Emergency Procedures: Evacuation
Emergency Telephone Numbers
- Call 911 (9-911), then
- Notify SJCC Police at (408) 298 2181 X6468
Learn more about Emergency Telephones and Telephone Numbers at SJCC College.
Emergency Evacuation Procedures
Fire/Bomb Threat
- When the alarm sounds, DO NOT PANIC. Leave by the nearest exit or stairway.
- DO NOT USE THE ELEVATORS.
- All persons will evacuate to at least 150 feet from the buildings.
- Special precautions must be taken to ensure that persons who have impaired hearing are notified and persons with disabilities are assisted as appropriate.
Earthquake
- If indoors, stay indoors. Take precautions:
- Get under a table or desk
- Stand in an interior doorway
- Kneel down in a corner of the room
- Hold your hands or books over your head
- Stay away from windows
- Wait until the earthquake is over
- Use stairways, NOT ELEVATORS, to evacuate
- Cautiously leave building
- Watch out for falling roof tile
- If outside, move away from buildings and utility wires. Once in the open, stay there until the earthquake is over. DO NOT GO BACK INSIDE.
In a Disaster, You Must Evacuate As Follows:
- SJCC Emergency Evacuation Map
- Emergency evacuations of people with mobility disabilities need special consideration.
Assisting People with Disabilities during Emergencies
- Always ASK someone with a disability how you can help BEFORE attempting to provide assistance. Ask how he or she can best be assisted and whether they are any special considerations or items that need to come with that person.
Blindness or Visual Impairment
- Give verbal instructions to advise about the safest route or direction using compass directions, estimated distances, and directional terms (such as left, right, up, down).
- DO NOT grasp a visually impaired person's arm - ASK if he or she would like to hold onto your arm as you exit, especially if there is debris or a crowd.
- Give other verbal instructions or information as necessary.
Deafness or Hearing Loss
- Get the attention of a person with a hearing disability by touch and eye contact. Clearly state the problem. Gestures and pointing are helpful, but BE PREPARED TO WRITE a brief statement if the person does not seem to understand.
- Offer visual instructions to advise of the safest route or direction by pointing toward exists or evacuation maps.
Mobility Impaired
- It may be necessary to help clear the exit route of debris (if possible) so that the mobility impaired person can move to a safer area.
- If people with mobility impairments cannot exit, they should move to a safer area, e.g.,
- Most enclosed stairwells.
- An office with a door shut which is a good distance from the hazard (and away from falling debris in the case of earthquake).
- If people are in immediate danger and cannot be moved to a safer area to wait for assistance, it may be necessary to evacuate them using a carry technique or, if available, an evacuation chair.
- Notify police or fire personnel immediately about any people remaining in the building and their locations.
- Police or file personnel will decide whether people are safe where they are, and will evacuate them as necessary. The Fire Department may determine that it is safe to override the rule against using elevators.
Emergency Evacuation of People with Mobility Disabilities or Injured People
Evacuating a disabled or injured person yourself is the LAST resort. Consider your options and risks of injuring yourself and others in an evacuation attempt. DO NOT make an emergency situation worse.
Evacuation is difficult and uncomfortable for both the rescuers and people being assisted. Some people may have conditions that can be aggravated or triggered if they are moved incorrectly. Remember that environmental conditions (smoke, debris, loss of electricity) will complicate evacuation efforts. The following guidelines are general and may not apply in every circumstance:
- Two or more trained volunteers, if available, should conduct the evacuation.
- DO NOT evacuate disabled people in their wheelchairs - evacuate the person NOT the wheelchair. This is standard practice to ensure the safety of disabled people and volunteers. Wheelchairs will be evacuated later if possible.
- Always ASK people with a disability how you can help BEFORE attempting any rescue technique or giving assistance. Ask how they can best be assisted or moved and if there are any special considerations or items that need to come with them.
- Before attempting an evacuation, volunteers and the people being assisted should discuss how any lifting will be done and where they are going.
- Proper lifting techniques (e.g., bending at the knees, keeping the back straight, holding the person close before lifting, and using leg muscles to lift) should be used to avoid injury to rescuers' backs.