Emergency Preparedness

Emergency Guidelines

A diverse team of Pitt professionals has developed Emergency Response Guidelines (PDF) to provide a basic procedural framework for responding to any type of emergency at the University's Oakland campus.

These guidelines define an emergency-response command structure as well as the roles and responsibilities of Pitt individuals and departments during an emergency. The guidelines also outline the University's coordination with civil emergency-preparedness organizations.

Emergency Situation checklist

Would you know what to do in the event of a police emergency on campus? The University of Pittsburgh Police Department has prepared a checklist of steps you should immediately take if you think you’re in danger.

Get Notified, Be Prepared

The University’s Emergency Notification Service will be used to communicate though voice and text messages as deemed appropriate in the event of an emergency.

Additionally, the University is able to send emergency e-mail simultaneously to all faculty, staff, and students and can make announcements over the public address systems in campus buildings.

Campus Resources and Response

The University of Pittsburgh Police Department, in conjunction with Facilities Management, Computing Services and Systems Development, and other departments, works proactively to prepare for and deal with emergencies.

If necessary, the University can electronically lock down 80 percent of the buildings on the Pittsburgh campus from the Communications Center at Pitt's Public Safety Building.

University police also have access to nearly 300 electronic surveillance cameras and 500 emergency phones, which are monitored 24 hours per day.

The City is Our Campus

The University of Pittsburgh Police Department is the third-largest law enforcement agency in Allegheny County, providing 24-hour protection for more than 40,000 students, faculty, and staff on our 132-acre Pittsburgh campus.

The department has 74 commissioned officers, including a Special Emergency Response Team (SERT) which is fully equipped to immediately respond to life-threatening events, and which has the ability to breach the doors of a building if they are blocked by an actor.

All University police officers are certified under state law and receive mandatory training in the technique known as “rapid response, active shooter.”

In addition, the City of Pittsburgh has fire and emergency medical service personnel stationed throughout the neighborhoods we call home.