What to Do in an Emergency

Campus Emergency: (417) 873-7911

Non-Emergency: (417) 873-7400
security@drury.edu

Drury University will test the Emergency Response and Evacuation Procedures at least once a calendar year in conjunction with the Greene County Emergency Operations Center and the state-wide tornado drill.  This drill will be announced and all faculty, staff and students campus wide will participate in the drill.  All faculty, staff and students at the satellite campuses are also required to participate. 

Emergency Action Procedures

Response to an Active Shooter

“ALICE” is an acronym for 5 steps you can utilize in order to increase your chances of surviving a surprise attack by an Active Shooter.  It is important to remember the “ALICE” response does not follow a set of actions you “shall, must, will” do when confronted with an active shooter.  Your survival is paramount in this situation.  Deal with known information and don’t worry about the unknowns.  You may use only 1 or 2 parts of the responses plan or you may have to utilize all 5.  In this type of incident, your perception is the reality.  You will be deciding the appropriate action to take. 

Definition: Active Shooter – one or more subjects who participate in a random or systematic shooting spree, demonstrating their intent to continuously harm others.  The overriding objective appears to be that of inflicting serious bodily injury/death rather than other criminal conduct.  These situations are dynamic and evolve rapidly, demanding immediate deployment of law enforcement resources to stop the shooting and mitigate harm to innocent victims

What should I do if I see someone with a gun or hear gunfire?

Quickly determine the most reasonable way to protect your own life. 

1. ALERT – Can be anything
   • Gunfire
   • Witness
   • Phone Alert
2. LOCKDOWN – This is a semi-secure starting point from which you will make survival decisions.  If you decide not to evacuate, secure the room.
   • Lock and barricade doors with anything and/or tie down the door using any type of strap.
   • Turn off lights, close blinds, silence cell phones, computers, etc.
   • Look for alternate escape routes (windows, other doors).
   • Move out of the doorway in case gunfire comes through.
   • Keep yourself out of sight and take adequate cover, spread out don’t huddle in groups.
   • Try not to trap or restrict your option for movement.
   • Once secured do not open the door for anyone.  Police will enter the room when the situation is over. 
   • Call 911 and the Drury Safety and Security Office at (417) 873-7400 or (417) 873-7911 when to do so. 
3. INFORM – Using any means necessary to pass on real information.
   • Given in plain language
   • Who, what, where, when and how information.
   • Location of shooter, number of shooters if more than one.
   • Physical description of shooter/s.
   • Number and type of weapons held by the shooter/s.
   • Number of victims.
   • Can be used by people in the area or who may come into it to make common sense decisions.
   • Can be given in text alerts. 
4. COUNTER – This is the use of simple, proactive techniques should you be confronted by the Active Shooter.
   As a last resort, and only when your life is in imminent danger, attempt to disrupt and/or incapacitate the active shooter by:
   • Acting as aggressively as possible against him/her.
   • Throwing items and improvising weapons.
   • Anything can be a weapon.
   • Create as much noise as possible.
   • Attack as a group (swarm).
   • Grab the shooter’s limbs and head and take them to the ground and hold them there.
   • Fight dirty – bite, kick, scratch, gouge eyes, etc.
   • Run around the room and create chaos.
   • Commit to your actions.
   • If you have control of the shooter, call 911 and tell the police where you are. Listen to their commands when officers arrive on scene.
5. EVACUATE – Remove yourself from the danger zone as quickly as possible.
   • Decide if you can safely evacuate.
   • Run in a zigzag pattern as fast as you can.
   • Do not stop running until you are far away from the area.
   • Bring something to throw with you in case you would encounter the Active Shooter.
   • Consider if the fall from a window will kill you. 
   • Break out windows and attempt to quickly clear glass from the frame.
   • Consider using belts, clothing or other items as an improvised rope to shorten the distance you would fall.
   • Hang by your hands from the window ledge to shorten your drop.
   • Attempt to drop into shrubs, mulch or grass to lessen the chance of injury.

Contacting Authorities

• Drury Safety and Security: (417) 873-7400 or (417) 873-7911.
• Local Police Agency Emergency: 911.  (Be aware that the 911 system will likely be overwhelmed.  Program your cell phone with your campus emergency number.)

What to Report

• Your specific location – building name and office/room number.
• Number of people at your specific location.
• Injuries – number injured & types of injuries.
• Assailant(s) – location, number of assailants, race/gender, clothing description, physical features, type of weapons (long gun or hand gun), backpack, assailant’s identity if known, number of explosions from gunfire, etc.

The Police Response Objective is to:

• Save lives.
• Immediately engage assailant(s).
• Evacuate victims.
• Facilitate follow-up medical care, interviews, counseling and investigation.

• No matter what the circumstances, if you decide to flee during an active shooter situation, make sure you have a plan and escape route in mind.  Move quickly and follow instructions given by any police officers you may encounter.  Put down any bags or packages that you are carrying and keep your hands visible at all times; if you know where the shooter is, tell the officers.  DO NOT try to move any injured people; leave them where they are and notify authorities of their location as soon as possible. 

What to Expect from Responding Police Officers

• Police officers responding to an active shooter are trained to proceed immediately to the area where the shots were last heard.  Their purpose is to stop the shooting as quickly as possible.  Responding police will have their weapons drawn and ready for use.  They do not know exactly who the shooter is and will probably point weapons at you.  Remain calm and follow any directions they may give you.  You may be asked questions, patted down, and given orders to exit.  There may possibly be officers from different agencies and dressed in different uniforms.  They may even be in civilian clothes and wearing an external bulletproof vest.  Some officers may be dressed in Kevlar helmets and other tactical equipment.  The officers may be armed with rifles, shotguns, or handguns, and might be using pepper spray or tear gas to control the situation.

• Regardless of how they appear, remain calm.  Do as the officers tell you, and do not be afraid of them.  Put down any bags or packages that you are carrying and keep your hands visible at all times; if you know where the shooter is, tell the officers.  The first officers to arrive will not stop to aid injured victims; rescue teams composed of other officers and emergency medical personnel will follow the first team into secured areas to treat and remove injured persons.  Keep in mind that once you have escaped to a safer location, the entire area is still a crime scene.  Police will usually not let anyone leave until the situation is under control and witnesses have been identified.  Until you have been released, remain at whatever assembly point authorities designate.

• If you come into possession of a weapon, do NOT carry or brandish it!  Police may think you are the Active Shooter.  If possible, put it in a trashcan and carry it with you.  If you come across Police, calmly tell them what you are carrying and why.  Follow their commands.

Secondary Issues:

• Be prepared to provide first aid.  Think outside the box.  Tampons and feminine napkins can be used to stop blood loss.  Shoes laces and belts can be used as tourniquets.  Weighted shoes can be tied around a person’s head to immobilize it.  Remember it may be several hours until an injured person can be safely moved.  The immediate actions you take could save someone’s life. 
• If you are in lockdown for a long period of time, give consideration to issues such as bathroom use, keeping people calm, etc.
• Discuss beforehand with people in your office or classes where you will meet up should you have to evacuate and make it a place easily accessible and far away from the scene.
• Talk to your students and co-workers beforehand to know if they have any special skills.  Consider strategic placement of these people in a classroom or office setting.  You may have current or ex-military personnel, medically trained persons, or even people trained in martial arts that can provide assistance in this type of incident.
• Consider setting up classrooms and offices to make it harder for an Active Shooter to enter and acquire targets. 

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Earthquake Plan

(Developed by the Office of Safety and Security)

Earthquakes can be traumatic.  However, planning and practicing what to do in case of an earthquake can lessen fears and anxieties.

In a major earthquake, you may experience a shaking that starts gently and within a second or two grows violent enough to knock you off your feet.  You may be jarred by a violent jolt, similar to a sonic boom, or you may hear a low and perhaps loud rumbling noise a second later.  Depending on the severity of the shaking, you may have trouble moving from one room to another.  These are all signs that you may have only a second or two to find safe shelter.

Safe spots

• Under a sturdy table or wood-framed door.
• Against an inside corner of a room.
• Cover your head with your arms or whatever is handy: pillow, cushion, book bag, etc.

Danger Zones

• Windows that may shatter
• Bookcases, cabinets and furnishings that may topple.

Other Guidelines

• After the initial shock waves have passed, seek a place of safety outside, away from trees and overhead power lines; for example: Sunderland Field.
• Remain calm; DO NOT run.  Your presence of mind will help rescue workers safely remove people from buildings.
• Give aid to those in need, but only if the situation is not threatening to your own life.  If you must leave a victim, remember where they are and notify a security officer or maintenance person with a red armband.
• DO NOT attempt to re-enter any building.  Even if the building looks undamaged, it may have broken water or gas lines or severed electrical cables, all of which are hazardous.  Stay in a safe area until permission is given to return to the building.
• Facilities services personnel will monitor all buildings for gas leaks and inspect for other damage.  Buildings found to be unsafe will be secured and cordoned off with yellow warning tape.
• As in any disaster, utilities and communication systems may be severely disrupted; what is available will be used for emergency traffic.  Please refrain from using campus phones and cell phones in order to keep the systems open.  The Office of University Communications has developed a crisis communication plan and will relay information through news media and by other means.

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Tornado Plan

(Developed by the Office of Safety and Security)

When a tornado watch is declared for Springfield, Missouri, this means that conditions are favorable for severe weather, which may include tornadoes.  When the watch is issued, Safety & Security personnel will monitor the weather alert radio and observe the weather, looking for heavy rain, lightning, hail, funnel clouds, etc.

When a tornado watch is issued, the Safety & Security Office will alert the following people:

• Wallace Hall Director or Duty Resident Assistant
• Sunderland Hall Director or Duty Resident Assistant
• Smith Hall Director or Duty Resident Assistant.

When a tornado warning is issued, it means that a funnel cloud or tornado has been sighted in the area and Springfield is in its path.  City warning sirens will sound and the university will immediately implement the tornado emergency plan.  All students, faculty and staff will move to designated shelter areas and remain in those areas until the warning ends.  Classroom instructors should direct students to shelter areas.

The Safety & Security Office will contact all residence halls and campus offices that are open.  Officers will patrol the campus, informing people of the warning and directing them to the nearest safe place.

If there is severe damage, the Drury Crisis Plan will be implemented.  Officers will establish a command center in or near the Safety & Security Office on the lower level of Findlay Student Center.

General Precautions

• Avoid areas with glass windows, doors, or mirrors
• Go to the lowest level of the building
• Take a flashlight and a battery-operated radio and tune to the Emergency Broadcast System on KTTS 94.7 FM or KWTO 560 AM
• If the tornado is upon you, crouch and cover your head to avoid flying debris.  Most deaths and injuries in a tornado come from flying debris and glass.

Tornado Shelter Areas 

• Bay Hall: Proceed to Breech. Go to the first floor hallway. Stay away from any windows.
• Breech Building: Go to the first floor hallway. Stay away from any windows.
• Burnham Hall: First floor proceed to the south stairs down to the basement, under the stairwell and, if possible, in the men’s restroom. Second and third floors proceed to Olin Library basement. Immediate shelter may be taken on the first floor hallway of Burnham.
• Carter Waters: Proceed to the north end hallway. If time permits proceed to the Hammons School of Architecture.
• C-Street Gallery: Proceed to the first floor restrooms and/or back hallway.
• Clara Thompson Hall: Proceed down the stairs to the men’s and women’s lounges. Any overflow should go to the basement of Lydy Hall or O’Bannon Hall.
• College Park: Students living in upstairs areas should go to the first floor area of the lower apartment or foyer. Go to the bathroom or most center point of the first floor. If you are unable to gain access to the first floor area, go to the College Park Community Center laundry room or restrooms. Students in first floor apartments should go to the bathroom area.
• Congregational Hall: Proceed to the interior hallway or, if time permits, the basement of Findlay Student Center.
• Diversity Center: Proceed to the basement of the Trustee Science Center.
• Findlay Student Center: Proceed to the basement in the horseshoe hallway (away from the main entry doors) and in the pit area of the Down Under by the fireplace.
• Freeman Hall: Proceed to the interior hallway or, if time permits, the basement of Findlay Student Center.
• Hammons Architecture Building: Proceed to the wood shop basement areas (archives and hallway outside archives), and the first floor restrooms.
• Humanities House: (Parsonage) Proceed to the basement.
• HPER: Proceed downstairs to the hall and classrooms.
• HPER/Breech Pool: Proceed downstairs to the hall and classrooms.
• Jefferson Park: Students living in upstairs areas should go to the first floor area of the lower apartment or foyer. Go to the bathroom or most center point of the first floor. If you are unable to gain access to a first floor apartment, go to the College Park Community Center laundry room or restrooms, or if time permits, proceed to the Kappa Alpha Fraternity House basement. Students in first floor apartments should go to the bathroom area.
• Kappa Alpha: Proceed to basement.
• Lambda Chi Alpha: Proceed to basement in Kappa Alpha House.
• Lay Hall: Proceed to the basement hallways, men’s and women’s restrooms and lower level of the lecture hall on the first floor.
• Lydy Art Center: Proceed to the west end of the basement hallway.
• Manley Hall: Proceed to the lower level hallways in each section.
• Martin Alumni Center: Proceed to the basement.
• Midtown Homes: Proceed to the basement or interior room, or if time permits, the lower level of Findlay Student Center.
• O’Bannon Hall: Proceed to the basement hallway, Room #20, and the Electronic Music Room.
• Olin Library: Proceed to the basement area in the restrooms, Carrel hallway and in the Olin Room. Stay away from the glass areas (especially the glass stairwell).
• O’Reilly Family Event Center: Proceed to the Lower Level, Cox Health Sports Medicine Training Center, Room 127.
• Pearsons Hall: Proceed to the basement hallway and classrooms.
• Physical Plant (Facilities): Proceed to the office restrooms and hallways.
• Pool Art Center: Proceed to the first floor east hallway and classrooms
• Shewmaker Communication Center: Proceed to Rooms #127 (Conference Room), Hall #111, Communication Hall #134, and lower level restrooms. Only as a last resort, use Rooms #112 & 130 (dressing rooms).
• Sigma Nu: Proceed to basement in Kappa Alpha House.
• Sigma Pi: Proceed to basement in Kappa Alpha House.
• Smith Hall: Proceed to the laundry rooms and hallways on the 1st floor. Any overflow should go to the basement of Findlay Student Center.
• Springfield Hall: Go to first floor hallway or proceed to the first floor of Breech.
• Stone Chapel: Proceed to the kitchen and restrooms on the lower level.
• Summit Park: Proceed to apartment on lower level and seek shelter in an interior hallway. If unable to gain access, proceed to lower level of Findlay Student Center.
• Sunderland Hall: Proceed to first floor interior hallway. Any overflow should go to the basement of Findlay Student Center.
• Theater Shop: Proceed to the Pool Art Center, first floor east hallway and classrooms.
• Tindle Mills Baseball Facility: Proceed to the north hallway in the weight room on the north end of the building.
• Tindle Mills Warehouse #3: Proceed to Breech first floor hallway.
• Trustee Science Center: Proceed to the basement area in the hallway and classrooms
• University Suites:  Proceed to the lower level inner hallway, or the Findlay Student Center lower level if there is time.
• Wallace Hall: Proceed to the basement laundry area. Any overflow should go to the basement of Findlay Student Center.
• Warmack Faculty Studios: Proceed to the center of the building and stay away from any windows.
• Weiser Gym: Proceed to the lower level hallway, classrooms and racquetball areas.

If there is an event in progress, Security will use the public address system or bullhorn to direct each section to safety.