Emergency Planning

Students with disabilities are advised to prepare for an emergency ahead of time and to familiarize themselves with the College’s Emergency Response Guide. All students should know the location of exits, exit routes, stairways and elevators.  Individuals who will need assistance leaving a building during an emergency should discuss their circumstances with Access Services as early as possible. The office can be reached at accessservices@brynmawr.edu.

Students with disabilities should plan ahead to make certain that emergency responders know your location, especially if you are unable to leave a building on your own. If you typically use an elevator to access a floor of a building, know that the elevator should not be used to exit during a fire alarm.  Students are advised to carry a charged cell phone, as well.

Follow these steps, in the event of an emergency:

1. Alert others in your vicinity that you will remain in the building. Tell them where you will be. Stairwells with self-closing doors are fire-resistant and are the best places to take shelter during an emergency.
2. Direct someone nearby (ideally a responsible staff or faculty member) to tell emergency responders your location.
3. Use your cell phone to call Campus Safety, 610-526-7911, and tell them where you are located.

Students who might need assistance evacuating a building are also encouraged to give permission for Access Services to notify Campus Safety of their dorm room location. We also recommend that you give permission for Campus Safety to share the location of your dorm residence with local emergency responders in case they need to be contacted.

Students with hearing impairments who require specialty (strobe, bed shaker) fire alarms in their sleeping rooms should inform Access Services of this need when they are admitted and any time they change room assignments.