The university environment is intended to be open so that students, faculty and staff can freely communicate in a collaborative environment. As a public institution, UWF has few restrictions on who can enter or leave campus. However, given the times that we live in with threats of terrorism, other hostile events, or even natural disasters, the university community must be prepared to deal with these situations in a proactive manner.

As the nation, state and community develop plans to cope with various levels of threat, the UWF is obligated to do its part to protect the safety of the university community and plan for continuity of future operations. There are situations where lockdown of facilities or the campus may be necessary to afford this protection or gain control over a given situation.

Although lockdown is not necessarily a preferred method of planned reaction to given situations, the university community should understand that it might be used in certain situations. Some examples may include:

• Chemical Release from a Local Industry – Shelter-in-place as advised by local officials.
• Hurricane – Shelter-in-place for students who are unable to return to local homes.
• Sniper on Campus – Lockdown of buildings or the campus entrance/exit a possibility.
• Terrorist Threat to the Community – A lockdown of the campus entrance/exit a possibility.
• Communicable Disease Outbreak – Lockdown of specific buildings or areas.

Notification of a lockdown situation to the campus community will be through a series of measures depending on the situation:

• Campus E-mail Network
• Web Site Notification Posting
• Campus Telephone Voice Message System
• Audio Announcements from Police Public Address System
• Direct Contact with Building Department Chairs or Points of Contact (POCs)
• Others means as noted in the Crisis Communications Section

Note: The Executive Vice President and Provost, in consultation with the Vice President for Student Affairs, will make a recommendation to the President regarding continued essential operation and/or closure of the university. The University President or designee shall notify the Board of Trustees of any emergency situation.