Emergency Response
The Emergency Response Guide provides an understandable and accessible reference for use in emergency situations in order to promote the safety of the UT Southwestern community. This guide addresses the most common and most likely emergencies that employees, students and visitors may face on the UT Southwestern campus. Students enrolled in any of UT Southwestern’s three schools can access the guide on the UT Southwestern intranet.
University officials, the UT Southwestern Emergency Management Committee, and the Office of Safety and Business Continuity have divided this guide into segments, which are updated periodically. It is recommended that all students review the guide and discuss how you and your team would act in various emergency situations before the event. By becoming familiar with the responses prior to emergencies, we can ensure a faster, more reliable response to emergency situations and increase the safety of our campus community.
At UT Southwestern, officials monitor TV, radio, and other communications to keep on top of any emergency situations that may impact the campus. As the situation requires, administration or emergency personnel will provide regular updates on conditions and recommended actions that the campus community should take, such as evacuation, shelter‐in‐place, and the “All Clear” signal.
In case of an emergency, information will be communicated by a combination of the following:
- Building Public Address (PA) System: Most buildings are equipped with fire panel systems that have a public address capability. Emergency personnel are trained to use these systems in emergencies in order to make announcements to the entire building regarding evacuation, shelter-in-place, etc.
- UTSW Alert: UT Southwestern developed the UTSW Alert system to communicate official information during an emergency or crisis situation that disrupts normal operations of the UT Southwestern campus or threatens the health or safety of the campus community.
UT Southwestern faculty, staff, and students listed in the HRMS database will be automatically enrolled in UTSW Alert to receive email alerts, Short Message Service (SMS) communications, text messages, and/or telephone calls to their business, home, or personal mobile phone numbers. This information should be verified and updated annually or as information changes in PeopleSoft. Students and staff members may elect not to participate in the UTSW Alert system. An election to opt out of the UTSW Alert system must be renewed at the start of each academic year. See the procedures in the Emergency Response Guide for opting out of alert notices.
Users will be provided with emergency messages that will include information about the emergency event, how best to respond, and where to receive further information.
Applicants or students with any questions should contact the Office of Safety and Business Continuity by email.
UT Southwestern Emergency Information Line 214‐645‐8879: In the event of a disaster that affects all or part of the campus, a number has been provided that students, faculty, and staff can call to hear general instructions as to what course of action they should follow. The message will be updated as information becomes available.