Key takeaways:
- Make sure your emergency contact information is current and bookmark key campus safety, transportation and emergency resources.
- Department leaders must complete and submit their Departmental Emergency Action Plan by Sept. 30 and make sure employees know what to do in an emergency.
- Prepare for Colorado’s unpredictable fall weather, including heat, wildfire smoke, poor air quality and sudden winter conditions.
Emergencies don’t always offer time to plan and prepare. By taking a few minutes now to know what to do and save resources you might use one day, you can make a big difference when something unexpected happens.
1. Understand campus alerts and resources
The Auraria Higher Education Center uses text messages and email to communicate emergency information and campus closures. MSU Denver students and employees are automatically enrolled, but employees should make sure their contact information is current.
AHEC also offers transport resources, including a Campus Accessible Shuttle, Night Rider Services, and assistance for tire changes, battery jump starts and air tire fills.
MSU Denver’s Emergency Information & Resources page is another central starting point for emergency procedures. Find weather information, contacts, law enforcement, crime reporting forums and other preparedness resources.
2. Complete your department’s emergency action plan by Sept. 30
Planning ahead can help keep you and your colleagues safe and accounted for during an emergency. A Departmental Emergency Action Plan establishes a basic framework of what employees should do, where to go and whom to turn to when an emergency occurs.
Each MSU Denver office is required to document emergency procedures in a DEAP and share them with the Facilities team. Background information and required forms are available via the link below.
Department leaders should:
- Designate an emergency team leader to manage the DEAP and establish department protocols.
- Review emergency rally points and conduct a site assessment so employees know where and how to gather during an evacuation.
- Complete the required forms on Pages 6 and 7 of the DEAP instructions and templates, including department information and faculty and staff emergency phone numbers and contacts.
- Submit the completed forms to [email protected] by Sept. 30.
- Train your staff on the plan, and keep it updated.
Look for DEAP training and office-hour opportunities to be shared with office leaders and on the University Events Calendar within the next two weeks.
3. Don’t overlook fall heat and wildfire smoke
September may signal the beginning of fall, but Colorado can still bring hot days, wildfire smoke and poor air quality.
When smoke settles along the Front Range, MSU Denver experts recommend checking local air quality before spending extended time outside and reducing exposure when conditions worsen. People with asthma and other lung or heart conditions, older adults, children and pregnant people can be particularly vulnerable to wildfire smoke.
Employees can sign up for AHEC-sponsored trainings for working in the heat and other environmental health and safety practices on the job.
4. Get ready now for Colorado’s quick weather changes
A warm September afternoon can make winter weather feel far away, but conditions along the Front Range can change quickly.
Before snow and ice arrive, employees should review MSU Denver’s Severe Weather Procedures, which explain how the University communicates full-day closures, delayed openings and early dismissals — and what each means for employees and classes. Closure and delay decisions are generally made before 6 a.m., and emergency alerts are a primary way the University communicates those decisions.
