What to Do in an Emergency

Parking on posted snow routes is prohibited when a snow emergency has been declared. Vehicles parked on a posted snow route during a snow emergency are subject to ticketing and towing.

The most reliable way to know when a snow emergency is declared is to sign up for notices at www.davenportiowa.com/alertiowa. When the city of Davenport (Main Campus) has declared a snow emergency, residents of Palmer Housing facilities who typically park on the city streets can temporarily park their vehicles in Palmer parking lot M, located at Harrison and 8th Streets. This is temporary parking only as snow removal will need to be completed in this parking lot at some point following the snow emergency Palmer Main’s parking map.

A tornado or severe weather watch is an indication of where and when the probabilities are highest that severe weather or a tornado could occur. A tornado or severe weather warning indicates a tornado or severe weather has been sighted and you should immediately take shelter.

Weather Sirens

This siren has a continuous steady tone lasting three (3) minutes or longer. There is NO all clear signal, and just because it stops does NOT mean danger has passed. The siren is used primarily for tornado warnings but has been used for severe storms capable of producing severe damage or loss of life, so in either event, taking shelter is the best bet.

Protocol for Students, Faculty and Staff

• Once a tornado warning has been received, close all doors and windows.
• Take shelter in a designated weather-shelter area or stairwell, interior room, or hallway on the lowest level of the building, away from doors and windows.
• Protect your head with your arms.
• Organize assistance to those individuals with functional needs.
• Do not use the elevator.
• Do not open windows or go outside.
• Follow directions of emergency responders.
• Wait until an ALL CLEAR message has been received.
• For Main Campus students, find more information at https://ready.iowa.gov/disasters-and-emergencies/.

Palmer Main Campus Designated Weather-Shelter Areas:

• Administration Building: Lower-level technique area.
• Alumni Office: Break Room
• Bechtel Center: Back hallway accessed from lower-level reception area
• Bittner Center: If possible, evacuate to the Learning Commons lower level (basement). If unable to evacuate, shelter in the locker rooms.
• B.J. Palmer Hall: Lower level (basement) or the stairwell leading to the lower level.
• Campus Center: Palmer Café kitchen, Chancellor’s Dining Room, or the east stairwell near loading dock
• Clinic: Back hallway accessed from lower-level reception area
• D.D. Palmer Memorial Building: Lower level (basement)
• Kiernan Hall: East and west stairwells leading to basement
• Learning Commons: Lower level (basement) or the stairwell leading to the lower level.
• Mabel H. Palmer Hall: Evacuate to the Memorial Building lower level.
• North Hall: Conference Room
• Palmer Family Residence: Basement
• Vickie Anne Palmer Hall: Lower level
• William and Jo Harris Building: Basement or first-floor offices without windows.
• West Hall: Lower level (basement)

The Palmer Florida campus is located in a partial evacuation zone, which means evacuation is based on the category of hurricane. Stay tuned to local media outlets for the latest information on evacuations and which shelters will be available.

Volusia County has many public shelter locations which can be opened according to each particular disaster or emergency. During an emergency, not all shelters will open at once. Shelters will be opened based on demand. For more information, please refer to the Volusia County’s Emergency Management Services website or the City of Port Orange website.

During an emergency, it is possible that not all shelters will be open at once. To find out which shelters are available, tune to the local news media or call the toll-free Citizens Information Hotline at: 866-345-0345 (Only during a disaster). Special Needs Shelters (SNS) are also available. The SNS shelters are designed to assist individuals during evacuations who are elderly; physically; mentally or sensory disabled; visually or hearing impaired; or require oxygen. They are both pet friendly shelters for People with Special Needs (PSN’s).

For more complete information, please refer to Volusia County’s Emergency Management Services website or the City of Port Orange website.

The Palmer Alert emergency notification system will notify employees and students if closure of the Florida campus is warranted due to a weather emergency. College officials will also notify area media outlets. Since we cannot guarantee that these media outlets will disseminate the information in a timely manner, we recommend that you check multiple sources before leaving home, especially if you are not enrolled in the Palmer Alert system. Employees and students can also log into www.palmer.edu or refer to Palmer Communications emails for announcements.

Any person receiving a phone call that a bomb or other explosive device has been placed on campus needs to:

• Remain calm.
• Take the caller seriously.
• Do not hang up as the call may be traceable. Keep the caller on the phone as long as possible.
• Ask questions using the “Bomb Threat Checklist” available on the portal.
• Alert a coworker via note or other means (if possible) while on the phone with the caller.
• Notify Campus Security at Extension 45555 and provide the information from the “Bomb Threat Checklist”

You receive a bomb threat notification from Palmer Alert

• Do not use cell phones or two-way radios
• Do not open any drawers or cabinets
• Do not turn on or off light switches, computer equipment, radios, or any other electrical/electronic devices
• Evacuate the building(s) and proceed to the designated safe area(s) for a headcount by supervisor or instructor
• Keep walkways clear for emergency vehicles and personnel

No one is allowed to re-enter a building until notified by Palmer Alert or Campus Security.

Incidental spills in the laboratories, which do not require an emergency response, will be handled in accordance with clean up procedures outlined on the appropriate Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) or Safety Data Sheet (SDS) by the supervising laboratory staff.

A large or unknown release which requires additional assistance will be handled by the Fire Department. Anyone who discovers what he/she believes to be a release of a suspect substance should immediately report the release to Campus Security.

Notify Campus Security. Provide the following information, if possible:

• Location of release
• Date and time of release
• Type of substance released
• Source of release
• Cause of release
• Estimate of total quantity released
• Estimate quantity that entered sewers, drains, etc.
• Damages or injuries caused by release.
• Campus Security will cordon off the spill area and evacuate exposed workers to the designated evacuation safe area.
• Campus Security will contact the Fire Department.

Do not re-enter the affected area until the Fire Department and Campus Security have determined it to be safe.

If you witness violent or criminal behavior (i.e. assault, robbery, theft) anywhere on Palmer College of Chiropractic property, notify Campus Security immediately.

Give Campus Security as much of the following information as possible:

• Your name
• Your contact information
• The nature of the incident
• The location of the incident
• A description of the person(s) involved
• A description of property involved
• A description of the weapon(s), if any involved.

If you’re a witness, or were in the area at the time of the incident, you’ll need to assist the Police Department when they arrive by giving them any additional information.

In the event of a power failure in your area, notify Campus Security. Stay in your classroom unless notified by your instructor. Campus power failures are usually very short in duration, but there have been very rare instances of extended outages. If directed by your instructor, evacuate the building. Take important belongings with you as no one will be allowed to re-enter the buildings until power has been restored and Campus Security has determined it to be safe.

Upon discovering a fire, notify Campus Security immediately.

Give Campus Security as much of the following information as possible:

• Your name
• Building location
• Room number
• Your phone number
• Description of the fire
• Evacuate the area when an alarm sounds.
• Follow outlined evacuation procedures.
• Do NOT take an elevator.
• Administrators and/or instructors should leave the room last and close all doors and windows.
• Once outside, proceed to the nearest designated safe area.

If a serious injury or illness occurs on campus, immediately contact Campus Security.

Provide the following information:

• Your name
• Building location and room, if applicable
• Type and severity of the medical problem
• Identify the injured or ill person, if possible.

Stay with the victim. Campus Security will contact Palmer Clinic personnel and emergency responders. Campus Security will meet and escort the emergency responders to the location of the injured/ill person(s).

First, get to a safe place. Sexual misconduct can include sexual assault, sexual violence and/or sexual harassment. Write down what happened. Document the incident; include the date, time and chronology. If there are witnesses or people who have information about the incident, write down their names. If applicable, try to preserve any harassing letters, messages or emails as evidence.

Seek medical attention immediately. Do not bathe, change clothes or do anything that may interfere with the collection of evidence that can be helpful in proving that a sexual assault occurred.

Seek counseling and support services. For information about counseling resources, contact:

Student Academic Support Centers
563-884-5898
Dr. Kevin Cunningham
cunningham_k@palmer.edu

National Resources:
National Sexual Assault Hotline – 800-656-HOPE (4673)

Rape Abuse Incest National Network

Policy & Procedures Handbook for the Resolution of Reports of Sexual Misconduct

RUN – HIDE – FIGHT

Run-Hide-Fight is not a step-by-step course of action. It gives affected employees and students options to respond to the threat based on their specific circumstances.

Run

If it is safe to do so, e.g. the shooter is not in the immediate area, the first course of action that should be taken is to run out of the building and move far away until you are in a safe location.  Students and employees should be trained to:

• Leave personal belongings behind;
• Visualize possible escape routes, including physically accessible routes for students and employees with functional needs;
• Avoid escalators and elevators;
•  Take others with them but not to stay behind because others will not go; 
• Call 911 when safe to do so; and
• Let a responsible adult know where they are.

Hide

If running is not a safe option, hide in as safe a place as possible. Students and staff should be trained to hide in a location where the walls might be thicker and have fewer windows. In addition:

• Lock the doors;
• Barricade the doors with heavy furniture, even if the door locks;
• Close and lock windows, and close blinds or cover windows;
• Turn off lights; 
• Silence all electronic devices;
• Remain silent; 
• Use strategies to silently communicate with first responders if possible, (e.g., in rooms with exterior windows make signs to silently signal law enforcement and emergency responders to indicate the status of the room’s occupants);
• Hide along the wall closest to the exit but out of the view from the hallway (allowing for an ambush of the shooter and for possible escape if the shooter enters the room); and
• Remain in place until given an all clear by identifiable law enforcement.

Fight

If neither running nor hiding is a safe option, as a last resort when confronted by the shooter, occupants in immediate danger should consider trying to disrupt or incapacitate the shooter by using aggressive force and items in their environment, such as fire extinguishers, chairs, etc.

Employees or students who believe a student may be missing are to report such information to Campus Security.

Any person who files a report should be prepared to provide as much specific information as possible about the individual including:

• Description
• Clothes last worn
• Where the student might be
• Who the student might be with
• Vehicle description
• Electronic communications
• Class schedule
• Information about the student’s physical and mental well-being
• Up-to-date photograph