Major Trauma
Though one hopes that these will never occur, it is important to be prepared for the worst. Awareness of how to deal with these situations will help to reduce confusion.
Shootings:
If you are you are the victim of, a witness to, or have reason to believe that there has been a shooting incident including any firearm discharge, immediately:
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- Get away from the suspect. Do not attempt to confront the suspect. Find a safe location to take refuge.
- Call 911 and provide the dispatcher with:
- Your name
- Your location
- Your phone number
- Details of the situation
- When it’s safe to do so, provide the dispatcher with a clear description of the suspect:
- Estimated height/weight
- Gender
- Hair color/length and presence of any facial hair
- Race/complexion
- Clothing description
- Approximate age
- Vehicle type, color and plate (including state)
- Direction of travel
- Follow all instructions of the responding officer.
If directed by the police to “evacuate”:
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- Remain calm.
- Leave promptly using the nearest exit.
- Alert other persons on your way out.
- Meet at the designated meeting location if established for your building and account for your personnel.
- Take keys and essential personal items.
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If directed by the police to “remain in place”:
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- Proceed to or remain in an office, classroom, conference room or other area with a door.
- Lock the door if possible.
- Close blinds / curtains if possible.
- Stay low, crouch or sit down in areas that are out of sight from doors and windows.
- Note the names of all present, including the names of any visitors, so they can be accounted for later.
- Turn off the lights and remain quiet and calm
- Do not open the door for anyone. Police will unlock the door to the room you are in to notify you that the incident is under control and that the emergency has passed.
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If the shooter is in the room — as a last resort:
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- Take action, and only when your life is in imminent danger.
- Attempt to incapacitate the active shooter.
- Act with physical aggression, yell and throw items at the active shooter.
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How to react when law enforcement arrives:
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- Officers might use pepper spray or tear gas to control the situation.
- Officers might be armed with rifles, handguns or shotguns.
- Officers might shout commands and might push individuals to the ground for their safety.
- Remain calm and follow officers’ instructions.
- Put down any items in your hands and immediately raise hands and spread fingers.
- Keep hands visible at all times.
- Avoid making quick movements toward officers such as attempting to hold on to them for safety.
- Avoid pointing, screaming and/or yelling.
Terrorism:
If you receive a bomb threat:
- Remain calm and attempt to obtain as much information from the caller as possible.Try to write down or otherwise remember:
- Words the caller used
- What the caller wanted
- Person the caller asked for
- Keep the caller on the line as long as possible.
Listen for:
- Tone and characteristics of the caller’s voice
- Your familiarity with the caller’s voice
- Gender/age of the caller’s voice
- Background noise
- CALL 911 from any other phone (avoid using a cellular phone if possible) and provide the dispatcher with:
- Your name
- Your location
- Your phone number
- Details of the situation
- Time you received the call
- Notify your supervisor/department head.
- Look for anything unusual in your work area. DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING UNUSUAL. If you spot something unusual, point it out to the responding officer.
- Follow all directions of the officer responding to the scene.
- If instructed to evacuate, move at least 500 feet away from the area (take your keys and personal belongings with you) and await further instructions from emergency personnel.
- Do not re-enter the building until instructed by emergency personnel.
If you were exposed to a chemical threat:
- Call 911
- Follow the instructions provided by emergency personnel. They might have specific instructions.
- Quickly remove clothing by cutting it off rather than pulling it over face.
- Wash yourself:
- Wash self with large amounts of soap and water.
- Rinse eyes thoroughly and throw away contacts. Eyeglasses may be washed and put on again.
- Dispose of contaminated clothing
- Place clothing in a bag without touching contaminated areas.
- Seal the bag securely and place it in another bag.
- Inform emergency personnel and they will properly dispose of it.
For more information:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Public Response Hotline
800-CDC-INFO
888-232-6348 (TTY)
E-mail inquiries: cdcinfo@cdc.gov
Chemical Waste:
A chemical waste spill is considered dangerous when it can cause the following:
- Personal injury
- Chemical overexposure
- Adverse environmental impact
- Immediate danger to life, healthy or property
- Chemicals with unknown characteristics
- Immediately notify all personnel in the affected area of the spill or release and evacuate all personnel from the affected area.
- Call 911 from a location that is not affected by the spill (secure location). They will dispatch appropriate response personnel.
- Be prepared to tell the officer the following information:
- Your name, phone number and secure location from which you are calling
- The nature of the incident
- The location of the incident (building, floor, room number)
- The name or type of substance (if known)
- The quantity of substance (estimate)
- The hazards (flammable, explosive, toxicity, etc. — if known)
- If there are known injuries
- Stay in the secure area to meet emergency responders or suggest another area if the current location is inappropriate.
- Do not re-enter the spill area to perform rescue operations or participate in cleanup.
For more information:
Regional Poisons Control Center at 1-800-222-1222 or visit The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).