Emergency Procedures

All residents are required to follow the Residence Life emergency procedures. Awareness
of your environment and taking precautions is necessary for your personal safety and the
safety of your fellow residents. Emergency instructions are posted on each floor. It is important that you familiarize yourself with the fire evacuation plans. IT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE!

Fire Evacuation

NSU takes every precaution to prevent fires in residential facilities. If you hear the alarm or see a fire, remain calm. Act fast, but do not panic. In case of fire, feel the door.

If the door is hot or if smoke is seeping in:

Do not open the door. Stay in your room. Let someone know you are there by opening your window just enough to hand a sheet out. This is a signal to the outside that someone is in there and needs help.
Wedge a cloth or a towel around the door. If water is available, soak the towels before placing them around the door.
Make a tent for yourself with the blanket in the window or cover your face with a wet cloth to avoid inhaling smoke. Wait until you are rescued, especially if you are on the 3rd floor or higher.

If the door is cool:

Open the door slightly but be ready to close it if you find smoke or flames in the corridor. Leave if the corridor seems safe.
Take your key and walk to the nearest fire exit, if there is no smoke.
If smoke is detected or, if it’s dark, crawl to the exit, counting doors so you don’t get lost. •
Close all doors behind you.
Do not use the elevators.
Turn back if you encounter heavy smoke. Look for another exit.
Leaving the building as quickly as possible, using the proper exits and meet at your designated meeting area.

The following meeting areas have been designated evacuation sites in case of a fire:

Logan and Ross residents should meet with staff in the Fitness Center parking lot.
North Leoser Complex residents should meet with staff in the Wyly Hall parking lot.
South Leoser Complex residents should meet with staff in the Physical Plant parking lot.
Seminary Suites residents should meet with staff in the parking lot outside of their building (A & B at the optometry parking lot; C, D, E in the parking lot across from the clubhouse)
Wilson Hall residents should meet with staff in the Library parking lot.
Wyly Hall residents should meet with staff in the Wyly Hall parking lot.

Your RA and Hall Manager will be helping to evacuate the building while the NSU Department of Public Safety notifies the fire department. Help your staff by reporting to your designated evacuation area quickly, so they can begin a head count. Report any missing person to your hall staff.

Tornado/Severe Weather Policy

When severe weather approaches, NSU Department of Public Safety monitors meteorologist reports, civil defense information and the local radio. DPS will contact each residence hall if the determination is made that students need to begin to take cover. This is usually about the same time that the civil defense sirens sound.

If you are in the residence halls and hear the civil defense sirens or are asked by a residence hall staff member to begin taking cover, you need to make sure that you are wearing shoes, have your ID and keys with you, secure your room and move to the lowest area in your building. Residence hall staff members will direct you to the shelter area in your hall. If you are in another campus building when you hear the civil defense sirens, proceed to the lowest level of the building, away from windows and glass doors and follow the directions of that building’s staff. There are several shelter areas on campus if you are between buildings. The University Center, Practical Arts Building and Wilson Hall all have basement shelters.

NSU Department of Public Safety will notify the campus community that severe weather has passed and that it is safe to leave the shelters by making an “all clear” announcement over the vehicle public address system. We care about you and your safety. Please follow these guidelines and procedures if severe weather occurs. If you have any questions about severe weather procedures, please contact your Hall Manager or Resident Assistant.

Shelter in Place

Shelter in Place is the practice of evacuating students to a safe location within the residence hall or building in the event that a storm, tornado or other natural/man-made disaster presents a danger to students that prevents them from safely moving to a designated shelter.

The Shelter in Place location should be identified within each building and should have the following characteristics:

Be on the first floor or basement,
Be free of windows and other glass structures,
Have doors or other mechanisms for sealing or closing off the area and
Be accessible to students with disabilities.

Hall Location

Logan Hall - Basement Lounge
North Leoser Hall - Central Hallway North and South Leoser
Ross Hall First Floor- South Quads
Seminary Suites First Floor Apartments
South Leoser Hall - Central Hallway North and South Leoser
Wilson Hall - Basement Lounge
Wyly Hall - First Floor Lounge

Watch/Warning (Tornado/Storm)

Severe Thunderstorm Watch
When weather conditions are favorable for the development of severe thunderstorms a severe thunderstorm watch is issued. A watch does not mean that the severe weather is actually occurring; only that conditions have created a significant risk for it.

Severe Thunderstorm Warning
When severe thunderstorms have formed a severe thunderstorm warning is issued. If severe weather actually does occur urgent action should be taken.

Tornado Watch
When weather conditions are favorable for the development of severe thunderstorms that are capable of producing tornadoes a tornado watch is issued. A tornado watch therefore implies that it is also a severe thunderstorm watch (not the other way around).

Tornado Warning
When a tornado has been either spotted or radar indicates that a tornado may be possible a tornado warning is an alert issued by government weather services to warn an area that a tornado may be imminent.

A watch (either serve thunderstorm or tornado) does not mean that the severe weather is actually occurring; only that conditions have created a significant risk for it. If severe weather actually does occur, a warning (either severe thunderstorm or tornado) will be issued.