Safety Resources - Campus Safety (2024)

Although active threats are rare, it’s important to take time to prepare for a situation in which your safety could depend on your ability to react quickly.

An active threat is any situation that poses an immediate danger to the safety of University of Washington Bothell and Cascadia College students, faculty, staff, and visitors. Active threat situations are jarring and unpredictable. Each situation will be different, and you must act quickly to protect yourself.

Have a Plan

• Sign up for UW Alert text messages. This will be a primary method of communication during an emergency.
• Become familiar with all your exits out of all the buildings you visit, have class, work, and live.
• If you see behavior that is an immediate safety concern, call 911.
• If you or others experience concerning behaviors, call SafeCampus, no matter where you work or study, at 206.685.7233. All calls are private. You can remain anonymous.

Respond by Evaluating Your Options

• RUN: Escape if you can. Your first priority should always be to avoid a threat. If you do run take a route that minimizes the chance of encountering the threat and move quickly.
• HIDE: Running away may not be your best option. Find a place to hide out of view, lock and block/barricade doors if possible, close blinds, turn of lights, and silence cell phones.
• FIGHT: If you can’t run or hide, fight as a last resort to disrupt or stop the attacker. Be aggressive and commit to your actions. Use objects around you as makeshift weapons such as chairs, fire extinguishers, scissors, laptops, books, etc.

Be Safe After

• Expect law enforcement to arrive on campus. Their goal is to locate the threat and end the violence. Remain calm and follow law enforcement instructions.
• Keep hands visible and empty.
• If you witnessed the incident and left the area, call 911 to provide a description of the attacker(s), location, and weapon(s).

Active Threat Training

• UWB Campus Safety | Emergency Preparedness offers active threat awareness training for students, faculty, and staff, in addition to workplace security/situational assessments. Please call the Emergency Preparedness Manager to schedule: 425.352.3763
• Active Shooter Awareness Video from Boston College that focuses on a college environment.
• FEMA Training – Active Shooter: What You Can Do. This free online course provides guidance so you can prepare to an active shooter situation

If you see a suspicious package/object or are alerted to a bomb threat on campus:

• If you receive a telephone call attempt to get as much information as possible about the caller (male or female, accent, background noises, etc.). Use the Bomb Threat Checklist. Call 911 immediately and report it to the Bothell Police Department.
• If you receive a threat by email or letter, call 911 immediately and report it to the Bothell Police Department.
• If you find a device do not touch it in any way. Call Campus Safety at 425.325.5359 immediately. Notify your supervisor and the building coordinator and be prepared to evacuate.
• Letters or packages may be considered suspicious if there is no return address, there is odd or badly hand-written and typed markings, misspelled words, weird stains/colors/odors, sealed with an excessive amount of tape, the package is lopsided or uneven, or is an odd weight for its size.
• Never open a suspicious letter or package. Isolate it immediately, evacuate the area, and call 911 from a safe location.
• If a suspicious letter or package has already been opened, and a powder or other substance has spilled from it, DO NOT CLEAN IT UP. Leave it where it is, evacuate the area, wash your hands with soap and water, and call 911 immediately.

Whether you live and/or work on campus there are several simple things you can do to avoid being a crime victim.

• Keep your belongings with you at all times, even when you intend to come right back. This includes backpacks, purses, laptops, tablets and phones. It’s far too easy for someone to grab these items and run.
• Keep your doors and windows locked whenever you leave your space and at the end of the day. Lock your vehicle every time you leave it and never leave your windows rolled down. Don’t leave valuables in view.
• Avoid walking along at night. Stay in well-lit areas and use routes that are more heavily traveled. Campus Safety provides free escorts if you don’t want to walk alone – call 425.352.5359.
• Be aware of your surroundings and stay alert. Avoid walking with headphones on and looking down at your phone.
• Become familiar with the locations of the Blue Emergency telephones on campus and the yellow emergency call boxes in the parking garages. Elevators also have emergency phones. The Campus Safety office located at LB2-005 is open 24/7.
• Be suspicious. Don’t open a building or lab for a stranger who doesn’t have a key. Report any suspicious behavior to Campus Safety as soon as possible.
• Follow your gut instincts. If your intention tells you that you are at risk, leave the situation quickly. If you see someone suspicious in a parking lot, building or anywhere on campus leave the area and call 911.
• Should you become a victim of crime, call the police and/or Campus Safety as soon as you safely can.
• Additional Crime Prevention Tips from UW Police.

If you notice fire, smoke, or any evidence of fire:

• Activate the nearest fire pull station and alert others to exit the building.
• Call 911 and provide details about the location of the fire and how it started.
• If it is a small fire (no larger than a 5-gallon waste basket, and you have called for help, you can attempt to put it out. Always put yourself between the fire and an exit so you can escape if needed.
• If the fire is too large or you are uncomfortable or unfamiliar with the proper use of a fire extinguisher, simply close the door and evacuate.
• When the building alarm sounds evacuate through the closest exit and go to the building’s Evacuation Assembly Point (EAP). Do not re-enter the building until the “All-Clear” message has been communicated by the Building Coordinator and/or Campus Safety.
• If you do not have a safe exit put a towel or other material under the door to prevent smoke from entering the room. Dial 911 to alert emergency responders to your location and that you need assistance evacuating. If you are unable to call 911 hand something on or out the window to let emergency responders know where you are.

Identity theft is a serious crime. It occurs when your personal information is stolen and used without your knowledge to commit fraud or other crimes. Identity theft can cost you time and money. It can destroy your credit and ruin your good name.

• Shred financial documents and paperwork with your personal information before you discard them.
• Protect your Social Security number. Give it out only if absolutely necessary or ask to use another identifier.
• Don’t give out person information on the phone, through the mail, or over the internet unless you know who you are dealing with.
• Never click on links sent in unsolicited emails; instead, type in a web address you know. Use firewalls, anti-spyware and anti-virus software to protect your computer; keep them up-to-date.
• “Opt-Out” of receiving pre-screened credit card offers by calling 1-888-567-8688.
• Remove your name from telephone solicitation lists via National-Do-Not-Call Registry: 1-888-382-1222
• Keep a list of all your account numbers and the telephone numbers in case of loss/theft.
• Close any accounts that have been tampered with or established fraudulently.
• Call police and file a report. Get a copy for your records and to submit as proof to all creditors.
• Frequently change passwords and PINS.
• Additional Identify Theft Tips from UW Police.

Naloxone (brand name Narcan) is a medication designed to reverse an opioid overdose. Opioids slow down the activity of the central nervous system, which can dangerously slow or stop breathing possibly leading to death. Naloxone displaces the opioids from the opioid receptors in the brain which allows the person who is experiencing an opioid overdose to begin breathing normally.

Naloxone/Narcan won’t harm a person if they’re overdosing on drugs other than opioids, so it’s always best to use it if you think someone is overdosing. Naloxone is not effective for alcohol poisoning. More than one dose of Naloxone may be required when stronger opioids like fentanyl are involved.

Narcan is available for free to campus community members in the following locations:

• Campus Safety Office LB2-005: Stop by in-person 24/7
• Health & Wellness Resource Center (HaWRC): ARC-120
• Library: First floor vending machine
• People’s Harm Reduction Alliance: Mail order request program
• Washington State Naloxone Finder

If someone on campus is suspected of experiencing an overdose call 9-1-1 to initiate a response from a local emergency first responder.

• Campus Safety staff are trained to administer Naloxone and can be reached at 425.352.5359.
• If you give someone Narcan, call 9-1-1 and stay with them until emergency help arrives.

Information from: https://www.cdc.gov/stopoverdose/naloxone/index.html

How to Use Naloxone Nasal Spray Video: How to Use Naloxone Nasal Spray (:30) – YouTube

The Violence Prevention & Advocacy Program leads the efforts of UW Bothell and Cascadia College to create a community that is free of sex-and gender-based violence and harassment.

A student of concern is any student who is displaying behaviors that may get in the way of a student’s ability to be successful in the university environment. Other times, behaviors are being noticed by many members of our community and creating a significant amount of concern. This could mean a student experiencing crisis, displaying odd or unusual behavior, engaging in behaviors that are perceived to be harmful (to themselves or others), or behaviors that may bedeemed academically damaging.

• The Purple Sheet: A resource developed by the CARE Team to help faculty and staff understand how and when to submit CARE Team reports.

Visit Hazing Prevention.