Dear Hawkeye,

We held fire drills in the residence halls this week. Campus Safety and the Iowa City Fire Department thank you for participating in the drills. We saw many students evacuate the halls using the main entrances/stairwells, oftentimes when an alternative exit may be available. Please explore your floor so you can evacuate using the nearest safest exit, after closing and locking your room door behind you. Once you exit the hall, please move to a safe distance away from the building, but do not block traffic. RAs will instruct you where to go. If a safe distance means the other side of a street, please be careful and look before crossing. Do not open your window(s) when leaving the building. If you are in a public space, take any valuables you have with you (if time and safety permits).  

Leave the building quickly—failure to evacuate may put you in danger. Residence Education staff will inform you when you can return safely. Additionally, if the evacuation period will be longer than a few minutes or during inclement weather, staff will advise you where to go and will keep you updated. Treat all fire alarms as the real thing and be sure to evacuate in the quickest, safest manner available. 

Please keep these things in mind in the event of a fire or during a fire drill:

• Always choose the safest and closest exit from the building and remember the closest exit stairs near your room or location may be behind you.
• Once you are out of the building, proceed away from the building, the area immediately in front of the building, and any streets or service drives that can used by the responders. Try not to cross the street, but follow direction provided by your resident assistant (RA) staff who will be wearing neon vests.

If you become injured during the school year and require crutches, kneeling cart, or wheelchair, let your floor RA know. If you reside above the ground level, do not try to exit using the stairs or elevator during a fire alarm. Instead go the nearest elevator lobby and activate the area of rescue assistance phone. These are similar in appearance to those emergency phones you would see in an elevator car. Your call will be answered by the University of Iowa Police Department and, if necessary, firefighters or other responders will come to location to get you out the building.

Severe weather protocol

In the event of severe weather, there may be alarms activated inside the residence halls. This will occur when there is a tornado warning or a severe thunderstorm warning that includes winds of 70+ miles per hour and/or 1.75”+ hail, issued for our area. When those alarms sound, students should take the following steps:

• Take shelter on the lowest level of your building. This may include a basement in some buildings but may also include first-floor areas or interior hallways on lower-level floors.
• Stay away from windows.
• Move to an interior hallway or room and assume a safe position low to the ground.
• Await all clear signals from building alarm system or building staff.
• If outdoors and shelter are unavailable,  or if there is no time to get indoors, lie in a ditch or low-lying area. Protect your head with your arms.

Thank you for your cooperation and commitment to safety in our halls!

Sincerely,

Residence Education staff