Evacuation Criteria
When an emergency situation occurs, it may be necessary to close a building or buildings temporarily. A building will be closed if, in the judgment of the On-Scene Incident Commander, the facility is unsafe (e.g., if the building is contaminated with hazardous substances, or unsafe due to severe damage caused by fire or tornado).
The On-Scene Incident Commander must submit to the IC a recommendation to close a building, a sector of the campus, or the entire campus. The IC will then notify members of the Incident Management team and the Senior Emergency Management Officer of the need to quickly assess the recommendation. The recommendation to close a building(s) is subject to the approval of the Policy Group.
As the following evacuation criteria indicate, evacuation can affect: part of a building; an entire building or buildings; and, if necessary, the entire campus.
Evacuation categories for the University campus are as follows:
Level I Evacuation
Level I Evacuation is total building or partial building evacuation due to conditions making it no longer safe to remain inside a building or a specific area in a building. This level of evacuation requires occupants to move out and away from a building or out and away from a specific area inside a building.
Examples: fire, chemical spill, power outage
Level II Evacuation
Level II Evacuation is total or partial sector(s) evacuation due to conditions making it no longer safe to occupy buildings or areas in a certain sector(s) of the campus. This level of evacuation requires members of the campus community to move out and away from their respective sector(s) of the campus to another sector of campus.
Examples: power outage, tornado
Level III Evacuation
Level III Evacuation is evacuation of the University campus. This level of evacuation will result from a community-wide disaster that would require the implementation of the City of Chicago’s Emergency Management Plan.
Examples: influenza pandemic, loss of power across campus
Evacuation Sectors
For evacuation purposes, the University campus is divided into five sectors. The sector number indicates the evacuation priority. The delineation of these sectors is as follows:
- Sector I encompasses all University buildings bordered by Drexel Avenue, Ellis Avenue, 58th Street, and 57th Street.
- Sector II encompasses all University buildings bordered by Ellis Avenue, University Avenue, 59th Street, and 57th Street.
- Sector III encompasses all University buildings bordered by University Avenue, Dorchester Avenue, 59th Street, and 57th Street.
- Sector IV encompasses all University buildings bordered by Cottage Grove Avenue, Ellis Avenue, 56th Street, and 55th Street.
- Sector V encompasses all University buildings bordered by Drexel Avenue, Dorchester Avenue, 61st Street, and 60th Street.
Each sector is outlined on the evacuation map.
Once authorization to evacuate is given, notification to evacuate will be accomplished by activation of building fire alarm systems, cALERT, and floor-by-floor announcement or by use of the public announcement system on each University Police Department vehicle.
Evacuation Procedures
Level I Evacuation Procedure
Occupants must take the following actions when the building fire alarm is sounded:
- Initiate appropriate evacuation procedure for the particular building or area by following exit signs to the nearest available exit. (Building occupants should be familiar with the location of all exits from their area/building.)
- Exit the building and go to their department's predetermined meeting site; do not congregate at the entrance of the building.
- Do not use elevators in the building; only use stairways.
- Do not re-enter the building unless the all clear has been given.
- Use pre-established procedure for persons with disabilities (see Evacuating Persons with Disabilities section).
- Relocate to alternate sheltering site(s) if necessary due to weather or the amount of time the building must remain vacant (see Alternate Shelter section).
Level II Evacuation Procedure
Actions to take when a portion of a sector(s) or an entire sector(s) of the campus needs to be evacuated:
- Follow the steps for Level I Evacuation.
- The Incident Commander will facilitate the dissemination of information regarding the duration of the evacuation, as it becomes available, to building occupants after they arrive in their pre-determined alternate shelter.
- The direction of flight and the means of transport will be determined by the specifics of the incident (e.g., type of incident, wind direction, weather).
Level III Evacuation Procedure
When the entire campus must be evacuated; a Level III Evacuation typically would be ordered by the City that would require the activation of the city’s emergency operations plan.
- Follow the normal evacuation procesdure as specified in Level I Evacuation
