By In response to Monday’s shootings at Virginia Tech, university officials have announced Cal State Long Beach’s existing resources in handling emergency situations.
Resources include pre-recorded hotline numbers to inform parents and students, voicemail messages, emergency radio broadcasting, an emergency Web site, campus-wide e-mail alerts, the main emergency command center and the Mobile Command Center.
The pre-recorded hotline number would allow students, faculty and members of the community to call and find out information about a situation and actions they can take, said Toni Beron, associate vice president of University Relations.
Emergency messages would be sent out to the personal voicemail boxes to all faculty, staff and students on campus with extension numbers. The only students, however, who would likely receive those voicemail messages are those who live on campus and use dormitory phone lines.
KKJZ, the campus jazz radio station, on 88.1 FM would also be delivering emergency broadcasting.
Mass e-mails with information would also be distributed. The CSULB Emergency Information Web site (http://emergency.csulb.edu) would post up-to-date information regarding the situation.
Any 9-1-1 calls on campus would be directed to a University Police dispatcher, said University Police Chief Jack Pearson. He added that payphones on campus have direct connections for speaking with campus police.
“All the different means of communication are important because I don’t know what circumstances will be presented in an emergency,” Beron said.
The main emergency command center, located in the Horn Center, would serve as a headquarters for emergency situation coordination. However, Pearson said he believes the Mobile Command Center would be more beneficial.
“It [Mobile Command Center] allows the university to continue to function – even during a disaster,” Pearson said.
The Mobile Command Center, which resembles an RV, could go anywhere an emergency is. Within the center are two sections, communications and command post.
Gregory Pascal, communications records information systems manager for the campus police, said the communications half has satellite phones, televisions and radio. He also said it is self-containing and can fit three communicators.
“If we lost everything, it [the Mobile Command Center] has everything needed to re-establish communications,” said Sgt. Scott Brown, emergency service coordinator.
Emergency Guidelines
WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE INSIDE WHEN AN ACT OF VIOLENCE OCCURS:
- Remain inside classrooms or offices, making efforts to lock/barricade doors and windows. Stay away from exposed windows and doors. Remain in place until instructed by police or other recognize person of authority
- Calls to University Police at 9-1-1 should contain the following information: location of incident/crime, whether there any known injured persons, suspect(s) description, type(s) of weapons, last known direction of travel of suspect(s)
- Do not attempt to negotiate with a potentially violent suspect
- Do not exchange yourself for hostages. Exchange of hostages can increase the probability of tragedy and may result in violence or additional hostages being taken
- Follow all evacuation directions if they are determined necessary
WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE OUTSIDE WHEN AN ACT OF VIOLENCE OCCURS:
- Move away from the perceived danger and seek a safe location
- Calls to University Police at 9-1-1 should contain the following information: location of incident/crime, whether there any known injured persons, suspect(s) description, type(s) of weapons, last known direction of travel of suspect(s)
- Follow all evacuation directions if they are determined necessary
- Do not attempt to negotiate with a potentially violent suspect
- Do not exchange yourself for hostages. Exchange of hostages can increase the probability of tragedy and may result in violence or additional hostages being taken
University Police will “utilize an appropriate level of response” for the following scenarios:
- Report of shots fired on or around the CSU Long Beach campus.
- Report of a weapon on campus
- A hostage situation or armed barricaded person on or around the CSU Long Beach campus
- Report of a shooting, stabbing or other assault with a deadly weapon on or around the CSU Long Beach campus
- Report of a fight in progress
- Report of an extremely disruptive, potentially violent and/or emotionally unstable individual
SOURCE: CSULB Emergency Information
