U-M Emergency Preparedness
All members of the Law School community are encouraged to be prepared in the event of an emergency. You should know what to do and where to go if there is a fire, power outage, medical emergency, severe weather or any other emergency that impacts the community, operations or environment on campus.
Below are the University’s guidelines relative to emergency preparedness.
Medical Emergencies
- Call 911.
- If trained, administer first aid/CPR.
- Keep others clear of area where emergency has occurred.
- Meet the first responders and direct them to incident location.
- Leave immediate area to avoid disrupting emergency team.
AED Locations
- Jeffries Hall: In the main stairwell on the first and third floors.
- Hutchins Hall: K&E Cafe near the women’s restroom.
- Hutchins Hall: Third floor near the Dean’s Office.
- Law Library: Next to the kiosk just past the Library entrance / theft gate.
- Legal Research: Ninth floor lobby across from the faculty mailboxes.
- Legal Research: In the Library corridor around the corner from the Reading Room stairs leading to the Library.
Tornadoes and High Winds
It is important to remain alert for changing weather conditions and approaching storms. Be ready to take shelter immediately. A Tornado Warning is an urgent announcement that a tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar. In the event of a Tornado Warning, emergency alert sirens will sound throughout Washtenaw County for three minutes with a steady wail. You should take shelter immediately.
Your top priority should be your safety. Take action to secure your own safety before considering assisting others. Any decision to assist others is yours alone and is never required. Do not obstruct others as they seek shelter.
- Fire alarms should NOT be activated. People should NOT evacuate the building.
- All doors should remain closed, including those in the main corridor.
- All should move to the lowest interior space of the building (hallway, basement, restroom).
- Stay away from windows and glass or objects that could become projectiles.
- Crouch near floor or under heavy, well-supported objects such as desks. The back of the head should also be covered.
- Monitor local media outlets for updates and all-clears.
Shelter Locations
- Hutchins Hall: Follow stairs to the basement hallways and other windowless spaces.
- Jeffries Hall: Follow stairs to the basement.
- Law Library: Follow stairs to Sub 3.
- Legal Research: Follow stairs to Level 1.
Fires
Your top priority should be your safety. Take action to secure your own safety before considering assisting others. Any decision to assist others is yours alone and is never required. Do not obstruct others as they evacuate buildings.
- If smoke is seen or smelled, activate fire alarms, evacuate building, and call 911 from a safe location.
- Become familiar with location of fire alarm pull stations, fire extinguishers, stairways and emergency exits in your building. Always identify two means of safe egress.
- If the building’s fire alarm sounds, immediately evacuate via the nearest exit, encouraging others to evacuate as well.
- Fire alarm activations require “full” evacuation of all affected buildings.
- Evacuate through the nearest available exit. In the event of an emergency, fire and police vehicles and personnel will need full access to entrances; please move to an area of refuge away from entrances.
- Use stairs, not elevators.
- If it is possible to do so safely, assist those with disabilities or special needs.
- Stay clear of building exits and fire lanes.
- Re-enter only when directed by authorities
Active Attacker
Your top priority should be your safety. Take action to secure your own safety before considering assisting others. Any decision to assist others is yours alone and is never required. Do not obstruct others as they seek safety.
- Call 911 if you can do so without being overheard by shooter.
- Run, if it is possible without encountering shooter.
- Evacuate via safe route to escape threat.
- Encourage others to leave without slowing down escape.
- Prevent others from walking into danger zone.
- Hide, if not safe to run.
- Seek a safe location where one cannot be seen or heard.
- Secure area by locking or barricading door.
- Turn off lights.
- Silence phones and electronic devices.
- Remain quiet and still.
- Fight as a last resort. If running or hiding isn’t an option and the shooter must be confronted, fight back.
- Use element of surprise, if possible. For example, if shooter enters through an unlocked door, hide behind door with heavy object, then strike fast and decisively, and repeat until shooter is incapacitated.
- Distract, disorient, or disarm the shooter.
- Fight as a team if there are others around. Gang up on shooter and attack until he is incapacitated.
- Use improvised weapons such as fire extinguisher, laptop computer, tools (hammer, screwdriver), heavy coffee mug, chair or small table, heavy desk phone, metal trash can with sharp edges. Do not worry about damaging equipment or furniture. Choose items that can injure and incapacitate from the first blow, if possible. The goal is to incapacitate the shooter which requires injuring him. Be aggressive and decisive and do not worry about the level of harm you inflict on shooter.
- Fight to incapacitate shooter. Fight to survive.
U-M Emergency Alerts
Emergency alerts can be delivered via text message, voice message, email, U-M digital displays, U-M or DPSS homepage, Michigan App, DPSS App, or Twitter
Michigan Law students, faculty, and staff are automatically enrolled to receive U-M Emergency Alerts via email and text message/SMS. Please visit alerts.umich.edu to verify or update the mobile number currently enrolled in the system.
U-M Emergency Alert usually won’t be used for localized incidents within a building such as a small fire. This system is reserved for campus-wide emergencies, which include, but are not limited to:
- Active violent incident, such as active shooter
- Tornado warning for Washtenaw County
- Severe thunderstorm with wind greater than 75 miles per hour
- Major spill of hazardous materials