Emergency Notification, Response and Evacuation Procedures

Policy Statement

Colby-Sawyer College maintains emergency response, notification and evacuation procedures to protect students, employees, visitors and others on campus.

The college plans for emergencies in coordination with Campus Safety, Emergency Management, the Incident Response Team, college departments and local emergency-response agencies. Emergency procedures address a range of potential incidents, including fires, severe weather, hazardous-material releases, utility failures, public-health emergencies, structural hazards, active threats and other dangerous conditions.

Members of the college community are encouraged to become familiar with:

Building evacuation routes and emergency assembly points.
CSC ALERT and other emergency communication methods.
Shelter-in-place procedures.
Lockdown and Avoid–Deny–Defend procedures.
Evacuation assistance for people with disabilities.
Fire safety procedures.
Instructions for the buildings in which they live, work, study or regularly participate in activities.

During an emergency, community members should follow CSC ALERT messages and instructions from Campus Safety, law enforcement, the fire department or other authorized emergency personnel.

Emergency Notification Standard

Upon confirmation of a significant emergency or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or employees occurring on campus, Colby-Sawyer College will immediately notify the appropriate segment or segments of the campus community.

The college will, without delay and taking into account the safety of the community:

Determine the appropriate segment or segments of the campus community to receive the notification.
Determine the content of the notification.
Initiate the emergency notification system.

A notification may be delayed only when, in the professional judgment of responsible authorities, issuing the notification would compromise efforts to assist a victim or to contain, respond to or otherwise mitigate the emergency. The notification will be issued as soon as the reason for the delay no longer exists.

The college will not delay an emergency notification solely because:

All details have not yet been confirmed.
The person responsible has not been identified or located.
Senior administrators have not yet been reached.
An investigation is underway.
The message may cause concern or disruption.

Confirmation of an Emergency

Confirmation means that an authorized college official or responding public-safety agency has determined, based on reasonably reliable information available at the time, that a significant emergency or dangerous situation exists or is occurring.

Confirmation does not require a completed investigation, absolute certainty or verification of every reported detail before an initial notification is issued.

Information used to confirm an emergency may come from:

Campus Safety personnel.
Law enforcement, fire or emergency medical services.
The director of emergency management or designee.
Facilities or Information Technology personnel.
Public health or healthcare authorities.
Weather services or emergency-management agencies.
Other college officials with direct knowledge of the incident.
Emergency alarms, security systems, cameras or other technology.
Multiple credible reports from witnesses or community members.

Campus Safety will evaluate available information and consult appropriate subject-matter experts or responding agencies when circumstances permit. Consultation must not unnecessarily delay protective action or notification.

Officials Responsible for Confirmation and Notification

The following college officials or their designees are responsible for confirming emergencies, determining whether an emergency notification is required, determining the affected population and authorizing notification:

Director of campus safety
Assistant director of campus safety
Director of emergency management
College president or designee
Another college official specifically designated and trained to perform these functions

The following individuals may initiate or distribute a CSC ALERT after an emergency has been confirmed:

Director of campus safety or designee
Assistant director of campus safety
Director of emergency management or designee
Executive director of marketing and communications or designee
President or designee
Other trained and authorized CSC ALERT administrators.

The director of campus safety or designee has primary responsibility for initiating an immediate life-safety notification. Prior approval from the president or another senior administrator is not required when delay could place the campus community at risk.

The president, Senior Leadership Team, Incident Response Team and appropriate college officials will be notified concurrently or as soon as circumstances permit.

Detailed contact lists, system permissions, message templates and internal activation procedures are maintained separately in college emergency plans and operating procedures.

Determining the Affected Population

The official authorizing the notification will determine which segment or segments of the campus community may be affected.

A notification may be sent to:

The entire campus community.
Occupants of a particular building or area.
Residential students.
Employees.
Students or employees participating in a particular program or activity.
Individuals at an off-site college-controlled location.
Another identifiable group affected by the emergency.

The decision will be based on factors such as:

The location and nature of the emergency.
The area currently affected.
The potential movement or expansion of the hazard.
The protective actions people should take.
The reliability and completeness of the available information.
Whether limiting the notification could leave people at risk.

When the location or scope of the threat is uncertain, the college may notify the entire campus community.

The college will continue evaluating the situation and may notify additional groups as conditions change.

Determining Notification Content

The initial emergency notification should provide enough information for recipients to take immediate protective action.

When available and appropriate, a notification may include:

The nature of the emergency.
The building, area or population affected.
Areas to avoid.
Whether recipients should evacuate, shelter-in-place, secure their location or take another action.
A brief description of the hazard.
Instructions for obtaining assistance.
Where additional information will be provided.
A statement that further updates will follow.

The first message should emphasize the required protective action. The college may issue an initial message before every detail is known and provide additional information through follow-up messages.

Emergency messages will use clear, direct language and avoid unnecessary codes, technical terminology, speculation or information that does not help recipients protect themselves.

The college may withhold information when its release would:

Compromise efforts to assist a victim.
Interfere with emergency-response operations.
Impede efforts to contain or mitigate the emergency.
Endanger responding personnel or other community members.
Compromise the apprehension of a person presenting a threat.
Violate applicable law.

CSC ALERT Emergency Notification System

CSC ALERT is the college’s primary mass emergency-notification system. It may distribute messages through multiple channels, including:

SMS text messages
Email
Desktop emergency alerts on college-owned computers
Emergency messaging displays
Text-to-voice messages to campus telephones
The college website
Other available emergency communication systems

No single communication method can be guaranteed to reach every individual in every emergency. The college may use multiple methods depending on the incident, the affected population, system availability and the urgency of the message.

Community members should not rely exclusively on one device or communication method.

CSC ALERT Enrollment

Students and employees are strongly encouraged to ensure that their current mobile telephone number and other emergency contact information are registered with CSC ALERT.

Information about enrollment and updating contact information will be provided:

To new students
To new employees during onboarding
At the beginning of the academic year
In connection with campuswide system tests
Through college emergency-preparedness resources

Eligible members of the broader college community may also be permitted to enroll in designated CSC ALERT groups.

Contact information submitted to CSC ALERT will be used for authorized emergency, safety, weather, closure, utility and other urgent college communications. It will not be sold or used for commercial marketing.

Emergency Notifications and Other Urgent Messages

CSC ALERT may also be used for urgent operational communications that do not meet the Clery Act definition of an emergency notification.

Examples may include:

Delayed openings
Campus closures
Significant weather-related changes
Utility disruptions
Road or building closures
Transportation changes
Other time-sensitive college information

The use of CSC ALERT for operational messages does not alter the college’s obligation to issue an emergency notification without delay when the Clery standard is met.

Relationship to Timely Warnings

Emergency notifications and timely warnings serve different purposes.

An emergency notification addresses a confirmed significant emergency or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or employees occurring on campus.

A timely warning addresses a Clery-reportable crime occurring within the college’s Clery geography that is determined to represent a serious or continuing threat to students or employees.

When the college issues an emergency notification concerning circumstances that would otherwise warrant a timely warning, a separate timely warning is not required for the same circumstances. The college will provide appropriate follow-up information as needed.

Emergency Response and Protective Actions

The appropriate protective action depends on the nature and location of the emergency. Community members may be instructed to evacuate, relocate, shelter-in-place, secure their location, avoid a particular area or take another action.

Building Evacuation

When a fire alarm sounds or an evacuation is ordered:

Leave the building immediately using the nearest safe exit.
Do not delay to collect personal belongings.
Do not use elevators unless their use is specifically authorized by emergency responders.
Avoid smoke, fire, hazardous materials, police activity and other known hazards.
Close doors as you leave when this can be done without delaying evacuation.
Proceed to the designated emergency assembly point or another location identified in the emergency message.
Keep roads, fire lanes, building entrances and emergency access routes clear.
Report anyone believed to remain inside or need assistance, including the person’s last known location.
Do not re-enter the building until Campus Safety or emergency responders authorize re-entry.

The normal emergency assembly point may be changed when it is affected by the hazard or emergency-response operations.

Shelter-in-Place

Shelter-in-place may be directed when conditions outside or movement through an affected area may be unsafe.

When instructed to shelter-in-place:

Enter or remain inside the nearest safe building.
Close exterior doors and windows.
Move to a protected location appropriate for the hazard.
Move away from windows, outside-air intakes or exterior walls when directed.
Monitor CSC ALERT and other official college communications.
Remain sheltered until an official all-clear or new instruction is issued.

The appropriate shelter location will vary. Severe weather may require movement to a lower-level interior location, while an airborne contaminant may require an interior room with few exterior openings.

Lockdown and Active Threat

A lockdown may be used when movement through a building or across campus may expose people to a violent person, active threat or dangerous police activity.

Community members should apply the college’s Avoid–Deny–Defend continuum:

Avoid: Move away from the threat when a safe route is available.
Deny: Lock, barricade or otherwise prevent access when escape is unsafe.
Defend: Take action to protect yourself and others when directly confronted with an immediate threat to life.

A lockdown instruction does not require someone to remain in a location that is directly threatened or otherwise unsafe.

Evacuation Assistance

Individuals who may need assistance during evacuation or another emergency are encouraged to develop an individual emergency plan in advance.

Students may contact Access Resources, Residential Education or Campus Safety. Employees may contact Human Resources or Campus Safety.

Community members should:

Ask before providing physical assistance.
Follow the individual’s instructions when possible.
Avoid lifting, carrying or transferring someone unless trained and equipped to do so.
Report the precise location of anyone awaiting assistance.
Leave rescue operations to trained emergency responders when assistance cannot be provided safely.

Student Housing Evacuation and Relocation

The College maintains procedures for:

Evacuating individual residence halls;
Relocating students to another campus facility;
Providing temporary off-campus transportation or housing when necessary;
Accounting for residential students during extended emergencies; and
Assisting students who cannot make independent relocation arrangements.

Students must follow CSC ALERT instructions and directions from Campus Safety and Residential Education. Students should not return to an evacuated residence hall until re-entry is authorized.

Follow-Up Notifications

The College will provide follow-up information when appropriate as an emergency develops.

Follow-up messages may:

Confirm or clarify the affected area;
Change the protective action;
Provide evacuation or relocation instructions;
Identify areas to avoid;
Correct information contained in an earlier message;
Provide information about available services;
Explain continuing restrictions; or
Advise that the emergency has ended.

Follow-up information may be distributed through CSC ALERT or through other College communication channels when the urgency of the incident has decreased.

All-Clear Messages

An all-clear or change in protective action will be issued after Campus Safety receives confirmation from the incident commander, responsible responding agency, or another authorized official that the action is appropriate.

An all-clear may be distributed by an authorized CSC ALERT administrator or the Office of Marketing and Communications.

The stopping of an alarm, quiet conditions, departure of emergency vehicles, or an unofficial message does not constitute an all-clear.

Community members must not re-enter an evacuated building, leave a secured location, or return to a restricted campus area until authorized.

Communications With the Larger Community

When appropriate, the College will disseminate emergency information to people beyond the immediately affected campus population.

The Office of Marketing and Communications and the President’s Office, in coordination with Campus Safety, Emergency Management, the Incident Response Team, and responding agencies, may communicate with:

Parents and families;
Alumni;
Trustees;
Neighboring community members;
Local emergency partners;
News media;
Government officials; and
The general public.

Communication methods may include:

The College website;
Email;
Official College social media;
Media statements;
Direct communications with partner agencies;
Parent or family communications; and
Other appropriate channels.

External communications will be coordinated to avoid releasing inaccurate information or interfering with emergency operations.

Training and Education

The College provides emergency-preparedness education to students and employees through training, exercises, orientation programs, online resources, presentations, and other outreach.

Training topics may include:

Building evacuation;
Fire safety;
CSC ALERT;
Shelter-in-place;
Severe weather;
Avoid–Deny–Defend;
Lockdown;
Hazardous-material response;
Bleeding control and Stop the Bleed;
Emergency medical response;
Incident Command System;
Individual emergency planning; and
Other hazards or preparedness needs.

Campus Safety, Emergency Management, Residential Education, Facilities, Marketing and Communications, and other College departments may conduct or participate in emergency training.

The College also coordinates exercises and preparedness activities with local law enforcement, fire, emergency medical services, emergency management, healthcare organizations, and other community partners.

Testing Emergency Response and Evacuation Procedures

The College will test its emergency response and evacuation procedures at least once each calendar year.

Tests may be announced or unannounced and may include:

Building evacuation drills;
Residence hall fire and evacuation exercises;
CSC ALERT tests;
Tabletop exercises;
Functional exercises;
Full-scale exercises;
Lockdown exercises;
Severe-weather exercises;
Communications exercises; and
Other drills or activities designed to assess emergency plans and capabilities.

Tests will include appropriate follow-through activities intended to evaluate the procedures or capabilities being tested.

In conjunction with at least one test each calendar year, the College will publicize its emergency response and evacuation procedures to students and employees.

The College normally conducts an announced campuswide CSC ALERT test during the fall semester. This test may coincide with Mountain Day or another designated campus event. If that test cannot be conducted or does not satisfy the College’s annual testing objectives, another qualifying test will be completed.

A CSC ALERT transmission test may be conducted as part of the annual exercise program, but the College will also use drills or exercises designed to assess emergency response, evacuation, protective-action, or coordination capabilities.

Residence Hall Evacuation Exercises

Emergency evacuation exercises will be conducted for College-owned residence halls and houses in accordance with College procedures and applicable fire-safety requirements.

These exercises are intended to:

Familiarize residents with the sound of building alarms;
Reinforce immediate evacuation expectations;
Identify available exits;
Review Emergency Assembly Points;
Evaluate evacuation and accountability procedures;
Identify accessibility or assistance needs; and
Detect problems requiring corrective action.

Campus Safety and Residential Education will coordinate and document residence hall evacuation exercises.

Exercise Documentation

The College will document each test of its emergency response and evacuation procedures.

Documentation will include, at minimum:

A description of the exercise or test;
The date;
The start and end times, when applicable;
Whether the exercise was announced or unannounced;
The procedures, systems, or capabilities evaluated; and
Appropriate follow-through activities.

When applicable, documentation should also include:

Participating departments and external agencies;
Exercise objectives;
Notification-system performance;
Significant observations;
Identified areas for improvement;
Corrective actions;
Responsible departments; and
Target completion dates.

Emergency Management will coordinate the central retention of exercise and test documentation in cooperation with Campus Safety, Residential Education, Marketing and Communications, Facilities, and other participating departments.

Emergency Notification Decision Records

The College should document significant Emergency Notification decisions, including:

When the initial report was received;
When and how the emergency was confirmed;
The official or agency confirming the emergency;
The affected population selected;
The content and distribution methods used;
When the initial notification was issued;
The reason for any delay;
Follow-up notifications; and
The authority and time associated with the all-clear.

These records support operational review, continuous improvement, and Clery Act compliance.

System Testing and Maintenance

CSC ALERT and related emergency communication systems will be tested periodically to evaluate system availability and message delivery.

During a scheduled campuswide test:

The test message will clearly identify itself as a test.
Multiple communication channels may be activated.
Delivery results and system performance will be reviewed.
Reported failures or outdated contact information will be addressed when possible.
The community will be advised when the test has concluded if the circumstances require a separate conclusion message.

Emergency displays, desktop alerts, campus telephone messages, and other components may also be tested individually for maintenance purposes.

A routine technical or maintenance test does not necessarily constitute the College’s annual Clery emergency response and evacuation test unless it is designed and documented to evaluate emergency plans or capabilities.

After-Action Review and Continuous Improvement

Following exercises and significant emergencies, the College may conduct an after-action review to identify:

What occurred;
What worked well;
Communications or coordination challenges;
Equipment or technology concerns;
Training needs;
Policy or procedure changes; and
Corrective actions.

Corrective actions may be incorporated into an improvement plan and assigned to the appropriate department for follow-up.

Policy Review

This policy will be reviewed periodically by Emergency Management, Campus Safety, and other appropriate College officials.

Revisions may be made to reflect:

Changes in federal or state requirements;
Changes in College organization or technology;
Exercise and incident findings;
Updated emergency-management practices; and
Changes in local emergency-response arrangements.

Internal call lists, authorized-user lists, system instructions, and contact information will be reviewed more frequently and maintained outside the public policy when appropriate.

Policy owner: Associate Dean of Students and Director of Emergency Management
Operational partners: Department of Campus Safety and Office of Marketing and Communications
Emergency: 911
Campus Safety: 603-526-3300
Last revised: July 2026