless of whether on or off campus, and whether registrants have access to their cell phones or not.
Augsburg subscribes to the Department of Homeland Security’s model of “Run, Hide, Fight”, and believes this model provides our community the best chance at surviving the possibility of an active violence scenario. Please review the information below, including the training video from the Department of Homeland Security.
Run, Hide, Fight
When an active shooter is in your vicinity, you must be prepared both mentally and physically to deal with the situation. You have three options:
Run
- Have an escape route and plan in mind.
- Leave your belongings behind.
- Evacuate regardless of whether others agree to follow.
- Help others escape, if possible without endangering yourself.
- Do not attempt to move the wounded.
- Prevent others from entering an area where the active shooter may be.
- Keep your hands visible.
- Call Public Safety (612-330-1717) or Minneapolis Police (911) when you are safe if they have not approached you.
Hide
- Hide in an area out of the shooter’s view.
- Lock the door and/or block entry to your hiding place.
- Silence your phone (including vibrate mode) and remain quiet.
Fight
- Fight as a last resort, and only when your life is in imminent danger.
- Attempt to incapacitate the shooter by any means necessary.
- Act with as much physical aggression as possible.
- Improvise weapons or throw items at the shooter.
- Commit to your actions….YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!
Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) are lifesaving portable devices used to treat a person whose heart has suddenly stopped working. AEDs are located across campus.
Know where your nearest AED is or call DPS at 612-330-1717 in an emergency.
All campus elevator phones are programmed to contact DPS.
If you are trapped in an elevator:
- Remain calm. The elevator will not drop. When a fault is detected, elevators are designed to stop wherever they are at the time in order to avoid damage and to provide as safe of a situation as possible.
- Use the elevator telephone to communicate with DPS via the elevator telecommunication system in the event you do not have a functioning cell phone.
- Give DPS the location of the elevator and floor number if known. DPS will share the next steps that will be taken to assist you leaving the elevator as soon as possible.
- DO NOT try to force open the elevator door. Stay in the car.
Click here for a map of evacuation spots on campus.
If a building evacuation is declared by the fire department, police, or administration please leave the building area as directed. Do not stand around in hallways or on the sidewalks near the building. Do not re-enter the building until the University or emergency services gives the “all clear.”
Should a partial or full building evacuation become necessary, University staff and/or emergency services will direct the evacuation. In case of fire the emergency sirens will sound. Please follow the maps located in the back half of the manual.
Do:
- Look for an emergency notification from the University.
- For proper evacuation follow evacuation route signage located on the building maps in this manual.
- Orderliness and cooperation are more important than speed.
- Watch for firefighters coming to handle the emergency.
- If caught in heavy smoke, take short breaths through your nose, stay near the floor, and move to an exit by crawling and covering your nose and mouth with a shirt, if possible.
Do Not:
- Attempt to fight fire unless trained to do so.
- Use elevators.
- Run, push or create panic.
- Return to your office until the “all clear” is given by the University and emergency services through the emergency notification system.
Individuals with Disabilities
In case of emergency evacuation, disabled students, employees, and guests are asked to move to their closest exit and evacuate if they are able to do so. If they are not able to successfully evacuate, try and solicit assistance from another person in the area to help to evacuate, contact DPS (612-330-1717), or ask someone to notify DPS or local authorities of your whereabouts. Individuals not able to evacuate should stay in their location and wait for Public Safety or local authorities to come for them.
All fire alarms will be considered as actual “life threatening” conditions with no exceptions, including prearranged evacuation test drills. The fire alarm horns will be activated to alert the occupants to evacuate the buildings. Click here for fire alarm procedures in the residence halls.
No Augsburg employee or student may remain in an Augsburg facility once the alarms have been sounded.
What To Do
If smoke or fire is present:
- Activate the fire alarm system by pulling the lever on the nearest building fire pull station.
- Call DPS at 612-330-1717 and provide the following information:
- Your name and telephone number.
- Exact location of the fire.
- What is on fire and the size of the fire.
- Do not panic. Keep calm.
- Do not re-enter a burning building.
Fire alarm sounding and flashing status:
- Evacuate the building immediately. Do not stop to call 9-1-1. Augsburg buildings are fire-panel monitored for this type of alarm and emergency services are notified automatically.
Individuals with Disabilities
In case of emergency evacuation, disabled students, employees, and guests are asked to move to their closest exit and evacuate if they are able to do so. If they are not able to successfully evacuate, try and solicit assistance from another person in the area to help to evacuate, contact DPS (612-330-1717), or ask someone to notify DPS or local authorities of your whereabouts. Individuals not able to evacuate should stay in their location and wait for Public Safety or local authorities to come for them.
In the event of an accident, illness, or mental health crisis with a student, faculty, staff, or visitor on campus that results in an emergency, please use the following procedures as a guideline.
Do:
- Remain calm.
- Contact one of the following:
- Life-threatening injuries: Minneapolis Police (911) or DPS (612-330-1717)
- Mental health crisis: DPS (612-330-1717) or Hennepin County COPE Team (612-596-1223)
- Any other concern: DPS (612-330-1717)
- Provide the following information:
- Your name and telephone number.
- The building, floor, and room number where assistance is needed.
- Complete information concerning the nature of the accident or illness, and the number of persons injured.
- Try to make the person comfortable until the emergency personnel arrive.
Do Not:
- Move the injured or ill person.
- Approach the scene or person if it is not safe to do so.
Medical Amnesty Policy
The University has a Medical Amnesty Policy that aims to reduce barriers that may inhibit students from seeking assistance from University staff and/or emergency medical services (EMS) when facing health or safety concerns caused by alcohol and/or other drug use. Students who qualify for medical amnesty will have any applicable fines waived if they are found responsible for violating the University’s Standards of Conduct with regard to alcohol and/or other drug violations.
Augsburg’s Missing Persons Policy explains the process the University follows when a residential student is reported missing.
It is important to have a plan in place and know where to go in case of severe weather. Decisions to cancel in-person classes and move to alternative modalities will be made in advance (typically by 4:00 p.m. the day before) and in no case later than 6:00 a.m. for daytime classes and no later than 2:00 p.m. for evening classes. Information will be shared via Augsburg Alerts, the Augsburg University website, and social media.
If you are a residential student, your Community Advisor (CA) will cover where to go in your residence hall during severe weather. If you are a commuter student, faculty, or staff, there are emergency maps located in every building that note where to go in case of severe weather. In either case, take the time to review the general guidelines below to know what to do, no matter where you are on campus.
What To Do
- If you are in a residence hall: Residence Life severe weather procedures can be found here.
- If you are in another campus building: Get to the lowest floor possible and away from exterior walls. Ideal places include stairwells and bathrooms.
Where To Go
- Get to a room without windows and as low as possible. Be aware of what’s overhead and try not to be under heavy furniture on the floor above, as they can crash through a weakened floor.
On-Campus Severe Weather Locations
Click here for a map of severe weather locations on campus.
Tips for Staying Safe
- Use items you have nearby to protect yourself, such as backpacks, jackets, and heavy blankets, among other things. Flying debris can cause severe injury, and these items can shield you from harm.
- If you are on the road, don’t stay in your car. Get out and find a low depression on the ground, such as a ditch. Cover your head and lie as flat as possible. Stay there until the storm dies.
- Don’t take shelter in buildings with wide span roofs (e.g., Si Melby Gym, Ice Arena, etc.). The design of these buildings puts the load of the ceiling on the outer walls, making them prone to collapse. Look for a building with a smaller footprint. Pay attention to places you frequent so that you know ahead of time where the safest places are.
- Remain in the shelter area until the all clear is given by the weather service or the Department of Public Safety. After the storm has passed, you may reenter rooms and buildings that have not been damaged or closed off by Public Safety.
- Report injuries and damage. If the building has been damaged, evacuate and do not attempt to return to the building unless authorized by Public Safety. Contact Public Safety at (612) 330-1717 to report all situations that need immediate attention.
- How to meet up afterwards: After a disaster, it’s natural to want to know that everybody’s alright. Part of your procedures should be to designate a meeting place and be sure everyone knows how to get there (this will be covered by Residence Life for residential students). It’s a good idea to have one or two alternative meeting places in case the first choice isn’t safe or can’t be reached. Don’t rely on cell phones and other technology to establish contact. Any networks or towers that are still functioning are needed by emergency responders.
Useful Items to Have Close
Severe weather can strike at any time, so it’s a good idea to plan ahead and keep a few useful items in your pockets, attached to your keychain, or in your purse or wallet:
- Small flashlight
- Pocket knife
- Cash
- Glow sticks
- Lighter or matches
Purpose
The purpose of shelter-in-place is to minimize accessibility to rooms on campus to reduce the risk of injury or danger to faculty, staff, students, or visitors.
Decision to Shelter-in-Place
A shelter-in-place would be implemented when requested by Public Safety, law enforcement, the fire department, campus administration, or any staff member with confirmed information.
Incidents Requiring a Shelter-in-Place
These examples are not absolute but reflect the type of situation that may require a shelter-in-place:
- Person(s) armed with firearm or weapon on campus property.
- Gunshots directed at or near the college campus.
- Police incidents involving dangerous person(s) that are adjacent to or within a short distance of the campus.
- Intruders.
- Hazardous chemical spills.
- Gas leaks.
- Electrical conditions.
- Disasters close to campus.
General Procedures
In the event of a shelter-in-place, the University will broadcast a message through the University’s emergency notification service.
In the Event of a Command to Shelter-in-Place
- Close all doors and lock or barricade, if possible.
- Turn off all lights and unnecessary equipment, and silence all phones and electronics.
- Instruct individuals to remain calm and as quiet as possible.
- Stay away from any windows and doors.
- Do not allow anyone to leave until notified by emergency personnel.
All faculty and staff in control of students at the time of the shelter-in-place become responsible for those students at that time. Faculty and staff members are responsible for accounting for students and ensuring that no one leaves the safe area. Individuals should attempt to get to the nearest secure location (e.g., a classroom, an office, a residence hall room, etc.). When the condition causing the shelter-in-place has been eliminated, an “all clear” announcement will be made through the University’s emergency notification service.
If you or your office receives a suspicious letter or package, or if it contains an unknown suspicious substance, immediately contact Minneapolis Police (911) and DPS (612-330-1717), then do the following:
- Relax and remain calm.
- Do not open the letter or package.
- Remain at the site until law enforcement or DPS arrive with instructions.
If you inadvertently open a suspicious package or letter, or it is leaking a liquid or unknown substance:
- Immediately set the item down gently in the spot it was opened.
- Contact Minneapolis Police (911) and DPS (612-330-1717).
- All potentially exposed persons should wash any exposed skin with soap and water.
- Return to an area within the building adjacent to the initial exposure and wait for emergency personnel.
- Don’t allow others to enter the area. If anyone enters the area, they should stay in the area until told to leave by emergency personnel.
- Ask involved people to remain calm until local safety officials arrive.
Bomb, terrorist, and other threats are normally just that: threats. However, each situation should be considered individually. In the event of such a threat, remain calm. Gather the information you are able to in order to assist DPS and Minneapolis Police in evaluating the level of risk of the caller.
What To Do
- Call DPS at 612-330-1717 and give the following information (if known):
- Nature of the threat or emergency.
- Medium of the threat (e.g., phone, social media, email, in-person, etc.).
- Exact threat statement of caller.
- Time parameters stated by the caller.
- Exact building address of the stated threat.
- Your exact location: building, room, and floor number.
- Your telephone number.
- Notify your supervisor or administration immediately.
- Do not touch any suspicious objects.
- Do not evacuate unless told to do so by proper authorities.
Information to Gather
If possible, record or screenshot the message. Attempt to gather as many details as are possible, including bomb type and location, wording of the message, phone number/email address/social media account from which the threat came, time and date of the threat, and attributes of the individual making the threat (e.g., appearance, voice, speech pattern, coherence, etc.).
The quickest and easiest way to obtain help for any type of emergency not specifically covered above is to do the following:
- Contact DPS (612-330-1717) or, in the event of a life-threatening situation, Minneapolis Police (911).
- When calling, stay calm and carefully explain the problem and location to the dispatcher.
- Quickly notify your department chairperson or supervisor of the emergency and begin to take the appropriate action warranted by the situation.
- If the building needs to be evacuated, follow evacuation procedures.