Emergency Procedures

Fire and tornado drills are conducted periodically to make sure you are familiar with proper safety and evacuation procedures. Instructors should explain to their students the procedures and evacuation routes to follow during a fire or severe weather alert. Evacuation routes are posted in each classroom area. Students who are mobility-impaired need to contact Accessibility Services each semester for an evacuation plan, which will be developed and distributed to the instructors.

Notification - Communication

SNAP is the official Safety Notification Alert Process for KCTCS. SNAP alerts users to on-campus emergencies, closings, or delays for all 16 colleges and the System office.

With SNAP you can:

• Find out if classes are cancelled or delayed due to weather, power outages or other unexpected events impacting campus.
• Get severe weather notifications so you can take shelter when a storm hits.
• Receive emergency messages when something or someone could be a threat to your personal safety.

You and your family can sign up to receive SNAP alerts on your cell phone. SNAP alerts can warn you of imminent danger on a Gateway so you can take protective action or avoid the campus. Alerts are also sent to each campus phone and networked computer.

Emergency Lockdown – Active Threat

An Emergency Lockdown is the response to an active threat or intruder inside the building. Specific procedures have been developed to implement an Emergency Lockdown at each campus. Gateway follows the RUN-HIDE-FIGHT paradigm. All windows and doors (including interior doors) will be closed and secured, and no one will be admitted until the all-clear is issued.

You and your family can sign up to receive SNAP alerts on your cell phone. SNAP alerts can warn you of imminent danger on a Gateway so you can take protective action or avoid the campus. Alerts are also sent to each campus phone and networked computer.

Secure in Place

Secure In Place is the response to an active or potential threat around or immediately outside the building. Any students, staff, and faculty outside the building will immediately go back inside and verify that all doors, windows, and possible entrance paths are secured. Teaching and other indoor school activities should continue, but faculty and staff should be alert for possible threats. Visitors will not be allowed to enter the building until the Secure-In-Place order is lifted.

Secure In Place will often be requested by law enforcement agencies who are conducting activities around the college that may place people outside the building in danger. Examples include searching for possibly armed fugitives, executing search warrants for high-hazard suspects, etc.

Shelter in Place

The Shelter-In-Place procedure provides a refuge for students, staff, and the public inside the school building during conditions such as severe weather or a hazardous material release outside of the school building. Shelters are in areas of the building that maximize the safety of occupants and shelter areas may be different depending on the type of emergency. Shelter-In-Place is used when evacuation would place people at risk.