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Emergency Information and Management

The Emergency Management Division coordinates emergency planning, training, response, and recovery efforts during earthquakes, wildfires, floods, tsunamis, civil unrest, and other major disasters.

A mock scenario of UPD set-up in response to a situation

How We Prepare and Respond

We ensure that everyone is ready to respond and recover from natural or man-made emergencies and disasters through:

  • Planning, training and exercise
  • Public awareness and education
  • Regional collaboration
  • Hazard mitigation
  • Emergency notification
  • Emergency resources management
  • Emergency medical support

Emergency Procedures

Safe and effective emergency responses are generally achieved through the guidance of clear, thoughtful and experience-based procedures. The CSUMB Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) provides detailed information regarding emergency operations. The University Police Department has also developed resources describing the procedures for responding to a variety of on-campus incidents ranging from earthquakes to shootings. 

  • Cal State Monterey Bay Emergency Action Plan: Provides detailed information on response procedures for a large variety of incidents that may occur on campus.
  • Emergency Procedures Brochure: Provides brief information on the more likely incidents to affect the campus.
  • Active Shooter Response Protocol: Provides detailed information on response to an active shooter on campus. Included are procedures for evacuations, sheltering-in-place, and lockdowns. Additional training can be accessed through CSU Learn (search for Active Shooter). Visit the Active Shooter Preparedness page for more information.

Emergency Communications

The university has several means of communicating emergency information to the campus community. There is no single form of perfect communication, so it is crucial that emergency information be conveyed in multiple ways to reach the largest number of people possible.

Depending on the severity of the situation, the university may use any combination of the following forms of communication.

  • OTTERalert Notification System: All students, faculty and staff are automatically enrolled in the emergency email message alert system. Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to sign up for emergency text messaging notifications.
  • Outdoor Notification System: External speakers have been placed throughout the Main Campus. In the event of an emergency, information can be broadcast over the campus via a wireless system utilizing solar power and battery backup systems.
  • Mass Email: These global email lists allow the University to send an email message to every student, staff and faculty members’ official CSUMB email account.
  • University Websites: In the event of an emergency or natural disaster on campus, the University will post emergency information on the CSUMB Homepage and/or Police and Emergency Information pages.
  • Mass Voicemail: This voicemail broadcast tool can send a recorded voicemail to every voicemail box on the CSUMB phone system. When this is activated, the voicemail light will light up on phones. When users check their voicemail, they will hear a recorded message.
  • Emergency Update Hotline: In the event of an emergency, the Emergency Response Team will regularly update a message on this phone number with critical information. The number is x5044 or 831-582-5044.
  • Local Media: In the event of an emergency where cell phone towers may not be operable, a local TV station, the Campus TV Channel, and three local radio stations have agreed to broadcast emergency information for the University. These stations are: KSBW TV (Channel 8 on campus, Channel 6 on Comcast); Campus TV Channel 72 (on campus only); KAZU 90.3 FM; KWAV 96.9 FM.
  • Emergency Alert Systems: The University’s police vehicles are equipped with public address systems and can be utilized to announce information in public areas, if necessary, in an emergency.
  • Reverse 9-1-1: Telephone Emergency Notification System (TENS) allows the UPD to make mass notifications to residential phone lines using the 9-1-1 system.

Campus Evacuation Maps 

Emergency Management creates and maintains detailed evacuation information for campus buildings. 

Evacuation Maps

image of an emergency medical kit

Emergency Preparedness

Be ready when it matters most. Explore Cal State Monterey Bay’s emergency preparedness resources, safety plans, and tools to help you respond confidently and stay informed during campus emergencies.

A UPD officer showing showing his phone to a student

Otteralert Emergency Notifications

Stay informed in real time. Sign up for Otteralerts to receive emergency notifications by text, email, or phone so you can take quick action and stay safe on and around campus.

External Emergency Resources

Staying informed is one of the most important steps you can take during an emergency. Cal State Monterey Bay’s Emergency Management team provides trusted resources to help students, faculty and staff access timely information as situations unfold.

Use the links below to monitor conditions, check alerts and make informed decisions.

County Emergency Alerts

Weather Information

Fire Information

Earthquake and Tsunami Information

Air Quality

  • AirNow
    Check local air quality conditions and health recommendations.

Power Outages

  • PG&E Outage Map
    View current outages, estimated restoration times and report service interruptions.

Projects and Initiatives

Abundant vegetation, shrubs, trees, and grasses surround the East Campus community and the Inter-Garrison Road corridor. Emergency Manager Ken Folsom has secured a CAL FIRE grant, “California State University, Monterey Bay, East Campus Wildfire Fuel Reduction,” to reduce and manage the threat of wildfire to the community. 

The grant funds work in the East Campus housing area and along Inter-Garrison Road.

The scope of work includes:

  • Cutting grasses and trimming trees and brush around homes
  • Pruning branches away from structures in side yards; fenced-in areas, patios, and front yards will not be affected
  • Removing dead trees, brush, plants, grass, weeds, and other vegetation, which may be thinned, chipped, and left on-site, or hauled off-site
  • Creating a defensible space perimeter around homes that hampers the spread of fire.

All work follows applicable regulations and is monitored by a certified arborist and qualified biologist to ensure sensitive habitats and plant species are avoided.

The outdoor notification system is tested on a regular basis to ensure it is working properly and to help familiarize the campus community with how it will operate in an emergency. Tests are held on the fourth Friday of each month, around 11:50 a.m.

During the test, the system broadcasts a tone, followed by a voice message over speakers located near the World Languages and Cultures North building, the Dining Commons and the Aquatic Center. The alert tones are loud and distinct and should be easily heard by anyone who is outdoors on the main campus.

Training and Education

The Emergency Management Health & Safety (EMHS) Division of the University Police Department offers training and education programs aimed at disaster preparedness. We are able to offer programs that increase the University's capacity to respond to and recover from emergencies of all kinds.

The Disaster Service Worker Virtual Academy provides resources, information and training to better prepare public employees when disaster strikes.

All public employees are included in disaster service worker status. Public employees include all persons employed by any county, city, state agency or public district.

This means that all CSUMB employees have disaster worker status. The oath or affirmation per California Code 3102 is signed by all CSUMB employees as part of the hiring paperwork when you are first hired.

Emergency Management has gathered training materials that will help boost your preparedness for Disaster Service Worker duties so that we’ll be ready to support the CSUMB community.

  • Disaster Service Worker Orientation
  • Point of Distribution
  • Logistics and Staging Area
  • Tsunami Response
  • Emergency Operations Center Orientation
  • Orientation to EOC Public Information and the Joint Information System
  • Pet Care and Sheltering
  • Orientation to the CSUMB Community

The Building Emergency Coordinator (BEC) program is established to facilitate enhanced emergency preparedness and coordinated initial emergency procedures in every regularly occupied CSUMB main campus building.

There are volumes of information available on disaster preparedness and what to do in the event of an emergency. Here is a list of some great and free resources:

Knowing how to use a fire extinguisher safely and effectively can make a critical difference in an emergency.

Cal State Monterey Bay offers hands-on fire extinguisher training to help students, faculty and staff become familiar with the equipment they may need to use in a real crisis. These sessions provide practical instruction and build confidence in responding to small, contained fires.

If you are interested in scheduling a training for your department or group, please contact our office.

Cal State Monterey Bay has public access Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) located within walking distance of all campus areas. These life-saving devices are available for use during a cardiac emergency.

While employees and students are not required to use an AED, they are designed to be simple and accessible for anyone willing to help. With clear audio and visual instructions, AED units guide users step by step through the response process.

To help our community feel confident and prepared, we offer free monthly AED/CPR training sessions. These hands-on trainings provide practical experience so you can become familiar with the equipment before facing a real emergency.

If you are interested in training, please visit the CPR and AED Training webpage for details and registration information.

Learn More

To better understand how AEDs work, explore these resources:

Prepared individuals can make a life-saving difference.

Aerial drone photo of students walking on the Cal State Monterey Bay campus.

Contact our offices

Contact the CSUMB University Police or Emergency Manager.

In an emergency, CALL 9-1-1. The Police Department’s public counter is open Mon-Fri, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. when CSUMB is open. Officers are available 24/7. Call (831) 655-0268 for non-emergency situations.

Yvonne Gordon

Interim Emergency Manager and Interim Chief of Police/Associate Vice President for Public Safety