Emergency Response Information

Report an Emergency or Suspicious Activity
Call the Office of Safety & Security (OSS) at 206‐281‐2922 to report an emergency or suspicious 
activity. SPU Security Officers are trained first responders and will immediately be dispatched to 
your location. If needed, the OSS Dispatcher will contact local fire/police with the exact address 
of the location of the emergency.

Lockdown / Shelter in Place – General Guidance
The University will lock down in response to threats of violence such as a bank robbery or armed 
intruder on campus. You can assume that all remaining classes and events will be temporarily 
suspended until the incident is over. Lockdown notifications are sent using the SPU‐Alert System as 
text messages (to people who have provided their cell phone numbers as described below), emails, 
announcements by Building Emergency Coordinators (BECs), and electronic reader board messages.

If you are in a building at the time of a lockdown:
• Stay inside and await instruction, unless you are in immediate visible danger.
• Move to a securable area (such as an office or classroom) and lock the doors.
• Close the window coverings then move away from the windows and get low on the floor.
• Remain in your secure area until further direction or the all clear is given (this notification 
will be sent via the SPU‐Alert System).

If you are unable to enter a building because of a lockdown:
• Leave the area and seek safe shelter off campus. Remaining in the area of the threat may expose 
you to further danger.
• Return to campus after the all clear is given (this notification will be sent via the 
SPU‐Alert System).

Evacuation – General Guidance
Students should evacuate a building if the fire alarm sounds or if a faculty member, a staff 
member, or the SPU‐ Alert System instructs building occupants to evacuate. In the event of an 
evacuation, gather your personal belongings quickly and proceed to the nearest exit. Most 
classrooms contain a wall plaque or poster on or next to the classroom door showing the evacuation 
route and the assembly site for the building. Do not use the elevator.

Once you have evacuated the building, proceed to the nearest evacuation location. The “Stop. Think. 
Act.” booklet posted in each classroom contains a list of evacuation sites for each building. Check 
in with your instructor or a BEC (they will be easily recognizable by their bright orange vests). 
During emergencies, give each BEC your full cooperation whenever they issue directions.

SPU‐Alert System
The SPU‐Alert System provides notification by email and text message during an emergency. Text 
messaging has generally proven to be the quickest way to receive an alert about a campus emergency. 
To receive a text message, update your information through the Banner Information System on the 
web, https://www.spu.edu/banweb/. Select the Personal Menu then choose the Emergency Alert System. 
Contact the CIS Help Desk if you have questions concerning entering your personal contact 
information into the Banner Information System.

Additional Information
Additional information about emergency preparedness can be found on the SPU web page at 
http://www.spu.edu/info/emergency/index.asp or by calling the Office of Safety & Security at 
206‐281‐2922.