Like any community, we are not immune to natural and man-made disasters. Potential exists for earthquakes, drought, extreme heat, fire, flash floods, and hazardous material emergencies.

UNLV’s office of emergency management strives to keep the campus prepared for all types of hazards, ensuring that personnel are trained to respond to such emergencies and building campus and community resilience that will allow for quicker recovery after an incident.

The #BeRebelSAFE campaign is based on four steps:

Step 1: Staying Informed

Start by downloading the RebelSAFE app. The app provides a variety of safety features directly to your smartphone, making it easier to call for a late-night campus security escort, report a tip, or quick-dial 9-1-1 campus dispatch.

But its top feature is that it sends a RebelSAFE Alert push notification to your device and broadcasts messages across emergency phones located outdoors throughout campus. This emergency notification system is used for incidents that present an imminent threat to your life, health, or safety. The messages will include information and instructions on how protect yourself.

But for the system to work, you have to keep your contact information up to date.

Knowing how to receive emergency notifications, no matter your location, is paramount to ensuring your safety. Do you follow UNLV Police Services’ Facebook or Twitter pages for updates? Have you downloaded the Southern Nevada Community Preparedness App? Do you know where to find real-time weather alerts?

UNLV’s RebelSAFE tools, social media, and local apps — these are all ways to help our community prepare and respond to emergencies. Preparedness begins at home. Take steps today toward staying informed and #BeRebelSAFE.

Step 2: Develop an Emergency Plan

Whether it’s an earthquake, drought, extreme heat, fire, flash flood, or hazardous material emergency, planning in advance and knowing what you will do in different emergency situations is key to your safety.

It begins with developing a communications plan to answer the “What if?” questions: “What if something happens and I’m not with my family? Will I be able to reach them? How will they know if I’m safe? What if I don’t have my cell phone?”

During an emergency you will need to send and receive information from family or friends. Communication networks we rely on every day, our cell phones or social networks, may be unreliable or unavailable. Planning in advance will help ensure that all the members of your household know other ways reach one another.

• Assemble a list. Include family, relatives, and friends to call, text, or email in the event of an emergency. Compile this information onto a contact card. Consider including emergency phone numbers for local hospitals, family doctors, pharmacies, neighbors, utility companies, poison control centers, veterinarians, etc.
• Share copies. Make sure everyone carries a copy of the contact card in his or her backpack, wallet, purse, or car. Stick one on the family fridge or your bulletin board in your residence hall room.
• Practice often. Discuss with your roommate what you would do if you needed to evacuate your residence hall. Pick a location to meet and consider the different ways to get there. Define safe places with your family: indoors, in your neighborhood, and outside of your neighborhood and city. Practice sending text messages and what they should say to let others know you’re safe.

Step 3: Build an Emergency Supply Kit

Your kit should contain survival supplies to last for at least 72 hours. Start with the basics and then customize it, taking into account the unique needs you and your family may have, such as supplies for pets or specific medical equipment.

Place your items in airtight plastic bags and store your kit in an easy-to-carry container or bag. Once you’ve assembled your kit remember to maintain it so it’s always ready when needed; that means replacing expired items and re-thinking your needs every year. Designate a place in your home or dorm to store the kit and ensure all family members or roommates know the location. Keep a kit of “grab and go” necessities at your office, store one in the trunk of your vehicle. It is never too early to prepare.

Your kit’s basics could include:

• Water — one gallon of water per person per day, for drinking and sanitation
• Food — a supply of nonperishable items
• First aid kit
• Flashlight with extra batteries
• Battery-powered radio
• Whistle to signal for help
• Battery-powered cell phone charger
• Moist towelettes
• Garbage bags
• Local maps
• Matches in a waterproof container

Consider adding the following items based on your individual needs:

• Prescription medications
• Contact solution and glasses
• Pet food and vaccination records
• Books, games, and puzzles
• Family documents, records, and identification

Step 4: Get Involved

There are several ways to get involved and become an emergency response leader on our campus and at home. Taking the initiative and getting some training means you will be available to help in a time of crisis. Here’s how:

Start by watching “Surviving an Active Shooter” and learning the three critically important steps on how to respond safely and how UNLV Police are trained to respond to an incident on campus.

Check with UNLV’s Risk Management & Safety team for their next available CPR & First Aid Training. Becoming certified could be the difference between being a bystander and saving a life.

Volunteer for training in disaster preparedness, fire safety, and light search and rescue operations with Nevada’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) or become a member of a neighborhood emergency preparedness group. You can be the help until help arrives.

Take control of your self-defense skills and participate in a Girls on Guard course. Or, begin with an easy step and promote readiness among your friends or share tips on your social media. From a single post to a training course, you are helping to support our community. Preparedness begins with you, take the steps toward getting involved and #BeRebelSAFE.

For additional information visit the UNLV Safety website or contact the office of emergency management at 702-895-5766.