The University of Divinity seeks to respond to disruptions, emergencies and serious incidents to ensure that the impact on staff, students and the community is minimised; critical functions are maintained or restored in a timely manner; and that the University is able to continue to operate and recover.
This guide is available to assist in the event of an emergency.
Evacuation
Evacuation refers to the movement of people from immediate danger in as quick and safe manner as possible.
Response
When the alarm sounds or after instruction by your building warden, you must:
- Proceed to the nearest fire exit if safe to do so and evacuate to the assembly area designated for the building.
- Use stairs (avoid lifts in case of fire or power failure)
- Use paths that are clear (avoid areas where you encounter heat and/or smoke or other hazards such as flooding)
- Follow the instructions of Building Wardens, College Principal and Emergency Service personnel
- Re-enter the building only once an ALL CLEAR is given or you have been instructed to do so by Emergency Services personnel, College Principal or Building Wardens.
Fire/smoke
The presence of smoke or a fire in the building or on the grounds.
Notify
- Building Wardens
- College Principal
- Call Emergency Services on 000
Response
- Remain calm
- Follow the direction of your Building Wardens
- Evacuate (see above) and proceed to the assembly area designated for the building
- Wait for further instructions from a Building Warden, College Principal or Emergency Services.
Upon discovering a fire, use RACE Standard Fire Orders if safe to do so:
| R | “Remove” any person(s) in immediate danger, only if safe to do so |
| A | “Alert” Raise the alarm by contacting Building Wardens or Emergency Services on 000 |
| C | “Contain” Close doors to contain the fire |
| E | “Extinguish” Attempt to extinguish the fire only if you are trained and it is safe to do so |
Medical
Notify
- First Aiders
- College Principal
- Call Emergency Services on 000
Response
| Danger | Check for danger to yourself, bystanders and the patient. |
| Response | Check for a response: ask name, squeeze shoulders. No response? Send for help. Response? Make comfortable, monitor breathing and response. |
| Send | Send for help. Call triple zero (000) for an ambulance or ask a bystander to make the call. Stay on the line. |
| Airway | Open Airway Open the mouth and check the airway for foreign material. Foreign material? Place in the recovery position and clear the airway. No foreign material? Leave in the recovery position. Open the airway by tilting the head back with a chin lift. |
| Breathing | Check for breathing: look, listen, feel for 10 seconds. Not normal breathing? Ensure an ambulance has been called and start CPR. Normal breathing? Place in the recovery position and monitor breathing. |
| CPR | 30 chest compressions: 2 breaths Continue CPR until help arrives or the patient starts breathing. |
| Defibrillation | Attach the defibrillator and follow the voice prompts. |
Bomb threat
Although rare, University staff and students should be aware of what do you if you discover a suspicious package or receive a bomb threat in the workplace.
Notify
- Building Wardens
- College Principal
- Call Emergency Services on 000
Response
Phone call
- Remain calm and listen
- Get as much information from the caller as possible
- Keep the caller on the line as long as possible and record everything that is said in writing
- Without alerting the caller, attract the attention of a second person to contact authorities
- Notify responsible authorities (see above)
- State that you have received a bomb threat; the exact location of the bomb (if known); and your name
- Await further directions from the authorities
In writing
- Avoid manipulating the paper, email and the container it arrived in
- Notify responsible authorities (see above)
- State that you have received a bomb threat; the exact location of the bomb (if known); and your name
- Await further directions from the authorities
Suspicious package
- Leve the item alone – do not touch, tilt or tamper with it
- Notify responsible authorities (see above)
- Await further directions from the authorities
Personal threat
Personal threat situations can include armed or unarmed persons threatening injury to others or themselves. They can include incidents of violence or assault, armed hold-ups, robbery and the presence of an intruder.
Notify
- College Principal
- Call Emergency Services on 000
Response
Armed hold-up
- Remain calm, obey the offender’s instructions.
- Comply with demands only if they do not place you in additional danger.
- Do as you are told, but no more.
- Do not volunteer information beyond what you are asked.
- Do not stare at the person.
- If you are ordered to hand over money, be deliberate in your actions.
- If you can leave the building with safety, do so and raise the alarm.
- If you are not involved in the incident, stay away and out of danger.
- Try to observe and remember as much as possible about the person (height, weight, speech, mannerisms, clothing, scars, tattoos). Record your observations in writing as soon as you safely can.
Other
Consider evacuation:
- Lockdown
- Runaway
- Shelter in place
Move to a safe place:
- refuge inside an office with a locked door
- seek refuge in a room where you can shut the door. Lock the door if you can.
- leave the area
- move outside of the affected building
- if already outdoors, leave the immediate area
Don’t place yourself in danger by moving around, seek cover and stay put until you are assisted by emergency services or College leadership.
Internal Emergency
Internal emergencies are incidents that threaten the safety of staff, students, visitors or the physical structure you are at. They may include incidents that reduce the capacity for the campus to function normally.
Example:
- Failure of an essentail service e.g. electrical outage, burst water main, gas leak
- Hazardous substances incident e.g. leakage of flammable liquid
- Structural damage
- Flooding
Notify
- Building Wardens
- College Principal
Response
- Move people to a safe area
- Assess the situation
- Seek assistance from trained staff such as First Aiders and Building Wardens
- Isolate the area if danger is present. Prevent access until help arrives.
- Isolate people who may be contaminated by substance (leave in area or move to a safe place)
- Follow evacuation procedures
External Emergency
External emergencies are major disasters that may have occurred within the region such as transport accidents; industrial accidents; chemical/biological/radiation release; natural disasters (bush fires, floods etc).
Notify
- Building Wardens
- College Principal
- Emergency Services on 000
Response
- Assess the situation
- Remove people from immediate danger if safe to do so
- Seek assistance from trained staff such as First Aiders and Building Wardens
- Take care not to move people from safety to danger
When to Stay
- If it is safe to shelter in place, stay inside the building
- Close windows and doors
- Await instructions from the Building Wardens
When to Leave
- If it is not safe to stay inside the building, follow evacuation procedures
- If the assembly area designated for the building is unsafe, move to a safe area