Emergency Information

(YMCA Team Initial Response, escalate to 911 as required) 

(911 – EMS) 

(911 – EMS and Evacuate to Rally Points on foot 

Do not start vehicles! 

Sound alarm immediately if not yet activated. 

• Evacuate all patrons  
• Treat all alarms as real. 
• Staff from each program area should stay with participants. 

Staff should coordinate and work as a team to walk through to be sure people have evacuated.  The toughest areas to evacuate are the locker rooms.  Staff can walk through and see if anyone needs help getting out.  If members refuse to leave, staff are to go ahead without them.  Staff safety is first and foremost.  

Communicate to responding EMS how many are in the building that would not leave and where they are. 

Important:  Do not silence the alarm.  Only the responding fire fighters should do this. 

Read below for specifics for each branch. 

 Fire Alarm Location Indicator 

When the fire alarm sounds, look at the display at the following location within the Branch. 

Kerasotes:  Red box on the wall in the front desk area by the plants.  The alarm will sound somewhat like the security door alarms.   

Downtown:  Box in the front entry area in foyer between front doors and inner doors on the right.  Alarm is high pitched and will be accompanied by flashing lights throughout the building.  System will also send an announcement through the phone system. 

For Both Branches: The fire alarm location indicator has a digital readout and will note where the alarm has been pulled.  This will indicate which part of the facility or ZONE may have a fire.  Both the security alarm company and the fire department will need this information, as well as the building supervisor and other staff. 

Front desk staff will announce over the paging system, “There is a fire in X location.  Please evacuate the building at your nearest exit.”  

Do not let people get back into the building or go further into the building from where they are. 

Child Watch: Please let parents know that all children will be taken out of the building by staff in Child Watch.  Child Watch staff and children will meet parents in the parking lot or at the Evacuation Rally Locations. 

If parents are insistent at the entrance to Child Watch, have a staff person direct them to the nearest exit and can meet their child in the process of evacuating. 

 Kerasotes Zone List – coming soon 

Downtown Zone List – coming soon 

• DO NOT SOUND THE FIRE ALARM 
• Contact Ameren (our gas provider) and fire department by calling 911. 
• Treat all alarms as real 
• Staff from each program area should stay with participants 
• Vehicles should not be started or moved.  EVERYONE EVACUATES ON FOOT. 
• Downtown – Do not use the elevator. 
• No smoking or using anything that could cause a spark. 

• All children not with parents are to be escorted to the center of the building and monitored by YMCA staff. 
• Instructors should remain with class participants. 
• Remain in center of building until weather radio signals the “all clear”. 
• Front door remains unlocked and open. 
• Building supervisor or director level staff can remain closer to front of building ONLY IF SAFE TO DO SO. 
• Encourage people to stay but you cannot keep them here. 
• If possible, give out towels to those patrons who are wet or cold. 

DO NOT LEAVE IF OUTDOOR SIRENS STOP.  SIRENS STOP AFTER 15 MINUTES REGARDLESS OF SITUATION.  LISTEN TO WEATHER RADIO or WEATHER APP AS IT APPLIES TO THAT LOCATION. 

• Use flashlights to assist members with accessing their lockers. 
• If power is not restored in a few minutes, call to report outage.  
• Senior staff on duty will decide next steps based on time estimate until power restored. 

• Emergency lights in certain areas will have battery power for 90 minutes.   
• Please know where the nearest flashlight(s) are to you and use them.   
• In areas without windows, direct at least 1 staff person to each area to be sure that members are safe. In locker rooms, supply flashlights so members can get dressed. 
• Desk will call CWLP for details at 217-789-2121 and/or check CWLP Outage Map at https://outagemap.cwlp.com/ 
• Members can congregate in the lobby until further information is given. 
• All activity will cease even if there is sufficient light in that area. 
• Instructors should remain with youth class participants until reunited with parent/guardian. 

If power is not re-established within ½ hour: 

• If power is out for more than 30 minutes, the building needs to be evacuated completely and not reopened until given direction from branch director. 
• Patrons may wait in lobby area but are barred from entering facility further. 
• Building supervisor will determine which employees must remain in facility. 

The paging system may no longer work without electricity. 

• DO NOT GO OUTSIDE- power lines may be down 
• Try to get under a sturdy object 
• Use doorways for protection 
• Stay away from objects which could fall or break 

• Staff supervising program participants should remain in place if safe. 
• All other staff should report to front desk for status report and assignments. 
• Staff and patrons should remain in facility if safe until cleared by police or radio announcement. 

• If happening at that time, call 911 
• Contact senior management 
• DCFS Hotline 1-800-25-ABUSE (22873) or online at 

https://dcfsonlinereporting.dcfs.illinois.gov/. 

• Stop behavior immediately. 
• Call member of senior management or building supervisor who will call branch director. 
• If you see a child being abused, contact the police immediately and senior staff to help intervene. 
• To prepare for call to DCFS, complete the Springfield YMCA Summer Camp—DCFS Standard Form located in each branch main office where forms are kept or on the M drive, DCFS. 

If child reports abuse, branch director will either call police at 788-8311 and DCFS or will direct someone to do this.  If you suspect abuse, contact branch director who make a report to DCFS as follows 

• To make a report of suspected child abuse or neglect online in a non-emergency situation, visit https://dcfsonlinereporting.dcfs.illinois.gov/.  
• To make a report by phone, call 1-800-25-ABUSE (800-252-2873). Calls and online reports may be made 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  
• For all emergency situations, calls should be made to 911. 

• Immediately notify front desk staff who will: 

Announce or page the child by name. If the child does not come forward, share with patrons to assist with locating the child. 

• Desk staff will immediately go to front doors and not allow any child to leave building (even with an adult) until crisis is over. 
• A staff person should go to every exit doors in the building to be sure that no one leaves the building.  For Downtown, priority should be given to Gymn gym, Pool, Laundry exit and gym exit as these give quick exit to Carpenter Street and a waiting car. 
• All staff not directly supervising participants will be notified by phone, walkie-talkie, or paging system to conduct a building search, calling out the child’s name.  Check closets, cabinets, lockers, etc. 
• Have parent/guardian accompany the building supervisor in a facility walk-through so they can be reached via walkie-talkie. 

If search is not successful: 

• Call 911 immediately.  Do not let anyone leave the building until the police arrive. 

• JOB #1 – Confirm 911 has been called 
• JOB #2 – Get first aid equipment to LG 
• JOB #3 – Meet EMS at front door 
• JOB #4 – Support/assist LG efforts and requests 
• JOB #5 – Assist in clearing pool/control crowd 

Lifeguards will have both a panic button on their person, a waterproof walkie talkie, and pendant/switch on the deck. These will alert other staff to an emergency. 

Kerasotes – Switch is the by the pool AED 

Alarm by the AED will be hit, and a blue light will flash in the staff offices and at the front desk. Alarm function will also be hit over the walkies to send out an alert across the channel. Staff should go to the pool while a front desk staff calls 911 immediately and directs them to the pool. 

Downtown – Panic buttons are on lanyards hanging from the lifeguard chairs 

Alarm pendant on the lifeguard chairs will be hit and an alert will go off at the security panel by the front desk. Alarm function will also be hit over the walkies send out an alert across the channel. Staff should go to the pool while a front desk staff calls 911 immediately and directs them to the pool.  

Guards Primary Role: Rescue and providing the subsequent emergency care. 

Responding Staff Primary Role:  These tasks need to be performed simultaneously by more than one person.  If only one person is available perform the tasks in the order below. 

1. Confirm 911 has been called. Ask loudly has 911 been called, if no one says yes, call again by assigning it to someone and having them confirm it has been done. 

1. Bring all emergency care equipment to the rescue scene on the deck 

1. Announce your presence to the guard so they know you are there and assist them where needed. 

1. If emergency care is being taken care of and EMS is on the way. Ensure that someone is meeting EMS at the front to direct them to the Pool Deck. 

1. Send any pool patrons not assisting to the locker room, close the pool, lock the locker room doors. 

1. Clear the pathway from the building entrance to the pool deck.  Ask onlookers to stay back and go to another area of the facility. 

1. If responding staff are unsure how you can help when arriving on scene, ASK! Out Loud and in a clear voice Ask, “What can I do to help?”. 

Other Types of Incidents 

Behavior: Ask for building supervisor, director, or staff for assistance over the walkies.  Have front desk staff call 911 if necessary. 

Minor Injury: Ask for building supervisor, director, or staff for assistance over the walkies. 

• Intervene only if it can be done without danger to yourself. 
• Contact front desk immediately 

• Fighting 
• Trespassing (previously warned entry to facility/property denied. Example: Persons banned from facility who do not leave when asked.  This may be a non-emergency call. It depends on if the person is being disruptive.) 
• Failure to leave facility when asked 
• Unlawful act in progress (abuse, vandalism) 
• Presence of weapons 

CALL THE NON-EMERGENCY NUMBER 788-8311 FOR ALL OTHER INCIDENTS WHICH REQUIRE POLICE RESPONSE WHERE THE: 

• Incident has already happened     
• Person responsible is not known to be in the facility 

• CALL 911 and Alert and Inform when safe to do so 
• Stay quiet and hidden 
• Respond to all law enforcement commands 
• Plan for worst case – prepare to encounter intruder