It is important for all individuals to take ownership of their personal safety by establishing a personal emergency plan and equipping themselves with information about emergency procedures before an emergency occurs.
Individuals with disabilities should follow the general guidance contained in the campus emergency procedures and the specific instructions provided below. For help creating a plan, students should contact Student Accessibility & Testing Services at drc@rockhurst.edu or 816-501-4826, and faculty and staff should contact the Office of Human Resources at hr@rockhurst.edu or 816-501-4583. The university strongly urges all students, faculty, and staff to register for Rockalerts to receive emergency notifications and download the Campus Eye app to report suspicious activity or campus problems to the Department of Safety and Security quickly.
Preparing Before an Emergency
Self-Identification
Students who have disabilities that impair their mobility are responsible for informing Student Accessibility & Testing Services at drc@rockhurst.edu or 816-501-4826. Student Accessibility & Testing Services will provide the information to appropriate departments, such as Residence Life and the Office of Safety and Security. In an emergency, these departments can help locate and assist you. Faculty and staff are responsible for informing the Office of Human Resources.
Information should include the individual’s name, class schedule with building names and room numbers, residence halls or office locations, the nature of the impairment, and the type of assistance needed in an emergency. The information will be stored with the security department and given to the emergency responders as needed. The rescue of individuals with disabilities who are unable to evacuate themselves will be an initial priority for emergency responders.
Personal Emergency Plan
Everyone should work with Student Accessibility & Testing Services or the Human Resources office to develop a personal emergency plan that outlines appropriate resources and responses in an emergency. The plan should include specific evacuation procedures, sheltering procedures, and means of communication in an emergency. It should also contain:
- for each of the buildings that the individual frequents, the safest location on each floor to await assistance from emergency personnel;
- communication tools to inform emergency personnel of the individual’s location, such as Campus Eye or calling dispatch in the security department at 816-501-4010.
Acting During an Emergency
Individuals should familiarize themselves with and follow the guidance of the campus emergency procedures for the appropriate response to various types of emergencies.Run, Hide, Fight, evacuation or sheltering in place are the primary responses and the University’s emergency communications will indicate which to follow in case of emergencies. Campus community members should be familiar with each approach so they can respond to the emergency as quickly as possible. Individuals with disabilities should follow the responses outlined in the emergency procedures but make accommodations for situations where elevators are inaccessible, precluding evacuation.
If you need assistance, notify the security department using Campus Eye or call 816-501-4010 to provide your location.
Evacuation
Elevators should never be used in evacuation situations. Individuals unable to use the stairs to exit should ask for assistance or proceed to the nearest enclosed stairwell (one with doors at every entrance) and wait for security staff or emergency responders to arrive. Rockhurst security officers will attempt to check all areas, including restrooms, to communicate the need to evacuate. Individuals with disabilities should immediately notify the security department at 816-501-4010 or through Campus Eye if they cannot evacuate as directed in an emergency.
Enclosed building stairwells have a higher fire-resistant rating. To aid protection, ensure the door to the stairwell is tightly closed, as open doors will allow smoke and possibly fire to enter. If it does not place the person requiring assistance in additional danger, someone may stay with them if another person can meet emergency responders to report the location of those in the stairwell.
Assisting Individuals with Disabilities
In an emergency, community members should assist individuals with disabilities in the following ways:
- Ensure that the individual is aware of the emergency. Inform hearing-impaired persons of the emergency individually; do not assume they know what is happening by watching others.
- Before attempting to offer assistance, always ask individuals with disabilities how you can best assist them and whether there are any special considerations that should be made or items that need to be brought with them.
- You may assist in evacuating individuals with disabilities if it does not place you in personal danger. Non-emergency personnel should not attempt to carry anyone down the stairs.
- Assist visually impaired individuals by guiding them to safety.
- Assist individuals who are unable to use the stairs by guiding them to an enclosed stairwell (one that is separated from the main building area by doors). Close the doors to the stairwell tightly and notify security of the individual's location. You may stay with the person requiring assistance if it does not place you in additional danger and if there is another person able to meet emergency personnel to report the location of the individuals in the stairwell.
Non-Emergency Situations
Individuals with disabilities who need assistance leaving a building in a non-emergency situation (such as an elevator or power outage) should contact the Rockhurst University Department of Safety and Security at 816-501-4010. The security department will send officers to assess the situation and either assist the individual or contact the proper personnel for further assistance. Security officers will remain on the scene until the issue is resolved.
Important Contact Information
Police, Fire and Ambulance – 911
Rockhurst University Department of Safety and Security
Community Center and Security Building
Dispatch (emergency and non-emergency): 816-501-4010