Emergency blog from The University of Washington Bothell

Active threat DRILL ONLY

UPDATE, 10:05 a.m.: Thank you for participating in the active threat drill. In addition to the recommended actions earlier, you can further prepare by considering these steps, questions and resources: 

• Sign up for UW Alert. 
• UW Bothell Emergency Blog 
• UW Bothell Campus Safety Tips 
• UW Bothell Emergency Procedures 
• Faculty Preparedness in the Classroom 
• Evacuation Topics for Individuals with Disabilities 
• Email the emergency preparedness manager or email the senior director of Campus Safety to: 1) arrange an Active Threat Preparedness Training and/or preparation for your class, office, workgroup or department; 2) facilitate a drill follow-up meeting; and/or 3) conduct a workplace security assessment. 
• Create an emergency communications plan and share with your family and close friends. 
• If you lose your phone, do you have a family member or friend’s phone number memorized so you can let them know your status? 

ORIGINAL POST: While incidents of active threats on campus are rare, they have a high and long-term impact. Planning on how to respond is important. 

During the drill, all students, faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to take five minutes to think critically about how you would respond to an incident where you are. 

Recommended actions include: 

• Identify at least two emergency exits, including accessible pathways and the building emergency evacuation assembly area. 
• Have a discussion about how you would “Run. Hide. Fight.” 
• RUN: Escape if you can. Your first priority should always be to avoid a threat. If you do run take a route that minimizes the chance of encountering the threat and move quickly. 
• HIDE: Running away may not be your best option. Find a place to hide out of view, lock and block/barricade doors if possible, close blinds, turn of lights, and silence cell phones. 
• FIGHT: If you can’t run or hide, fight as a last resort to disrupt or stop the attacker. Be aggressive and commit to your actions. Use objects around you as makeshift weapons such as chairs, fire extinguishers, scissors, laptops, books, etc. 
• Practice quickly silencing all electronic devices while keeping them on to receive additional emergency alerts. 
• Consider how you would help those in need of assistance. 

Posted April 14, 2026 10:00 am

Today is the Great Washington Shakeout

Today is the Great Washington Shakeout earthquake drill. In the event of an earthquake, remember to DROP, COVER AND HOLD ON.

As part of the statewide drill, UW Bothell is conducting a test of all emergency communications tools. In the event of a real emergency, updates will be posted on uwb.edu/emergency or cascadia.edu/services/emergency

Posted October 20, 2022 8:47 am

UW Advisory Bothell

The University of Washington Bothell is monitoring possible protest activity in the area. The UW Bothell Cascadia College campus is closed. Avoid the area. Please avoid roadways around campus, to the extent possible.

Many cities in and around the Seattle area have announced curfews for tonight. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan has announced a citywide curfew of 6 p.m. Monday through 5 a.m. Tuesday.

Posted June 1, 2020 3:06 pm

Emergency communications at UW Bothell

How will you know if there is an emergency or disruption on campus? From text and email alerts to our internal public address system, UW Bothell has a number of ways to notify the campus community about incidents when they occur. Please take a moment now to sign up for these text and email alerts via UW Alert.

In the event of an emergency, a leadership team convenes quickly to determine the type of message that should be sent. The team includes representatives from UW Bothell Campus Safety, Administration & Planning, Emergency Management, Marketing & Communications, Facilities, and Cascadia College.

Emergencies and closure information on or near campus can be communicated in a number of ways, including:

• UW Alert (text and email messages)
• Alertus desktop notification system
• UW Bothell website
• UW Bothell’s emergency blog
  • The blog is updated frequently when an incident on campus occurs.
• UW Bothell Facebook page
• UW Bothell Twitter
• UW Bothell Advisory email list
• UW Bothell information line: 425-352-3333
• FlashAlert (feeds to local TV and radio)
• UW Bothell campus security can use overhead speakers in UW1, UW2, UW2, LBA, LB1, North Creek, Husky Village (community center), physical plant building, the Conservatory and throughout Cascadia College.
  • Note: There are not overhead speakers in Beardslee Crossing, Husky Hall, UWBB or Truly/Chase houses.

In the event of a significant emergency or disaster The American Red Cross’ Safe and Well website may be used to make family and friends aware of your status.

Please verify your UW Alert subscription here. You may sign up for alerts from all three campuses.

Posted October 18, 2018 11:45 am