Emergency Management
WSU has emergency procedures prepared to keep all students, faculty, and staff safe and to protect campus property.
All employees and students are encouraged to regularly review the information provided in the campus emergency guides. This will help you become familiar with suggested recommendations concerning disasters or emergencies that may impact the WSU community.
- Winona Campus Emergency Response Guide (PDF)
- Rochester – Broadway Campus Emergency Response Guide (PDF)
- Rochester – RCTC Campus Emergency Response Guide (PDF)
COVID-19 Response
WSU is monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic and implementing precautions to protect health and safety of the WSU community.
Learn about WSU’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Winona State University Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) guides decision making and response to emergency situations.
The EOP is regularly updated to maintain relevance to modern emergency management practices.
These procedures apply to all University faculty, staff, students and visitors. It encompasses all university operations, domestic and abroad.
The purpose of this plan is to:
- provide for the carrying out of emergency functions
- establish responsibilities necessary to performing these functions
- prevent, minimize and repair damage
- ensure continuity of operations so that essential services may continue to be provided to the WSU community
- provide a management structure for coordinating and deploying essential resources
- maximize the protection of life and property
WSU has many capabilities and resources that could be used in the response to any major disaster.
The EOP promotes the effective and coordinated use of any facilities, equipment, personnel and skills of both government and non-government professions and groups.
The actions outlined in this EOP are the existing guidelines for responding to a disastrous emergency at WSU. However, the President has the authority to alter this operations plan during an emergency as necessary.
WSU adheres to the “all hazards” concept for emergency planning under which all emergencies or disasters are different with unique issues, but the consequences are typically the same. This allows a set of operational fundamentals to be used to manage response activities to all emergencies.
Paramount to the “all hazards” concept is that planning must address what is expected, but be flexible to adapt to what is unknown.
The EOP addresses likely hazards, such as severe weather or fires, yet does not overlook the possibility of an unlikely, catastrophic hazard, such as a train derailment or a terrorist act. This plan may be activated in response to a regional or national crisis that impacts the WSU community.
Any major emergency that affects our students, faculty, and/or staff community is considered a University emergency.
The WSU EOP is based on and complies with the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the Minnesota Incident Management System (MNIMS)—a proven emergency management system.
Find details about the campus protocols for emergency situations and what steps you should take.
- Bomb Threats
- Evacuations (Staging Areas, Lockdowns)
- Explosions
- Fire Procedures
- Gas Leaks
- Medical Emergencies (Diseases & Hazardous Materials)
- Severe Weather
- Suspicious Packages / Mail
- Terrorism (NTAS Threat Levels)
- Train Derailments
- Utility Failure
- Violent Behaviors (Weapons, Active Shooter, Hostage)