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19 February 2024 | Story Valentino Ndaba | Photo SUPPLIED
UFS Emergency protocol
The University of the Free State prioritises student and staff safety, as encapsulated in its comprehensive Emergency Protocol guide.

The University of the Free State (UFS) recognises the importance of equipping its students and staff with the necessary support to handle a spectrum of emergencies in today's rapidly changing world. The comprehensive UFS Emergency Protocol guide offers valuable insights, from general information to specific rules, for use during crises and when crimes occur. 

The guide ensures that individuals are informed about emergency contacts, communicable diseases, and safety measures on and off campus. The protocol creates a framework for how to respond during times of crisis and includes guidelines for navigating robberies, shootouts, attacks, protests, cyber threats, evacuations, and other emergencies.

Users will find various contact numbers for divisions to contact within UFS Protection Services depending on the nature of your emergency.

Prioritising your safety

Jacobus Van Jaarsveld, Deputy Director at Protection Services, emphasised the university's commitment to the well-being of its community. "Your safety and security are important to us, and we are working hard to create a safe work and study environment with your assistance – as safety starts with you," he said. To achieve this, the UFS has compiled tips and resources within the guide to minimise risk across its three campuses.

Van Jaarsveld said fostering awareness of emergency protocols is crucial, as it helps UFS community members make informed decisions, utilise resources effectively, and it helps prevent fatalities and injuries. The guide contributes to enhancing the overall preparedness of both staff and students for potential emergencies. Equipped with the ability to make informed choices, individuals can significantly accelerate the recovery process after an emergency.

“The main reason for creating awareness of any crisis or emergency is to do as much as possible to keep staff and students safe in case of a disaster,” added Thato Block, Deputy Director at UFS Facilities Planning. “The confusion during an emergency or a crisis can make a bad situation worse and put lives at risk. If a crisis or emergency is mismanaged or neglected, it can lead to a disaster.” 

Remain calm

The UFS Emergency Protocol underscores a primary guideline in the face of any crisis: remaining calm. Individuals facing an emergency are advised to keep breathing deeply, evaluate the situation, and discern potential threats. The protocol encourages prompt calls to designated emergency numbers, raising alarms if necessary, and attentive listening to instructions from crisis managers and relevant authorities. Ultimately, adhering to safety protocols by moving to secure locations ensures a comprehensive and effective response to emergencies.

Emergency contact list

  • Bloemfontein Campus Protection Services 24/7 Duty Room: +27 51 401 2911 or +27 51 401 2634
  • South Campus Protection Services 24/7 Duty Room: +27 51 505 1217 
  • Qwaqwa Campus Protection Services 24/7 Duty Room: +27 58 718 5460 or +27 51 718 5175

Download the Emergency Protocol: 

Click here to read more on the following:
  • Three important rules during any crisis
  • Four important rules during any crime
  • Emergency contact list
  • Other communicable diseases
  • Medical emergency
  • Mental health emergency
  • On-campus safety
  • Off-campus safety
  • Assault in areas besides your home
  • Gender-based violence and sexual assault
  • Situational awareness: personal safety
  • Safety when travelling
  • Kidnapping and human trafficking
  • Robbery, shootout, or attack
  • Protests and labour unrest 
  • Safety in the workplace
  • Evacuation
  • Fire
  • Flooding
  • Infestation
  • Water cuts
  • Hazardous material and lab safety
  • Hostage situation
  • Bomb threat
  • Explosion
  • Road traffic accident
  • Earthquake or structural collapse
  • Cyber safety
  • Alternative contact numbers for Protection Services

In addition, QR codes linked to the booklet will be installed by the University Estates inside buildings and residences across all three campuses.

WATCH: Safety first: UFS Emergency Protocol

Student and staff safety are highlighted in this video related to security matters at the University of the Free State. The university is dedicated to creating a safe environment for all. 

News Archive

2014 Winter Graduation
2014-06-27

 
It is time for the 2014 Winter Graduation on our Bloemfontein Campus. From 2 – 4 July 2014 Masters and Doctoral degrees will be bestowed on graduates from across all seven faculties as well as the School of Open Learning. These include the conferral of Medicine degrees on the South African Cuban trainees.

Wednesday 2 July 2014 at 14:30: School of Open Learning
The School of Open Learning will confer a total of 609 degrees this year – almost double compared to the 320 of last year.

Thursday 3 July 2014 at 09:30: Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
Prof Magdalena Blum will receive an Honorary Doctorat, DPhil honoris causa, at this event. Prof Blum is an Extension Systems Officer in Rome. She works for a specialised agency of the United Nations called the Food and Agriculture Organization. This organisation’s mandate is:
• to improve nutrition,
• increase agricultural productivity,
• raise the standard of living in rural populations and
• contribute to global economic growth.

Her position serves to modernise and strengthen rural advisory services, their systems and networks worldwide. She has filled this position for almost nine years.

Prof Blum is driven by a passion for development, humanitarian work and female upliftment, but most of all, to enable people to help themselves.

Blum’s life has taken her from a small German village to Africa, Asia and Europe – and she has made an impact wherever she went.

Thursday 3 July 2014 at 14:30: Faculties of Economic and Management Sciences, Humanities, Education, Health Sciences, Law and Theology
At this ceremony, Faculty of the Humanities will award an Honorary Doctorate, DPhil honoris causa, on Prof Laura Mulvey. She is a feminist film theorist and worked at the British Film Institute for many years. She is currently a professor at Film and Media Studies at Birkbeck, University of London.

Prof Mulvey was prominent as an avant-garde filmmaker in the 1970s and ‘80s. In collaboration with her husband, Peter Wollen, she co-wrote and co-directed:
• Penthesilea: Queen of the Amazons (1974),
• Riddles of the Sphinx (1977, perhaps their most influential film),
• AMY! (1980),
• Crystal Gazing (1982),
• Frida Kahlo and Tina Modotti (1982), and
• The Bad Sister.

In 1991, she returned to filmmaking with Disgraced Monuments, which she co-directed with Mark Lewis.

Friday 4 July 2014 at 10:30: Special Graduation Ceremony
Conferral of Medicine Degrees on the South African Cuban trainees at the UFS

Live streaming will be available on: http://www.ufs.ac.za/ufslivestreaming/

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