To: All Faculty and Staff

From: William H. Griffith, Vice President

Administration and Finance

This administrative procedure on power outage operations is provided as part of a concerted effort to update and upgrade campus emergency procedures. We do anticipate a material change in the pattern of power outages affecting the campus, especially as we approach the summer months. This procedure is designed to provide a system of coordinated and orderly responses to such outages and general guidelines to the campus community.

• Should there be a power outage as a result of "rolling blackouts," it is expected to last between one hour and four hours.
• The campus may not receive advance notice of a blackout.
• When an outage is expected to last longer than one and one half hours, the campus should normally receive notification from the electrical utility provider.
• It is important to remember that if the campus loses power, the surrounding area also is likely to be affected. Traffic signals and streetlights will not operate. Intersections controlled by traffic signals automatically become four way stops during an outage.
• Telephones will continue to operate normally with battery backup, including voice mail features, but telephone lighting and ring will be out.
• Elevators will not operate, but the emergency lighting and telephone will operate normally. Persons trapped in an elevator should use the phone to call for assistance from the University Police. Disabled persons trapped on upper floors and in need of assistance should also contact University Police. Please be patient, as it is anticipated the dispatcher will be inundated with telephone calls.
• Most campus buildings have short-term emergency exit lighting that activates automatically in a power outage.
• Alarm systems and electronic keypads will not function.

• The University will remain open and all business and instructional operations will continue to the maximum extent possible.
• Should safety considerations prevent work from continuing, deans/directors/department heads may reassign employees outside the work area. Employees should maintain contact with supervisors for updates regarding the status of the power outage and operational requirements. Supervisors should indicate to employees how contact is to be maintained.
• Faculty, staff and students should take advantage of natural lighting, moving calmly to offices and classrooms with windows.
• Faculty retain the discretion to cancel the remainder of a class if instructional quality or student safety is compromised.

• Personnel should remain on campus for fifteen minutes in the event power is quickly restored. If power has not been restored within that timeframe, instruction will stop and business offices will close for the remainder of the evening. Operations will resume in the morning. Occupants of the residence halls should remain in their buildings and follow instructions issued by the Housing staff. Students attending classes who live in the Residence Halls should make their way back to the Halls.
• Faculty should remind students about the Specific Guidelines of a power outage, found below, and the need to exercise caution and avoid panic.
• Faculty, staff and students remaining on campus should promote personal safety by staying in groups of three or more.
• Community Services Officers (CSOs) with flashlights and radio communications to the police dispatcher will be available to provide assistance and current information. They will be assigned to the following posts:

• Brotman Hall (at the fountain and flagpole)
• CBA food court area
• Main Library entrance
• South Campus Turn
• Parking Lot 5 (located west of Psychology Building)
• Carlson Bell Tower (near the University Student Union)
• Escalator by Food Court (USU)
• Bottom of Brotman Hall pedestrian bridge
• Outpost (near Engineering and SS/PA)
• Merriam Drive tunnel (near the parking structure)
• Parkside and Residence Commons residence halls – main offices

All persons requiring further information on evacuation routes, the status of the blackout,

or planning to remain on campus should go to one of these locations.

• Residence Halls will lose power, but have emergency exit lighting. Residents are encouraged to remain in their rooms and follow instructions issued by Housing and Residential Life personnel. DO NOT use candles or other open flames for lighting.
• In the event of an outage, turn off all computers, lights and appliances to avoid a surge on the system when power is restored.
• Campus shuttles will continue to operate on their regular schedules.
• In the event of a nighttime outage, normal campus operations will resume the next day.
• Remember, even if classes are cancelled, the campus tends to be safer than the surrounding area. Should students decide to remain on campus during the outage, faculty and staff should remain with them or they should be directed to one of the CSO locations.
• Please do not tax the emergency telephone system with calls to advise that a power outage has occurred. The University Police will already have this information.
• Ensure someone remains with any disabled persons who become stranded as a result of the outage. This may mean waiting for 60-90 minutes for power to be restored. If additional assistance is required, contact the University Police.
• Encourage people with disabilities to use the "buddy system."

• In the event of any power outage, a situation update and additional instructions will be available from Public Affairs via voice mail.
• Faculty and staff are expected to make decisions appropriate for the specific situation they may encounter and to provide leadership for students during any power outage.
• Temporary, emergency generators will not be employed for short-term power outages, as this would only extend the length of an outage for the transfer of power.
• University Police, Facilities Management, Parking and Transportation Services, and Safety and Risk Management personnel will remain on duty or return to campus for the duration of the power outage.
• Faculty and staff should call 9-1-1 for assistance with disabled persons.
• Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to have flashlights and battery equipped radios available for use in a power outage. Departments may wish to consider having a battery-powered radio available.
• It is recommended that anyone who has a disabled student in their class or a disabled work colleague, contact the Office of Disabled Student Services in advance of a blackout to seek advice on rendering assistance in the event of a blackout. When at work, Building Marshals should plan to render assistance to the disabled.

For further information or assistance, please call Jack Pearson, Chief of University Police, or Sergeant Jim Beaver at extension 5-4101.

cc: President’s Cabinet

Deans