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Gateway has several proactive plans and procedures in place in the event of an emergency on campus. We encourage you to review the following guidelines to arm yourself with helpful knowledge and tips to best prepare yourself should an unexpected and unfortunate event occur on campus.

Active Shooter

The Gateway Technical College Campus Security Department teaches Active Shooter Response Training to mentally prepare our campus for violent attacks. Participants who attend Active Shooter Response Training learn about the actions that everyday people can take to survive a dangerous encounter with a violent intruder.

Active Shooter Response training can be conducted in your office/department to evaluate the current security of your space. During the training, participants are taught to utilize each of the principles learned during the lecture so they can understand the benefits of each strategy. Participants are taught the value of teamwork in overcoming a potential attacker.

Contact Chris Burton, Director of Safety and Security, at burtonc@gtc.edu or 262-564-2533 for more information about Active Shooter Response Training and to request training.

During an active shooter incident, there are three actions you can do to protect yourself and others:

Run: first and foremost, if you can get out, do so.

  • If there is an escape path, attempt to evacuate.
  • Evacuate whether others agree to or not.
  • Leave your belongings behind.
  • Help others escape if possible.
  • Prevent others from entering the area.

Hide: If you can’t get out safely, you need to find a place to hide. Act quickly and quietly. Try to secure your hiding place the best you can.

  • Lock and/or blockade the door.
  • Silence your cell phone/pager.
  • Hide behind large objects
  • Remain very quiet.
  • Do not huddle in groups.
  • Your hiding place should:
    • Be out of the shooter’s view.
    • Provide protection if shots are fired in your direction.
    • Not trap or restrict your options for movement.

Fight: As a last resort, and only if your life is in danger...whether you’re alone or working together as a group, fight.

  • Attempt to incapacitate the shooter.
  • Act with physical aggression.
  • Improvise weapons.
  • Commit to your actions.

When law enforcement arrives:

  • Remain calm and follow instructions.
  • Put down any items in your hands (i.e. bags, jacket).
  • Keep your hands visible at all times.
  • Avoid pointing or yelling.
  • Avoid quick movement toward officers such as holding on to them for safety.
  • Know that help for the injured is on its way.

First responders on the scene are well-trained and are there to stop the shooter. They are not there to evacuate or tend to the injured.

Information you should provide to a law enforcement:

  • Location of the shooter(s)
  • Number of shooter(s)
  • Physical description of shooter(s)
  • Number and type of weapons held by shooter(s)
  • Number of potential victims at the location

Crime Prevention 

Safety Tips

  • Be aware and alert of your surroundings.
  • Never walk alone after dark. Walk in groups or pairs, in well-lit areas.
  • Wear bright colored clothing to improve your visibility.
  • Tell someone where you are going and who you are going with.
  • Stay aware of your immediate surroundings.
  • Create distance from anyone or anything that concerns you.

Theft Prevention

Six facts about thefts on college campuses:

  1. Theft is the most common crime on college campuses.
  2. The majority of thefts are most likely committed by those using our facilities.
  3. Most thefts occur from unlocked and unattended offices, others happen in the cafeterias, libraries,
  4. locker rooms and classrooms.
  5. Money is usually the target but credit cards can also be stolen.
  6. Theft is the most difficult crime for police officers to prove, but the easiest for you to prevent.
  7. A thief needs only seconds to steal what it takes you hours to earn.

Protect Your Property

  • Lock your office door whenever you leave-even if you are going to be "right back."
  • Keep your purse/wallet in a locked desk or cabinet.
  • When leaving a classroom, your table in a library or your seat in the cafeteria, take your purse, wallet and laptop with you.
  • Do not assume that leaving your books unattended will mean that they will be there when you get back.
  • Do not bring large sums of money or valuables on campus.

Vehicle Security

  • When exiting your vehicle lock your car and take your keys with you.
  • When going to your car have your keys out and ready.
  • All packages and valuables should be hidden when your car is left unattended.
  • Do not leave your car unlocked or unattended when loading and unloading.
  • Park in lighted parking lots, avoid parking near shrubbery, trees, etc., which could conceal a potential attacker or burglar.

Evacuations

When evacuating a building:

  • Know evacuation routes for your building.
  • If possible, secure your area: lock desks, doors, cash drawers.
  • Take personal items, if easily accessible.
  • Use closest exits.
  • Do not use elevators.
  • Follow directions given by police, fire or emergency responders.
  • Render assistance to others
  • Go to designated evacuation area for your building
  • Do not return into the building unless told to do so by emergency responders

Mandatory Evacuation

Evacuation is mandatory when:

  • Fire alarm is activated.
  • Ordered by emergency personnel or directed to by the Gateway Technical College emergency notification system. 

Fire Safety

In case of fire, do the following:

  • Manually activate the fire alarm by pulling the nearest pull station.
  • Immediately evacuate the building using stairways, never elevators.
  • If possible, close windows and doors behind you as you evacuate.
  • Contact 911 and Campus Security for your respective campus.
  • If caught in smoke - stay low, cover nose with cloth and crawl to exit.
  • Render assistance to persons in need.
  • Extinguish the fire if trained, and it’s safe.
  • Move away from the building.
  • Tell responding emergency personnel immediately if someone is still in the building.
  • Do not re-enter the building until authorized by emergency personnel.

Operate the fire extinguisher using the P.A.S.S. technique:

  • Pull the safety pin from the handle.
  • Aim at the base of fire.
  • Squeeze the trigger handle to release the extinguishing agent.
  • Sweep from side to side at the base of fire.

Lockdown 

Stay where you are, allow no entry into your location. Activate all locking mechanisms. In the case of a:

  • Suspicious person, probably armed
  • Active Shooter

Procedures to follow when Gateway Technical College is on lockdown:

  • Clear hallways and rooms that cannot be secured.
  • Stay quiet and out of sight.
  • Lock all doors and windows.
  • Stay away from all doors and windows.
  • Close blinds.
  • Cut off lights.
  • Cut off or silence all electronic devices.
  • Barricade doors with the heaviest objects available (desks, chairs).
  • Wait for the “all clear” to leave your area.

Bomb Threats

The following are procedures to follow if a bomb threat is received at Gateway Technical College.

If the threat is received by phone:

  • Remain calm. Listen to the caller carefully.
  • Keep the caller talking so you can gather as much information as possible. Record the caller ID number, time and date.
  • Call 911 and report what you know. Call Campus Security for your respective campus. Follow all instructions of police and emergency responders.
  • Bomb Threat Information Sheet

Get the caller's phone number on display and ask them:

  • Where is the bomb located?
  • When is the bomb going to explode?
  • What does it look like?
  • What kind of bomb is it?
  • What will cause it to explode?
  • Did you place the bomb?
  • Why did you do it?
  • What is your address?
  • What is your name?
  • Sex of caller
  • Approximate age

If the threat is received by handwritten note:

  • Call 911 then contact Campus Security for your respective campus.
  • Handle the note as minimally as possible. 

If the threat is received by email: 

  • Call 911 then contact Campus Security for your respective campus.
  • Do not delete the message.

If you receive a bomb threat, do NOT do the following:

  • Activate the fire alarm.
  • Evacuate the building until police arrive and evaluate the threat.

Suspicious Person

Each of us must take responsibility for making the campus a safer environment. Reporting suspicious persons and behaviors is an important action you can take to help campus security keep the campus safe.

The following are some examples of behaviors that could be considered suspicious:

  • Persons monitoring areas, entrances to buildings or buildings.
  • Persons pacing back and forth who appear to be dazed or confused.
  • A person pulling on multiple doorknobs or trying to open residence hall/office rooms.
  • A person pulling on car door handles or looking into multiple vehicles
  • Persons speaking incoherently.
  • Persons wandering in residence halls or buildings that appear to have no legitimate purpose.
  • Unauthorized persons in restricted areas.
  • You witness an individual you do not recognize going from room to room or office to office.
  • An individual acting belligerent or hostile toward others.
  • A person exhibiting unusual mental or physical symptoms; person may be injured or under the influence of drugs
  • Solicitation on campus

Do

  • Report to Campus Security.
  • Provide to security: Description of suspicious person (sex, age, race, weight, distinctive characteristics), direction of travel, if they had a weapon, what the suspicious behavior was and a description of vehicle and license plate number

Do Not

  • Physically confront the person.
  • Let the person into a locked building or office.

Medical Emergency

If the emergency appears to be life threatening, please contact 911 immediately and follow the instructions of the communications officer. If able, then contact Campus Security for your respective campus. 

Gateway Campus Security officers are trained first responders and our response time on campus is faster than any other agency. They can then assist emergency services in locating the victim. In addition, they carry emergency medical equipment to perform first aid, or CPR, if necessary.

If the medical issue is not life-threatening, call Campus Security for your respective campus. The information we will need immediately: 

  • Location and nature of the medical emergency.
  • If known, the name of the subject needing assistance.
  • Any known medical history or information.

Power Outage

A power outage may seem like a relatively routine emergency situation, but loss of electricity can present a range of serious hazards and challenges. The following information is intended as a guide for students, faculty, staff and visitors to prepare in advance for outages and to respond appropriately if they occur.

  • Remain calm. It may take a moment for emergency lighting to activate.
  • If there are no immediate safety issues, stay in place.
  • Report power failure to Campus Security for your respective campus.
  • If your area is not lighted, slowly and carefully proceed to a lighted area.
  • Account for all students, staff and faculty in your area.
  • Monitor Gateway emergency notification system for updates.

Severe Weather

Firstly, be aware if the weather situation is a watch or a warning.

Watch: is severe weather that is likely to occur and conditions are favorable for dangerous weather. During a watch, it’s highly recommended to monitor the weather for any major changes. 

Warning: is issued when severe weather is occurring and has been reported. You should act immediately to protect yourself by sheltering in place. 

In the event of an extreme weather emergency, such as a tornado warning, you should seek safe shelter immediately. Always remember to stay inside, away from windows and doors. Do not use an interior area with a large expanse of roof. There may be multiple safe areas provided for each building. The decision of which safe shelter area to seek should be based on your location within the building and the estimated length of time before the predicted event.

In the event of a warning causing imminent danger to a Gateway campus, emergency notification messages will be sent to the entire Gateway community. 

Suspicious Package

If you find or encounter a suspicious package at Gateway Technical College:

  • Do not open, touch or move the package.
  • Immediately report it to Gateway Campus Security.

If you are suspicious of a mailing and are unable to verify the contents with the addressee or sender:

  • Do not open the item.
  • Do not touch or move the item.
  • Isolate the item and evacuate the immediate area. 

Be cautious of:

  • Restrictive markings such as “confidential” or “personal.”
  • Excessive postage.
  • Handwritten or poorly typed address.
  • Incorrect titles.
  • Misspellings of common words.
  • Oily stains or discolorations on the package.
  • Rigid, lopsided or uneven envelopes.
  • Protruding wires or tinfoil.
  • Excessive tape or string.
  • No return address.