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In the event of an ongoing hazard/incident that impacts VCU, VCU Police will send out notifications with specific instructions on what actions you should take to protect yourself.

There are five distinct actions you as a member of the VCU community may be directed to take in an emergency:

  • Avoid the Area
  • Shelter in Place
  • Lockdown
  • Run/Avoid, Hide/Barricade, Fight
  • Evacuate

If you receive any of these five messages, you need to know what to do, as well as what is being done by emergency personnel to keep you safe.

Avoid the Area

Definition: Used to warn or advise the VCU community to stay away from a specific location, as there may be danger, inconvenience or another reason making the area unsuitable for visiting at the moment.

Hazards that may warrant “Avoid the Area”:

  • Traffic Accident
  • Public Event/Assembly
  • Construction/Road Work
  • Flooding
  • Heightened police presence

What you should know:

  • This is not an order to evacuate.
  • Avoid the identified location if not already present.
  • Find an alternate route of travel to avoid this location.
  • This alert is for both your safety and convenience of avoiding undue delay.

Shelter in Place

Definition: Seeking shelter indoors due to an ongoing or imminent emergency situation related to environmental or human caused disasters.

Hazards that may warrant “Shelter in Place”:

  • Hazmat Incident
  • Bomb Threat
  • Tornado
  • Earthquake
  • Flash Flooding
  • Severe Weather

What you should know:

  • Find a safe location indoors and stay there until you are given an all clear OR told to evacuate.
  • Exterior doors to publicly accessible buildings remain unlocked so that community members can get to safety.
  • Every shelter in place order will include specific information about appropriate response steps for that hazard (actions for a tornado are different than a hazmat scenario, for example).
  • Pay close attention to instructions distributed via alert.vcu.edu.

Lockdown

Definition: Restricting access to specific areas/facilities in the interest of public safety to keep external threats out.

Hazards that may warrant a “Lockdown”:

  • Police/criminal activity nearby
  • Dangerous activity within a different part of a facility
  • Any external activity that potentially poses a safety threat to community members or security of a facility

What you should know:

  • Anyone outside of a facility that is under lockdown will not be allowed inside.
  • Academic Facilities: Equipped exterior and interior doors will lock electronically.
  • VCU Health Facilities: Exterior doors on electronic access control will lock automatically. Security officers will manually lock all other exterior doors, per protocol.
  • If feasible and practical, lock doors without electronic mechanisms.
  • Do not allow access to anyone who is outside of the locked down area.
  • Only security personnel are permitted to deviate from this during active emergencies at VCU Health facilities (i.e. arriving trauma patients, helipad activation, etc.).
  • Move away from any exterior doors or windows.
  • Stay calm and listen for instructions from authorities.
  • If a community member is outside of a locked down facility, do not try to enter, pay close attention to VCU and VCU Health Alert information, leave the area as quickly/safely as possible, seek shelter away from the threat and do not return until advised.

Run/Avoid, Hide/Barricade, Fight

Definition: Safety protocol utilized by VCU and VCU Health to instruct community members on how to respond to active threats.

Hazards that may warrant “Run/Avoid, Hide/Barricade, Fight”:

  • Active assailant inside/outside a facility.

What you should know:

  • The last known location of the threat will be provided in the alert message; use this to help make your decision on which action is most appropriate.
  • RUN/AVOID: If you can safely escape the threat without putting yourself or others at risk, do so immediately. At VCU Health Facilities, pause all non-life saving medical care and move patients out of sight, if safe to do so.
  • HIDE/BARRICADE: Lock and/or barricade doors by any means possible (including Anchorman devices at VCU Health facilities). If you are in a room that cannot be secured or feels unsafe, consider seeking refuge somewhere else that is more secure.
  • FIGHT: As a last resort, act with aggression and speed, attacking the assailant at close range until the threat is stopped.
  • Follow instructions given by first responders.
  • When there is no longer a threat to public safety, community members will be notified via VCU Alert.

For more detailed instructions, watch this video. (https://youtu.be/KjtdE9N6Zx4?si=daXVGgwnnwVbwJFm).

Evacuate

Definition: A withdrawal, dispersal or removal of personnel from a dangerous or potentially dangerous area to a safer location.

Hazards that may warrant an “Evacuation”:

  • Fire
  • Natural Disaster
  • Power Outage
  • Structural Damage
  • Bomb Threat
  • Gas Leak

What you should know:

  • Leave the defined building/location as quickly and calmly as possible.
  • Use the nearest exit and gather at the designated safe location.
  • Do not use elevators unless specifically told it is safe to do so.
  • First responders will be on-scene to assist with anyone requiring assistance.

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