Emergency Incident Response Plan
Gulf Coast Disaster Preparedness Plan
GCRL Hurricane Plan

In case of immediate emergency, please call 911 or UPD at 601.266.4986 (Hattiesburg) or 228.865.4537 (Gulf Coast).

RESPONDING TO AN EMERGENCY

The University of Southern Mississippi has detailed plans in place to deal with emergencies and crises that may occur on campus.

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION

In the event that the campus community must be notified of an emergency or crisis on campus, the following mechanisms could be used:

• Notices on the Southern Miss Web home page
• E-mail alerts to all faculty, staff and students
• Phone messaging system
• Voice messaging utilizing alert siren
• Media alerts sent to local television and radio outlets

COMING SOON

• A text messaging system will be ready for opt-in enrollment to begin within 45 days.
• Radio-driven remote public address warning system will be functional in all residence halls, The Cochran Student Center and Payne Recreation Center within 45 days.
• Funds in the amount of $200,000 have been dedicated to creating a campus-wide public address system to be completed by fall term 2008.

UNIVERSITY SAFETY AND EMERGENCY SERVICES

The University of Southern Miss Police Department (UPD), with 28 full-time sworn officers, is a fully recognized and accredited law enforcement agency by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.

• The UPD receives ongoing specialized training including "active shooter" scenario management.
• UPD in Hattiesburg has local agreements with the Hattiesburg Police Department, the Hattiesburg Fire/Hazardous Material Agency, the Forrest County Sheriff’s Office, the Lamar County Sheriff’s Office, the Petal Police Department, Forrest General Hospital and the Forrest County Emergency Operations Center. These agencies meet regularly and share training around crisis scenarios. All of these agencies are prepared to respond to a call for assistance from the University Police.
• The University of Southern Mississippi has a Critical Incident Response Team that includes representatives from the University Police, the student counseling center, the Office of the Dean of Students, Residence Life, Academic Affairs, University Health Services and other areas who meet regularly to plan, assess and prepare for campus emergency and critical incident response.
• The UPD receives ongoing specialized training including "active shooter" scenario management.
• The University Counseling Center has established a "C.A.R.E. System" - Campus Action Referral and Evaluation service - designed to improve communication on campus regarding student mental health issues, facilitate rapid and effective referral of students with mental health issues, and attempt to reduce the students' risk of harm to self or others.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Faculty, staff, students and others in the community should contact the University Police Department or the Office of the Dean of Students with any information regarding behaviors of a person on campus that might be viewed as cause for concern.

If you are notified of or involved in an emergency or crisis, stay calm, assess the situation and be prepared to take safety precautions based on your personal situation.

Here are tips to follow:

• Stay away from the area of the emergency or crisis.
• Find a safe place and stay there until you are notified that the emergency is over.
• If you are directly affected by the emergency, call 911 or UPD as soon as it is safe to do so. Provide as much information as you can and stay on the phone until told to hang up.
  Hattiesburg 601.266.4986
  Gulf Coast 228.865.4537
• Alert others if you can without endangering yourself.
• Evacuate the area by a safe route if possible.
• If the emergency is an active threat and you are unable to evacuate the area, attempt to seek an area of safe refuge.
• If you must seek refuge, secure doors and windows as quickly as possible and barricade as many items between you and the threat.
• Do not attempt to make contact with the individual(s) responsible for the threat unless no other option is available.
• Once in a secure location, do not open the door for anyone but the police.

While we hope that our emergency plans will not have to be put into action, The University of Southern Mississippi, with the leadership of our Police Department and Student Affairs division, is prepared to respond to any situation that may arise.