What should you do in an emergency?
- Suspicious package or bomb threat
- Armed intruder or active shooter
- Extreme weather or natural disaster
- Critical situation involving college infrastructure
- Fire and explosion
- Medical emergency
What should you do in an emergency?
Emergency situations are events that put people in danger and that require a rapid emergency response. Know what to do in case of an emergency.
1. Suspicious package or bomb threat
In this emergency situation:
Risk of danger to life: Dial 911
Police of Longueuil 450 463-7011
Responsible of the college Mohammed Hamdi 514 867-9199
Any suspicious package or bomb threat must be treated as a real danger.
Move away from the danger, dial 911 and follow their instructions. If the authorities issue an evacuation notice, evacuate the building immediately. Visit Canada Post website to learn how to identify a suspicious package.
What to do in the presence of a suspicious package:
- Don’t touch the package—leave it where it is
- Note everything you can about the package
- Call 911 immediately
- Move away from the package and evacuate the area
- Follow the instructions of emergency services
- Notify responsible Mohammed Hamdi 514 867-9199 of the situation
What to do if you receive a bomb threat in an email:
- Don’t delete the email
- Call 911 immediately
- Follow the instructions of emergency services
- Notify Responsible Mohammed Hamdi 514 867-9199 of the situation
What to do if you receive a bomb threat over the phone:
- Stay on the line, don’t put the person on hold, and don’t transfer the call
- Listen to the person speaking and take detailed notes of what they say
- Pretend that you’re having trouble hearing to get the person to repeat themselves and keep them on the line, and ask about the exact location of the bomb and the exact time it will go off
- During the call or as soon as you can afterwards, fill out the quick reference for bomb threats: the people handling the situation will ask you for the information
- Write down the caller’s number
- Call 911 immediately
- Follow the instructions of emergency services
- Notify Responsible Mohammed Hamdi 514 867-9199 of the situation
- What to do if you receive a bomb threat in person
- Ask the person to repeat what they just said and try to determine if it’s a bad joke or if the person is making a real threat
- Notice everything you can about the person and get as much information as possible about the threat (take notes if you can)
- If the threat seems real or can’t be confirmed, call 911 immediately
- Follow the instructions of emergency services
- Notify responsible Mohammed Hamdi 514 867-9199 of the situation
If the person says it’s a joke, notify the responsible of the college immediately. Such threats aren’t tolerated on campus, and anyone making them will be penalized as per college regulations.
2. Armed intruder or active shooter
In this emergency situation:
Risk of danger to life: Dial 911
Police of Longueuil 450 463-7011
Responsible of the college Mohammed Hamdi 514 867-9199
How to respond to an armed individual or active shooter:
In the presence of an individual or group armed with firearms, knives, explosives, or other weapons that is threatening the lives and safety of others: save your life!Analyze the situation and choose the best option according to your location, the circumstances, and your proximity to the assailant. Continue to assess the situation, your surroundings, and your options. Choose the most suitable action among those described below.
Option 1. Run! If there’s a way out, run!
- Alert people around you
- Get out, no matter whether other people follow you or not
- Leave your personal belongings behind
- Keep your hands visible
- Don’t try to move people who are hurt
- Alert people you meet to the danger
- Once you’re out of danger, call 911
Option 2. Hide! If you can’t run, hide in a safe place
- If you can’t run, protect yourself by finding shelter, hiding, or creating a barricade if you can.
- Stay away from windows, doors, and high-visibility areas with lots of glass
- Lock the doors or barricade them with furniture
- Don’t stay behind the door: spread out and lie on the ground
- Close and lock the windows and shut the blinds
- Be quiet
- Turn of all lights, screens, and projectors
- Put your cellphones on silent mode and only use them to communicate with emergency services
- Make sure you’re out of danger, then call 911
- Don’t open the door to anyone, the police will come and get you when the danger has passed (check with 911 before opening the door if you’re unsure)
- In this type of situation, don’t evacuate if the fire alarm goes off, but watch for signs of fire (smoke, flames, smell) and continue to reassess your options based on the situation
Option 3. Fight
As a last resort, if you don’t have any other options and your life is in direct and imminent danger, defend yourself, fight, and try to stop, disarm, or weaken your assailant using whatever means at your disposal (chair, extinguisher, etc.). Once you’re safe, call 911.
Other information and instructions
- Alert people to the presence of an armed individual or active shooter, since evacuating may not be the best option for everyone and may put people in harm’s way.
- When the police arrive, stay calm and don’t make any sudden movements. Put your hands in the air and follow the instructions of the authorities.
- The law forbids the presence of weapons and fake weapons in department of educational spaces. If you see a weapon, you must report it by calling 911.
3. Extreme weather or natural disaster
In this emergency situation:
Risk of danger to life: Dial 911
Police de Longueuil 450 463-7011
Responsible of the college Mohammed Hamdi 514 867-9199
Unexpected natural phenomena can put people in danger and cause disasters (storms, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, etc.).
If the event is expected, follow the instructions issued by the authorities.
If the event happens suddenly and unexpectedly, assess the situation rapidly and do what you can to stay safe.
What to do in sudden extreme weather conditions:
- Evacuate or find shelter in a safe place
- Look after your own safety before helping others or trying to save your belongings
- Watch for signs of degradation or rapid changes in the situation
- Follow the instructions issued by the authorities
Find shelter:
In extreme weather conditions, if evacuation is not an option, take shelter in a safe place.
- Get away from any source of danger
- Stay in the room where you are
- If you’re in an open space or a hallway, go to the nearest room
- Get people in the hallway or nearby into the room
- Close the windows
- Shelter under structural elements or furniture if you need to
- If you’re outside, shelter in a safe, covered area (car, garage, etc.)
- Stay sheltered as long as there is a danger or according to the instructions of the authorities
- If your life is in danger, call 911
- If you need help, contact the responsible Mohammed Hamdi 514 867-9199
What to do if there’s an earthquake:
- Stay inside
- Hide under a heavy piece of furniture like a table or desk
- Cover your head and torso to protect yourself from falling objects
- If there isn’t any furniture you can hide under, squat along an inside wall and protect your head and neck with your arms
- Stay away from windows, doors, lighting fixtures, tall furniture, and shelves
- If there’s a fire evacuate the building: if you’re outside, stay outside and move to a clearing away from buildings and electrical wires to avoid being hit by debris
- Don’t forget that there may be an aftershock after the initial quake
Snow or ice storm:
In the event of a storm, the College can suspend all activities. If no notice is issued, all regular activities go ahead as scheduled
4. Critical situation involving College infrastructure
In this emergency situation:
Risk of danger to life: Dial 911
Police de Longueuil 450 463-7011
Responsible of the college Mohammed Hamdi 514 867-9199
A critical situation caused by a serious problem involving College infrastructure, that puts the lives or safety of people at risk (collapse, major prolonged power outage, burst pipes or major leaks, etc.), might turn out as an emergency situation.
If people’s lives are in danger, do the following:
- Make sure you’re out of danger, then call 911
- Notify the responsible Mohammed Hamdi 514 867-9199
- Evacuate the building, alerting others along the way, or follow the safety instructions issued by the authorities
- If people are hurt or unwell, make sure you are safe and the area is safe before helping them (if you can’t help them, tell emergency services that there are people who need help and explain where they are)
- Head to the meeting point outside the building and follow the instructions of emergency services
- Don’t go back inside the building until you get the green light from the authorities
5. Fire and explosion
In this emergency situation:
Risk of danger to life: Dial 911
Police de Longueuil 450 463-7011
Responsible of the college Mohammed Hamdi 514 867-9199
Any unusual smoke, flames, heat, smell, explosion, or any other sign of a fire must be reported immediately.
You should always know where the fire extinguishers, entrances, and emergency exits are for the spaces you use regularly.
What to do if you detect signs of a fire (smoke, flames, etc.):
- Stay calm and stop whatever you’re doing, safely
- Secure all hazardous materials or equipment if possible
- Close all doors and windows if possible
- After making sure you are safe,
- Call 911
- If it is safe to do so, use a fire extinguisher (to control a starting fire)
- Evacuate the building by the nearest emergency exit staircases
- On your way out, alert others occupants nearby
- Head to the meeting point outside the building and follow the instructions of emergency services
- Inform emergency personnel if you have observed a person requiring assistance(limited mobility, injured, etc.)
- Don’t go back inside the building until you get the green light from the authorities
What to do if a general alarm (evacuation alarm) is sounded:
- Stay calm and stop whatever you’re doing, safely
- Secure all hazardous materials or equipment if possible
- Close all doors and windows if possible
- Evacuate the building by the nearest emergency exit staircases
- On your way out, alert others occupants nearby
- Head to the meeting point outside the building and follow the instructions of emergency services
- Inform emergency personnel if you have observed a person requiring assistance(limited mobility, injured, etc.)
Don’t go back inside the building until you get the green light from the authorities
- If you can’t exit the building because of flames, smoke or heat
- Stay in the room where you are or go into the nearest room
- Plug the bottom of the door with a damp cloth or towel, if possible
- If there is smoke, stay low to the ground
- Call 911 or let people know where you are however you can
6. Medical emergency
In this emergency situation:
Risk of danger to life: Dial 911
Police de Longueuil 450 463-7011
Responsible of the college Mohammed Hamdi 514 867-9199
If you need emergency medical care:
- Call 911
- Notify someone nearby who could contact the responsible Mohammed Hamdi 514 867-9199 and stay with him until the arrival of the first responders
If you are informed or notice that someone needs an emergency medical care
- Call 911 or get someone else to do it while you attend to the person in need of assistance
- Contact the responsible of the college Mohammed Hamdi 514 867-9199
- Make sure someone stays with the person until the arrival of the first responders
You should contact responsible of college Mohammed Hamdi 514 867-9199 after calling 911 because in addition to administering first aid, the person will be able to escort paramedics to the exact location where their services are needed.