Emergency Procedures

Emergency Response and Evacuation Procedures

Johnston Community College will immediately notify the campus community upon confirmation of a significant emergency or dangerous situation occurring on the campus involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or employees.

In addition to emergencies that occur on campus, the Johnston County 911 Communications Center, Smithfield Police and Fire Departments, Johnston County Sheriff’s Office, and Johnston County Emergency Services cooperate with JCC by informing the College about emergencies or dangerous situations reported to them that may warrant a timely warning and/or emergency response.

Emergency notifications are initiated to the campus community through a variety of methods, including but not limited to the following:

  • Announcements made over the emergency intercom system
  • Jaguar Alerts – a Regroup communications platform used to deliver alerts via text message, emails, and automated telephone calls
  • Campus emails and/or Skype
  • Pre-recorded voicemail announcement for incoming calls to the College’s main telephone line
  • Notices posted in a banner on the main JCC web site
  • Indoor and outdoor digital signage
  • Local media (television, radio, etc.)
  • Social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc.)
  • Notices printed and posted on the exterior doors of campus buildings
  • Bull horns
  • Public Address Systems affixed to Campus Police vehicles

Notifications may be broadcasted by any, all, or a combination of the methods listed above. Intercom announcements and Jaguar Alerts are generally relayed by the Campus Police & Security Department. Campus emails may be sent out from any member of JCC’s Emergency Management Team. Pre-recorded voicemails are managed by Auxiliary Services; digital signage by a combination of Auxiliary Services and Media Services; and the web site and local/social media communication by the Communications and Marketing Department and/or Information Technology (IT) Services.

JCC will, without delay, and taking into account the safety of the community, determine the content of the notification and initiate the notification system, unless issuing a notification will, in the professional judgment of responsible authorities, compromise efforts to assist a victim or to contain, respond to, or otherwise mitigate the emergency. In order to reduce the time needed to determine the content of emergency notifications while actively responding to emergency situations, sample notification scripts have been drafted to address various types of situations and copies have been retained from actual notifications broadcasted or posted during previous campus incidents and emergency exercises.

JCC’s Emergency Response Plan (ERP) can be found below. The College tests its emergency response and evacuation procedures by conducting a variety of tabletop exercises, drills, and functional exercises, at minimum, once per year. Tests are normally announced beforehand, in order to minimize the interruptions to classes, testing, meetings, campus events, conferences, etc. 

JCC Emergency Response Plan (PDF)

The following procedures pertain to building evacuations, and can be found in the ERP:

  1. A building should be evacuated anytime the building alarm sounds or upon notification that the building should be evacuated.
  2. When notified to evacuate the building all occupants should immediately exit using the nearest point of safe exit in an orderly manner. Faculty should ensure all students have evacuated the building unless directed otherwise by Emergency Personnel.
  3. Faculty or staff should assist anyone with special needs in exiting the building.
  4. Do not attempt to reenter the building for any reason, until the “All Clear” is sounded by Emergency Personnel or Building Coordinator.

Occasionally, a campus state of emergency may be declared, resulting in the evacuation of the entire campus. When a campus state of emergency is declared, all non-essential personnel and students should begin an orderly evacuation of campus. Campus Police & Security and Facility Services personnel will remain on site and direct traffic to ensure the safest and quickest evacuation of the campus.

Special attention should be focused on the evacuation of people with special needs, whether this be due to a mobility, hearing, visual, or cognitive impairment, a lack of transportation, or a language barrier. Other special concerns may include the evacuation of children from the Child Development Center, coordination with Johnston County Schools regarding high school students on campus (CCP-Career and College Promise, ECA-Early College Academy, and CTLA-Career and Technical Leadership Academy), and visitors on campus (performing arts audience members, clients in the Cosmetology Salon, Therapeutic Massage Clinic, etc.).

JCC Classroom Emergency Procedures Poster (PDF)