What do I do if someone refuses to leave when evacuation of the floor is announced?

Floor Wardens and others with assigned responsibilities in the event of an emergency are to be obeyed. The names of any State employees or students refusing to comply with evacuation or Shelter-in-Place directions given by authorized personnel will be given to the Emergency Response Coordinator (ERC) for the Annandale Campus. The ERC will investigate the situation and pursue disciplinary action as appropriate through the Department of Human Resources (failure to comply with College Emergency Procedures).

When will the loudspeaker system for announcing emergencies be operational?

The Director of Facilities for NOVA is currently coordinating the completion of the Emergency Alert Warning System's installation, testing, personnel orientation and training. We are hoping for operational completion prior to the close of Fall Semester.

Is there a special signal (like there is an alarm for fires) for tornado emergencies?

Currently there is no distinct Hurricane/Tornado alarm signal. The Emergency Alert Warning System, when operational, is designed to allow verbal announcements, including notification and procedures for Shelter-in-Place action.

Faculty do not take roll call every day. In the event of an evacuation there would be no way of knowing if all class members had evacuated successfully if no roll was taken. Does this mean that faculty should take roll every day?

It would certainly seem prudent for faculty members to know when students were absent from their class. In the case of an evacuation Floor Wardens are to check with Faculty to determine if someone may have been left behind. First responders (Firefighters) will check a building regardless, however, in the event of a true emergency, the more information known about the location building occupants the easier and safer it will be for everyone.

There is often confusion about signals - how can we tell the difference between an equipment test and an actual evacuation?

Testing of equipment that requires no response by building occupants should be announced beforehand. Often, however, false alarms and equipment malfunctions cause building evacuations; these are considered as unplanned drills and exercises and give the Emergency Planners opportunities to evaluate the state of campus readiness.

Areas of Rescue are place(s) where individuals who are unable to evacuate the building for any reason may seek shelter until rescue/assistance can be rendered. The locations are to be designated on each Building's floor that has no horizontal access to a 25 meter point exterior to the building. Floor Wardens should announce the locations of Areas of Rescue until proper signage is installed. In the absence of signage, in most cases, proper Areas of Rescue are in stairwells of each floor of each building.

The activation of Fire Alarms indicates the need to evacuate the building, announcements (by Floor Wardens or by loudspeakers) should indicate the need to seek a Shelter-in-Place location. Your response should be the same whenever the alarm is activated or an announcement made - unless notified of certain "practice" conditions ahead of time.