Emergencies
In any emergency situation, residents should attempt to contact the CA on duty to inform staff, but if an individual is in imminent danger she/she should first dial 9-1-1. Residence Life staff, including CAs and PAs, are trained to assist in handling emergency situations and crisis response scenarios. These may include medical and trauma emergencies, mental health crises such as suicide risks/attempts, alcohol poisoning or unresponsiveness, violence and threats, etc. Residents are not encouraged to assist in situations where they might be placed in danger, such as confronting someone who is seemingly under the influence of intoxicating substances, someone who is making physical threats, or someone in possession of a weapon.
Emergency Medical Care
Though it is natural to attempt to help neighbors and friends when they are in need of professional care, students are urged to avoid the urge to move or transport injured, sick, or unstable individuals. Driving someone to the hospital, for instance, may be dangerous since conditions may worsen on the way to the hospital or their behavior might create unsafe driving conditions for others in the vehicle. Police, EMTs, First Responders, Firefighters, and other professional emergency response teams are better equipped to transport individuals in need of treatment.
If a student is unsure of whether he/she or a friend may need medical care, the CA on duty should be contacted and the Administrator on Duty (AOD) will be summoned. The AOD is trained to evaluate the general condition of the affected individual and to decide whether professional care should be requested.
Alcohol-Induced Emergencies
Heavily intoxicated individuals have a high risk of experiencing at least some symptoms of alcohol poisoning. Students who are aware that another individual who has been consuming alcohol is completely unresponsive should not simply assume that he/she has simply “passed out.” If attempts to rouse the person are unsuccessful, he/she may be in dire need of medical attention. Breathing may slow to dangerously low rates or students may choke on their own vomit if left unattended.
Alcohol poisoning is just what it sounds like: the body is literally poisoned by excessive amounts of a toxic substance until the point where organs may begin to shut down or brain damage occurs. Other symptoms of alcohol poisoning is vomiting uncontrollably or vomiting blood, dilated pupils or uneven/unresponsive pupils, or seizures. These symptoms indicate an immediate need for medical care or assessment. Because individuals’ physiology and genetic predispositions vary greatly, one amount of alcohol may be just enough to give one person a “buzz,” while it is enough to put another into grave medical risk.
Safety or Security Emergencies
Dangers such as assault and domestic violence, threat with a deadly weapon, burglary, fire, and other imminent risks should be reported to the police by dialing 9-1-1 before being referred to the CA on duty. Other emergency situations of lesser threats should still be relayed to the CA on duty, such as unruly behavior, trespassers, dangerous conditions in the facilities or on the grounds of housing, etc.
Fire Alarms and Alarm Systems
Prompt and complete evacuation of residential campus buildings or facilities is mandatory when a fire alarm is sounded or when so directed by a university staff member, including Community Advisors. Residents are expected to depart the building, pausing only to gather a coat and shoes, and to stand outside no closer than 100 yards from the building. Even if residents believe the alarm to be a drill or false alarm, they are required to evacuate. Individuals who fail to comply with this provision will be subject to disciplinary action and a $100 fine. Residents may not re-enter the building unless instructed to do so by a professional staff member.
UAS Housing has a fire sensory and alarm system that is maintained regularly. If wired smoke or heat detectors are tampered with or disabled, the system panel sounds a warning alarm that identifies which suite or apartment has been compromised. The sprinkler systems in Banfield Hall and the Lodge are sensitive to heat and pressure. Students should not touch sprinklers or hang anything from these fixtures. If a sprinkler system at UAS is unnecessarily engaged, it will cause a minimum of $10,000 in damages. Students found to have tampered with the fire sensory system components will be assigned judicial consequences, including fines.
Winter Weather Conditions
Weather conditions sometimes create unsafe situations for housing residents, especially in the winter. Juneau’s tendency to experience freezing rain with intermittent snowfall creates black ice on roads and walking paths. Facilities Services is responsible for salting and plowing walks and the parking lot, but residents should call the CA cell phone in evenings and on weekends when surfaces need immediate attention.
Additionally, heavy snowfall causes a significant danger due to the metal roofing on the apartment buildings. As the metal heats from the building underneath, it creates sheets of ice under the thick snow blankets. Sizeable icicles sometimes form, which are firmly attached to the ice sheets on the roofs so that tampering with them may bring a huge sheet of ice and snow, weighing thousands of pounds, down onto passersby. Treacherous ice sheets on roofs that are hanging over walkways and porches should be reported to a staff member to be safely removed.
Natural Disasters
Natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunami are possible threats in Southeast Alaska, and emergency response instructions for these conditions are outlined in the UAS Student Handbook. In cases of tsunami warnings, individuals should move to higher ground or away from the coastal areas if possible. Moving to coastal areas to view any possible waves is extremely unwise, as people cannot outrun the floods that may ensue. In Juneau, because the town is in the Inside Passage and protected from the initial force of tsunami waves, possible tsunami effects would more likely exist as a rapid rise in water levels and flooding of coastal areas.
Students who are indoors in the event that an earthquake hits should duck under heavy furniture such as tables and desks in the student residences, in doorways, or in shower stalls. Aftershocks should be expected and persons should remain still during these tremors. Students who find themselves outdoors during an earthquake should quickly move to an open area and lie on the ground until the tremors and aftershocks cease. After an earthquake, individuals should assess their environment quickly for unstable objects, downed power lines, gas leaks, and dangerous rubbish. Attempts to locate anyone that may be trapped should quickly be organized, though injured persons should not be moved except by emergency personnel to prevent further injury.
In the case of other possible large-scale crises, such as pandemic illness, bomb threats, etc., students will be kept informed of instructions and safety precautions to the best of the university’s ability.
