Tornado Preparedness Training for Floor Captains

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Tornado Preparedness Training for Floor Captains
University Safety and Assurances [phone]

• Stoughton Tornado
• August 18, 2005

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2008 Tornado Awareness Week

• Governor Doyle has proclaimed April 20-24, 2009
  as Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness Week in
  Wisconsin

UWM drills will occur on Thursday, April 23rd at
2 PM
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Tornado Shelter Area Signs

• Tornado Shelter Area signs are posted in each
  campus building, typically located on the lowest
  level of the building.
• In some buildings an interior classroom or
  stairwell may be an appropriate shelter area

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Shelter in Place Locations

• Newly identified interior classrooms where
  occupants can shelter in place can be
  identified by a temporary sign posted on the wall
  outside of the room

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Podium Instructions

• Podium Instruction cards have been created for
  classrooms containing 50 or more students.
• These cards provide the instructor with emergency
  information on procedures in the event of a
  tornado or fire emergency

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Tornado Shelter Areas

• Emergency Evacuation signs (posted in prominent
  locations) identify your shelter areas
• Extra, temporary tornado signs are available.

Shelter Area maps www.safety.uwm.edu/EMERGENCY/t
ornado.html
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Announcement of Drill

• Buildings with fire alarm panel or other public
  address systems will be notified via a verbal
  announcement over the PA System by the building
  chair

Link to training on operating PA System
http//www.uwm.edu/Dept/EHSRM/EMERGENCY/Alarm_Pane
ls.ppt
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Announcement of Drills and Warnings

• Buildings with no PA systems will be notified by
  manual alarms (whistles) on each floor of the
  building
• These buildings are

• Alumni
• AUP
• Bolton
• Chapman
• Hefter
• Mellencamp
• Physics
• Power Plant
• USB
• Zelazo
• WATER Institute

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Announcement of Drill

• Text of standardized message to building
  occupants will be provided to Building Chair.
• Building Chair announces commencement of drill
  and location of Shelter Areas

Link to Message http//www.uwm.edu/Dept/EHSRM/EME
RGENCY/Drill_Announcement.doc
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Building Chairs

• Building Chairs should know the Floor Captains
  for their building
• Do you have adequate coverage for all floors of
  your building?
• How will you communicate with your floor captains?

Link to Listing of Floor Captains
http//www.uwm.edu/Dept/EHSRM/FIRE/Floor_Captains.
html
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Floor Captains

• Floor Captains are identified by green
  fluorescent vests
• For buildings with no PA systems, floor captains
  will also be issued whistles
• Please let us know if you need a vest and/or
  whistle

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Role of Building Chairs Floor Captains

• Building Chairs Floor Captains direct traffic
• Guide visitors, students and others who may not
  be familiar with building to shelter area
• Monitor security of building
• In the event you will not be available to assist
  with the drill, we would appreciate your
  assistance in identifying a co-worker or
  colleague who could temporarily perform your
  floor captain duties

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Role of Floor Captain

• Monitor corridors on assigned Floor to ensure
  personnel are moving to shelter.
• Check restrooms on assigned floor to ensure they
  have been evacuated.
• Concentrate on public areas.
• Office managers, classroom lecturers and
  laboratory or workshop heads should be
  responsible for advising occupants in their areas
  to evacuate.
• Those floor captains assigned to shelter areas
  should assess designated shelter location (Did
  everyone fit? Could it be reached quickly?)
• Complete evaluation form and give to your
  building chair

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Evacuation

• Once the drill is announced, occupants should
  proceed quickly and calmly (using interior
  stairways if necessary to reach a lower level) to
  a building tornado shelter area

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High Rise Buildings

• Go to enclosed, windowless area in center of
  building -- away from glass
• Interior stairwells are usually good places to
  take shelter, and if not crowded, allow you to
  get to a lower level quickly
• Stay off elevators you could be trapped if power
  goes out

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High Rise Buildings

• Bolton
• Chemistry
• Cunningham
• Curtin
• Enderis
• EMS
• Sandburg
• Continuing Ed (Plankinton Building)
• SECONDS COUNT - Floors 4 and below should go to
  basement Floors 5 and above should seek shelter
  in interior spaces (restrooms, stairways,
  interior rooms and hallways).

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Evacuation - Individuals with a Disability

• Supervisors should be responsible for assisting
  any student, staff member or visitor who has a
  disability
• Recommendations are
• Mobility impaired-wheelchair Elevator to
  shelter
• Mobility impaired, non-wheelchair Elevator to
  shelter
• Hearing impaired Inform of announcement and
  shelter advice
• Visually impaired Offer elbow assist to
  shelter

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Conclusion of Drill

• At the conclusion of the drill (once occupants
  have reached the designated shelter areas or
  after 10 minutes) in those buildings with a PA
  System, the Building Chair will make an All
  Clear announcement.
• In those buildings with no PA System, floor
  captains will announce to occupants that they may
  return to their rooms

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Evaluation and Debriefing

• Floor Captains will meet briefly with their
  building chair for a debriefing and to turn in
  their evaluation form
• If you need to print additional forms, please use
  the link below

Link to Evaluation Checklist http//www.uwm.edu/D
ept/EHSRM/EMERGENCY/Evaluation.doc
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In the Event of a Real Tornado

• Move quickly Tornadoes travel FAST
• Go to center of building - away from glass
• Go down, to the strongest part of building
• Interior stairwells, bathrooms, offices are
  usually good places to take shelter
• A basement level is best
• Stay off elevators entrapment if power is out
• Wait for All Clear

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Tornado Watch

• A Tornado Watch means
• Conditions are favorable for tornado development
• Issued by National Weather Service
• Be prepared to seek shelter
• Monitor weather radio, local radio stations or
  other media

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Tornado Warning

• National Weather Service doppler radar prediction
  or direct sighting -- immediately take shelter.
  
• The outdoor signal a steady blast three minutes
  or longer in duration.
• Outdoor sirens are only intended to be heard
  outdoors to alert people to take shelter indoors.
  

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Tornado Watch
In the Event a "Tornado Watch" is Issued
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Tornado Watch

• Building Chairs and Alternates will receive
  e-mail, if time permits
• Building Chairs will send email to all occupants
  of their building
• Building Chairs and/or Alternates notify floor
  captains to be prepared to assist with evacuation
  to shelter areas

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In the Event of a "Tornado Warning"
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How will you be Notified?

• Buildings with fire alarm panel or other public
  address systems will receive a verbal
  announcement.
• Buildings with no PA systems will be notified by
  manual alarms (whistles) on each floor of the
  building

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After a Tornado

• Remain assembled in a safe area away from broken
  glass, sharp debris, power lines, puddles
  containing power lines, emergency traffic
  areas. Await All Clear
• While waiting for emergency personnel, render aid
  to those who are injured
• Keep bystanders out of damaged areas chunks of
  debris or sections of building may fall
• No use of matches or lighters, in case of leaking
  natural gas or fuel tanks nearby

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Tornado Myths Facts
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Tornado Myths Facts

• Myth
• There are very few tornadoes in Wisconsin
• Fact
• 62 tornadoes spun up in Wisconsin in 2005
• Worst tornado outbreak ever in WI took place on
  August 18, 2005 with 27 tornadoes
• Wisconsin has had three F5 tornadoes

NOAA Map
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Tornado Myths Facts

• Myth
• UWM is protected by its proximity to Lake
  Michigan
• Fact
• False! The tornado that struck Door County in
  1998 formed on the waters of Green Bay and moved
  on shore causing over 5 million in damage

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Tornado Myths Facts

• Myth
• Tornadoes always move from southwest to northeast
  or west to east.
• Fact
• Tornadoes can appear from any direction.
• Some tornadoes have changed direction mid path,
  or even backtracked.

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Tornado Myths Facts

• Myth You will see a funnel cloud
• Fact
• Tornadoes can occur without funnel clouds

Rolla, Kansas 1995 Photo shows dust cloud and
cloud base above it rotating, indicating a
continuous cloud-to-ground vortex (tornado).
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Tornado Myths Facts

• Myth
• You can tell the strength of a tornado by its
  size
• Fact
• Tornadoes can assume a ropy, sinuous shape in
  their final minutes or remain narrow during their
  entire life cycles.
• Although they may look weaker than much larger
  ones, some get more intense as they narrow
  tighten
• Size does not necessarily indicate strength!

Rope tornado
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Tornado Myths Facts

• Myth
• You should open windows to equalize pressure.
• Fact
• Opening windows is useless, wastes time and can
  be very dangerous.
• Don't do it. You may be injured by flying glass
  trying to do it. If the tornado hits your home,
  it will blast the windows open anyway.

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How Long Do Tornadoes Last?

• Tornadoes can last from several seconds to more
  than an hour.
• Most tornadoes last less than 10 minutes.

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Tornado Reports

• 2008 1330 as of 6/5/08
• 2007 1085
• 2006 1106
• 2005 1264

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Monthly Tornado Statistics
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Resources
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Resources MyUWM
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MyUWM
You can use the Add Content button to add
Local, National, World Weather to your page on
MyUWM
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Resources Weather Channel Local Alerts

• In all 2,000 mediated classrooms on campus, any
  VCR connected to our Campus Cable Network can be
  tuned to either the Milwaukee Weather Channel
  (Channel 7) or the NOAA weather station for the
  Milwaukee area located in Delafield (Channel 27).

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Resources NOAA Weather Radio

• Milwaukee 164.200

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Resources

• Tornadoes...Nature's Most Violent Storms
• A PREPAREDNESS GUIDE
• http//www.nssl.noaa.gov/NWSTornado/

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Resources

• Enter your city, state or zip code for up-to-date
  weather forecasting
• http//www.spc.noaa.gov/