Emergency Protocol
Emergency Protocol
In case of a health emergency, please follow these steps:
1. Call 911
2. Have someone stay with the student to protect his/her safety and the safety of others
3. Notify Dr. Ralph Dubayah (Associate Chair) or Vivre Bell (Director of Administrative Services) as soon as the situation arises
4. Have someone wait with the student until the EMTs get there
5. No one in the Geographical Sciences Department is qualified to assess an emergency health situation and people in health crisis are notoriously bad at judging their own condition
6. Insist that the student wait for the EMTs come, tell him/her it is university policy, if he/she will not wait, offer to walk to the Health Center with him/her
7. Only cancel the 911 call if the student leaves the building
8. Call the student's emergency contact. There are no Buckley amendment privacy concerns because it is about health and safety
***University of Maryland regulation also states that if you have a student who has not been in class and you suspect that the absence is health related (depression and not getting out of bed for 2 weeks, for example), it is appropriate to call the Honor Court director. The Honor Court has jurisdiction to protect the health and safety of students. TAs are more likely to know that information than professors are, so let Dr. Geores or Dr. Luna know if you suspect such a situation.