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Emergency Procedures

Imminent Threat or Immediate Safety Concerns

Dial 911 from any phone (including a cell phone) on the UT campus to be connected with UTPD.  Cases that present an immediate threat to self, others, or property should be considered an emergency and should be reported right away. 

If you think something is a safety concern or even suspect that it should be reported, you should contact UTPD immediatly so they can assess the situation, provide assistance, push out campus safety notices, and track trends across campus.  Any time-sensitive safety concern on campus should be directed to 911, even if the issue doesn't rise to the level of a life-or-death situation.  For other issues, you can reach the UTPD non-emergency line at 512-471-4441.

Non-Imminent Threats and Behavioral Concerns

For behavior concerns that don’t represent an immediate threat, contact the Behavioral Concerns Advice Line (BCAL) by phone at 512-232-5050 or submit an online report here.  Visit the BCAL site for more information about the program, including FAQs and examples of behavior concerns appropriate to report.

Departmental Reporting/Internal Evaluation of Safety Concerns

Once UTPD or BCAL have been notified, you may also want to report your concerns to your supervisor and/or the department leadership.  To report or follow up on issues within the department, please use these general guidelines as a starting point:

  • Faculty with research staff or student-related concerns should contact the department chair
  • Graduate students and research staff should contact their faculty supervisor
  • Students and faculty with concerns related to the Psychology Training Clinic should contact the clinic director
  • Undergraduate students should contact the relevant instructor for classroom issues or their undergraduate advisor for general issues or further guidance
  • All SEA building occupants should report building-related concerns to the building manager at psych-building@utexas.utlists.edu

Emergency Communications

The university maintains a variety of Emergency Communication Tools

  • All faculty, staff, and students should sign up for the Campus Text Alert System to ensure they are receiving timely emergency communications
  • The Siren System may be activated in case of inclement weather or other emergencies when the prescribed course of action is to take shelter indoors.
  • In addition to the university-wide services, individual labs may want to set up a text tree or group text chain to facilitate local communication in emergency situations

Preparing For an Emergency

  • Review the Emergency Preparedness Pocket Guide for an overview of important emergency procedures and to understand the recommended actions for Shelter in Place, Lockdown, or Evacuation notices
  • Seay Building occupants should review the SEA Building Emergency Plan (BEP) to identify the evacuation assembly points and other important building emergency information
  • Faculty and students are especially recommended to review the Active Shooter Response Guide and watch the Run. Hide. Fight. Surviving an Active Shooter Event video.  The UTPD also offers periodic Civilian Response to Active Shooter training sessions.
  • Instructors and teaching assistants should take time to familiarize themselves with available exits and recommended evacuation routes for all assigned classrooms.  They are also encouraged to discuss emergency procedures with each class early in the semester to point out classroom exits and discuss how the class should handle a lockdown, evacuation, or shelter in place event. 

Important Safety Links and Information