Emergency Preparedness

We all know that sometimes we have to expect the unexpected. That is why Polk State College takes Emergency Preparedness seriously. We want you to know what to do when an emergency hits.

  1. Emergency Notifications

    In the event of a significant threat to the safety or health of the college community, Polk State will immediately notify the community and give directions for responding to the threat. These communications will be made via the Polk State Emergency Notification System.

    The Polk State Emergency Notification System consists of the Wide-Area Emergency Broadcast System (WEBS), the InformaCast-Berbee System, Polk State College Alert, and staff and student e-mail accounts.

    WEBS will broadcast announcements over loudspeakers that are located in outdoor campus locations and in common areas inside campus buildings.

    InformaCast-Berbee will broadcast voice and text messages to all IP phones connected to the network.

    Polk State College Alert will send messages to registered mobile phones, wireless PDAs, pagers, and/or e-mail addresses. In addition, e-mail messages may be sent to all Polk State students, staff, and faculty e-mail addresses.

    In some cases, face-to-face communication may be used to notify individuals about an emergency on campus. The Polk State web page and social media accounts will also be used, along with some or all of the options described previously, to provide follow-up information to the college community during an emergency situation.

  2. Evacuations

    Students, faculty, and staff are expected to evacuate campus buildings if they hear a fire alarm or if they are notified by first responders or the campus administration that an evacuation is necessary. They receive information about evacuation and shelter-in-place procedures through the Polk State Emergency Notification System.

    If ordered to evacuate, take your personal belongings (purse, wallet, Polk ID card, etc.) and follow the evacuation procedures for your building. Once you have evacuated, proceed to the predesignated rally point or to a safe location. If police or fire department personnel are on the scene, follow their directions.

  3. Shelter-in-Place

    Regardless of location, the basic steps of shelter-in-place will generally remain the same. Should the need ever arise, campus community members should follow these steps, unless instructed otherwise by local emergency personnel:

    1. People inside a building will stay where they are. They will collect any emergency shelter-in-place supplies and a telephone to be used in case of emergency. If outdoors, they will proceed into the closest building or follow instructions from emergency personnel on the scene.

    2.   They will locate a room to shelter inside. It should be:

    • an interior room
    • above ground level
    • without windows or with the least number of windows
    • if there is a large group of people inside a particular building, several rooms may be necessary

    They will also:

    • Shut and lock all windows and close exterior doors
    • Turn off air conditioners, heaters, and fans
    • Close vents to ventilation systems as they are able
    • Make a list of the people with them and ask someone to call the list in to the Polk State Safety/Security Department
    • Remain calm