Emergency Preparedness - SGSC Police - South Georgia State College

South Georgia State College has a commitment to ensure the safety and general welfare of students, staff, faculty, and visitors to its campuses. The SGSC Police Department is responsible for Emergency Preparedness and has developed an Emergency Response Plan in an effort to mitigate and prepare for disasters by developing plans to address the threats and risks that may occur on campus. This plan is fashioned in accordance with laws, regulations, and policies that govern emergency preparedness.

Familiarizing yourself with emergency procedures is one of the most important ways that you can be prepared for an emergency; therefore, portions of this plan have been made available for quick reference. The intent is for the plan to be viewed as a tool to maximize survival, preserve property, minimize danger, and restore normal operations of the college with a minimum of confusion and wasted effort.

Emergency Response Tips

Emergency situations occur each year taking lives, causing injuries, and damaging property. These events can occur at any time on or near the South Georgia State College (SGSC) campuses and may range from natural disasters to civil disturbances. Taking preventative measures through preparation and planning will assist in ensuring a swift and efficient response to an emergency. Although no amount of planning or response can always prevent the loss of life or damage to property, this plan has been developed with the hope that threats to persons or property will be greatly reduced. South Georgia State College (SGSC) is as diligent as possible in compiling and updating information regarding its Emergency Response Plan. Abbreviated versions of the plan, Emergency Response Quick Reference Guides, have been made available in all classrooms of the Douglas and Waycross campuses. The plan can be located here.

Emergencies have been grouped into the three categories: natural, accidental, and societal. For more information regarding hazardous events refer to the Federal Emergency Management Agency by clicking here. In addition, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency website provides information on various emergency situations.

Emergency Notification Systems

COMMUNITY BROADCAST SYSTEM

SGSC employs an outdoor siren to inform the campus community about an emergency. The siren is designed to be heard from a great distance and will broadcast short, pre-recorded messages that advise of the situation at hand. The siren will sound for imminent emergencies some of which could be life-threatening. Below are examples of when siren activation may occur

     • Severe weather or tornado warning
     • A major chemical spill or hazard
     • An armed and dangerous person on or near campus

When the threat is over, the siren will sound again with a pulsed-steady tone and a voice message will announce: "Attention, all clear. All clear. Resume normal activities. All clear."

BLACKBOARD CONNECT

Notifying the campus community is crucial in time-sensitive situations. Blackboard Connect communications has been selected to deliver time-sensitive notifications to students and staff. This service provides the ability to reach students and staff members with information and updates during unforeseen events or emergencies, within minutes, through phone calls, e-mails and/or text messages.

Students, staff, and faculty can register phone numbers and email addresses for Connect notifications by clicking here. It is important to enter your contact information into the Connect database. The more means we have to contact you, the better our odds are of spreading timely information and updates and keeping everyone safe. Please keep emails, phone and text accounts up to date for receiving this valuable tool like you should.

If you wish to opt-out of this system, please use this form to submit your information.

Sample Message

Description: Thefts and Burglary

SGSC Police Department has issued a notice to students, staff, and faculty regarding recent thefts from several campus areas including offices, classrooms, and service vehicles on the SGSC campus.

At this time, no students have been victims in any of these incidents.

Staff and Faculty should always be mindful to lock office areas and classrooms.

Please be observant of suspicious behavior and report anything out of the ordinary to the SGSC Police Department immediately. Individuals with information on these recent incidents should call SGSC police at 911.

Crime Tip:
Remember to guard personal property by locking your vehicle and your residence hall door. Don't leave valuables in plain sight (even in your vehicle). It only takes a moment for someone to steal unattended items.

NOTIFICATION TESTING

South Georgia State College tests its notification systems monthly. The tests will be conducted the first Wednesday of the each month between 11:30 A.M.. and 12:00 P.M.. The outdoor alarm will sound with a chime and test message. Blackboard Connect testing will include email, text, and occasionally phone via the Connect system.