Prince William Sound Community College

Emergency Procedures

PWSCC Safety and Emergency Procedures FAQ

1. What do I do if a medical emergency or injury or other emergency occurs in or near my class or office?
   Call local police at 911. Clearly report the nature and location of the emergency. Follow the instructions given by the police or emergency responders. Contact the business office or an administrator. Emergency telephones are located throughout the campus; familiarize yourself with their location.
2. What are my responsibilities as a faculty / staff member?
   Faculty members are expected to remain with their classes and direct the class as instructed by the police, campus Emergency Response Team (ERT) or emergency personnel. In case of a building alarm or evacuation, keep the class together and go to the designated muster area as defined in the Campus Safety Plan LINK. Each semester, evacuation instructions are provided to the faculty and staff by Administration during in-service.
3. How does the College handle incidents or events such as an earthquake, blackout or weather emergency?
   If an event having campus wide impact occurs, the Emergency Response Team (ERT) is automatically activated. The ERT will assess the event and call for appropriate action. For a detailed explanation of the Emergency Response Team (ERT), see the PWSCC Campus Safety Plan.

Weather Closures FAQ

1. How do we handle snow and weather closures?
   The decision to cancel any or all PWSCC activities is made only by the PWSCC President or designee. On snow days, PWSCC announces any closures by 7am for day classes and by 4pm for evening classes. The ERT makes assessment and recommendation. Closures are extremely rare.

Information Distribution

1. How do I find out about closures or emergencies?
   PWSCC uses several methods of communications to notify staff and faculty of emergencies or campus closures.
   • Email: The PWSCC- wide distribution list is a primary distribution channel and will be used to send notices. All employees are included in the distribution list.
   • Local Radio: PWSCC will make public announcements on KCHU 770AM and KVAK 1230AM. These radio stations will be used for bulletins and warnings concerning emergencies or closures in the Valdez area. Tune to KXGA 90.5FM for the Glennallen area and KCHU 88.1FM for Cordova.
   • Web Page: The PWSCC web page will be updated with information in the event of emergencies or closures. http://www.pwscc.edu/
   • Phone: The Campus Help desk phone will be updated with recorded information. 907-834-1600
   • Television: PWSCC will post advertising on GCI Cable Scanner Local Channel 6 for any extended emergencies or closures.

To help expedite notification and to speed campus condition assessments please check your e-mail, and the web site for accurate up to date information first before calling the campus or any member of the ERT team.

1. What if PWSCC is open and I can’t meet my class or get to work?
   There may be times when conditions in an individual neighborhood could prevent faculty from meeting their classes or a staff member from getting to work. If this happens, notify the Dean’s office or department supervisor as soon as possible. It is the responsibility of faculty to notify students if individual classes are cancelled when the campus remains open.
2. What if students can’t make it to class?
   Faculty should remember that conditions can vary dramatically around the Prince William Sound and the Copper River Basin during major snowfalls or sever weather. We make every effort to keep PWSCC open and operating in our northern environment, but we recognize that there may be times when students, like faculty, face local conditions that may make travel impractical or even dangerous.
3. What about information on earthquakes, fires, volcano eruptions, etc.?
   PWSCC makes available state and federal publications and information concerning appropriate actions during natural disasters. During the year, the PWSCC Safety Committee offers special workshops and in-service on selected topics. As residents of an earthquake-prone area, faculty and staff should become familiar with the readily available information on these topics.

Alerts

RISK MANAGEMENT RED FLAGS

To assist managers and supervisors in performing risk assessments of their programs and activities, we are providing the following list of issues that we consider, “Red flags.” If these red flags fit your activity, and you haven’t already discussed how to minimize these risks, please contact the Business Office for assistance.

• Transportation of people using non-common carriers including the use of university vehicles to transport students, guests, and visitors and using personal vehicles to transport passengers on university business. Airlines, bus lines, trains, taxis, shuttles, and cruise ships are classified as common carriers and do not always raise a red flag.
• Involvement of minors (under the age of 18) in any university program or activity.
• Use of hazardous materials in any program or activity.
• Performing hazardous activities (contact sports, extreme sports, trampolines and blanket tosses, some dances and parties, wilderness events, ice or mountain climbing, bonfires, use or carrying of firearms, archery, heavy lifting, moving of materials, etc.).
• Contracts and memoranda of agreements with outside entities that include insurance or indemnification clauses that have not been approved by General Counsel and/or Risk Management.
• Foreign travel by both employees and students (includes Mexico and Canada ).
• Paying OJT student salaries through the university system when they are actually working for other entities (Making them UA employees when they really aren’t – “Kelly Services”).
• Renting vehicles for use by non-employees.
• Applying TAs and TRs to non-university employees. You may be exposing the university to liability for activities that we have no control over.

Important Link: http://ehsrms.uaa.alaska.edu

Risk Management

UAA Environmental Health & Safety and Risk Management Support
http://ehsrms.uaa.alaska.edu

UA Statewide Office of Risk Management
http://www.alaska.edu/risksafety/