Bomb Threat Plan

Purpose:

The purpose of this plan is to establish the policy and procedures to be followed in the event of a bomb threat to the University.  Whether the threat is received via telephone or through other means, quick, decisive action by all employees will help minimize potential loss of life, injury, destruction of university property, and disruption of scheduled activities.

Preventative Measures:

·         Whenever any room in a building is unoccupied, the room’s doors should be locked.  This includes unoccupied classrooms, laboratories, offices, custodial closets, etc.

·         Employees should notify their supervisor or Public Safety of suspicious or unauthorized individuals in or around their building.

·         Employees should report the location of any suspicious packages in any university building to Public Safety.

·         Neither University employees or students should touch a suspect package under any circumstances; rather they should contact Public Safety immediately.

Bomb Threat Procedures:

The Director of Public Safety - or in his/her absence - the Assistant Director of Public Safety will act as coordinator for all activities in the emergency area.       The coordinator will establish a mobile Emergency Area Command Post which will remain with the coordinator at all times.  The coordinator will maintain radio communications for the duration of the emergency.

The coordinator of the emergency, upon receiving notification of a bomb threat, will:

1.       Advise the Vice President for Student Life, Director of the Physical Plant, and the Director of University Relations of the threat.  The Vice President for Student Life will notify other parties as appropriate.

2.    If necessary, notify the following by telephone.

                ROCK HILL POLICE DEPARTMENT                                             911 or 329-7200

                ROCK HILL FIRE DEPARTMENT                                                  911 or 329-7221

                F.B.I.                                                                                                     327-1151

    IF NO ANSWER - COLUMBIA, SC                                               1-803-254-3011

                SLED                                                                                                       758-2461

                EXPLOSIVE ORDINANCE DISPOSAL                                                751-5126

3.       Supervise a search team composed of Public Safety officers or others as the coordinator deems necessary. 

4.       Proceed to the emergency area and take charge of all operations necessary to protect life, property, and to render the area safe. 

5.       If after arrival and evaluation of the situation, it is determined that building evacuation is necessary, the coordinator will implement the General Evacuation Procedures.

6.       Assign Public Safety officers special duties in traffic control, securing areas and other necessary duties.

7.    Assign search party members to areas of responsibility.

8.       Close all gates to vehicles and pedestrians.  Employees and students will be allowed back to campus only after the area is secure and upon presentation of a valid  Winthrop I.D. card.

9.       Make the decision to call an Explosive Ordinance Disposal Team, if their assistance is required.

10.  Determine the safety and security of the area so that normal activities can resume.

Instructions to Personnel:

Employees and students receiving a bomb threat should respond as follows:

1.       Call the Public Safety Office Dispatcher or the University Switchboard Operator to report the threat.

2.       If the phone is non-operative, report the call to the switchboard in Dinkins or to Public Safety Office Dispatcher in person.

3.       Evacuate the building when instructed by Public Safety, Residence Life, or the designated building coordinator.

4.       Complete the bomb threat report form available from Public Safety.

5.       Await further orders from the emergency area coordinator.

Guidelines for Searching and Clearing Threat Areas

1.       Areas of Responsibility

Public Safety officers and supervisory Physical Plant personnel will search the outside areas of the threatened building, public areas, utility rooms, roofs, utility tunnels, stairwells and elevators.

Public Safety officers and maintenance personnel will search offices, classrooms, laboratories, storage rooms, work areas and corridors.

Supervisory personnel, in addition to supervising the internal search of the threatened building, will assist in searching rooms not in use.

2.       Action by the Search Party

The search party will look for any unexplained or suspicious object which might contain an explosive device.  Examples include but are not limited to: packages, suitcases, etc., found in toilets, stairways, trash containers, corridors and elevators, as well as unexplained objects left in office work areas or vehicles (including trailers) parked nearby, and any object that appears totally out of place.  Any  suspicious object should be reported as a possible explosive device.

3.       The Explosive Device

If a suspected explosive device is discovered, its location will be reported to the emergency area coordinator.  The search team will not disturb the suspected device unless so directed by the emergency area coordinator.  The area near the suspected device will be evacuated on order of the emergency area coordinator who will likewise deem the area safe and secure for re-entry when appropriate.