Safety Coordinator Program

The Safety Coordinator Program is an effort by UNT Emergency Management to help ensure that there are people in every campus building who know what actions to take during an emergency and who can assist those around them. Safety Coordinators are full-time faculty or staff who have received training to assist their fellow building occupants during an emergency. The intent of the program is to establish a program in each building led by a designated Safety Lead for that building. The Safety Coordinator Program is flexible to the needs of each individual building and is voluntary. 

Imagine this: The fire alarm in your building starts going off. Five students are studying in the hallway, their noise-canceling headphones blocking them from hearing the alarm. Meanwhile, a small office of three employees in the furthest part of the building can't hear the alarm well from their office (especially if they are on the phone or talking with a student). There are countless other reasons a person may not hear an alarm. If people don't perceive or understand that an emergency is taking place, they won't take action. What can you do to help?

This is where Safety Coordinators step in! At this point, the Safety Coordinator would stop what they are doing and walk their assigned area of the building, ensuring all individuals are hearing the alarm and understand what response actions are needed. 

Safety Coordinators understand the ins and outs of their building and are intimately familiar with the locations of shelters, evacuation assembly areas, exits, and emergency equipment (like fire extinguishers). Similarly, if a special Eagle Alert was sent out, or if there was a tornado warning, or if some other large-scale emergencies were impacting campus, Safety Coordinators would be critical in helping inform others what to do! Being a Safety Coordinator does not involve much on a day-to-day basis, but when a critical incident occurs, Safety Coordinators are invaluable resources to others. 

What is a Safety Coordinator?

Safety Coordinators are full-time employees who have received training to assist their fellow building occupants during emergencies. Safety Coordinator tasks include: 

• Facilitating shelter, evacuation, secure-in-place, and other emergency procedures in their assigned area 
• Identifying safety concerns in the building 
• Working with their Safety Lead to provide information for the Building-Specific Emergency Action Plan 
• Providing safety recommendations to other staff members and Emergency Management & Safety Services 
• Acting as a Safety Ambassador to students, faculty, staff, and visitors 

Ready to be a Safety Coordinator or just want to learn more? Request more information here. 

What is a Safety Lead?

The building Safety Lead is the go-to safety person for your building AND the primary program facilitator. Safety Leads are volunteers willing to take on a few additional responsibilities. Safety Leads are responsible for the following tasks: 

• Coordinating with Emergency Management and Safety Services to set up training and perform an annual review of the Building-Specific Emergency Action Plan 
• Ensuring all areas of the building are "assigned" to Safety Coordinators who will oversee evacuations and shelter-in-place actions in that area 
• Recruiting Safety Coordinators within their building 
• Maintaining their Safety Team roster 
• Scheduling the Safety Team meetings 

Ready to be a Safety Lead or just want to learn more? Request more information here. 

Why Become a Safety Coordinator (or Safety Lead)?

Providing for the safety and security of students, faculty, and staff on a campus as large as UNT is no easy feat. The North Texas area is exposed to a number of hazards, each presenting unique risks to the unique population of our University. Our office needs help to keep the UNT campus a safe place to live, work, and learn. In addition to helping keep campus safe, Safety Coordinators and Safety Leads may have access to some of the following perks: 

How do I Become a Safety Coordinator or Safety Lead?

If you are ready to become a Safety Coordinator or Safety Lead, sign up for Safety Coordinator Orientation now. Please email Emergency.Management@unt.edu if you have any questions about Safety Coordinator Orientation. If you want more information about the program, request more information here. 

Safety Leads are expected to complete the following training in addition to the Safety Coordinator Orientation: 

• Hands-Only CPR/AED Use Awareness Training 
• Until Help Arrives Training 
• Emergency Preparedness Excellence Suite (RECOMMENDED) 

Please visit our Training page or complete this form to request training.