In the event of an emergency, personal safety is our top priority. If an emergency occurs, contact the Site Operations Manager or any staff member; they know the area and services available to APO. If this is not possible, follow this quick list of procedures and people to call.
DON'T PANIC! A few moments spent thinking about what to do will be more than repaid by a fast response from emergency personnel.
APO fire protection has individual panels in each building that have a local alarm and are also monitored by an outside alarm monitoring company. The exceptions are: 2.5m enclosure, 1.0m enclosure and the ARCSAT telescope enclosure. These three buildings have no fire detection systems.
Fire response is provided by the Sunspot Volunteer Fire Department (SVFD) through the Otero County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center. 911 is the Emergency phone number for all emergencies.
When the alarm sounds, the alarm company is also notified. They will first call the site then various staff homes and mobile numbers. If there is no response, then they will contact the Fire Department to be paged out.
If safe to do so, check the area indicated by the alarm. Do not enter any building if smoke is visible. Check all doors to see if they are warm BEFORE opening them. If they are warm, do not open the door and exit the building immediately. If you are 100% certain there is no fire, you can call 911 and have them cancel the fire department response.
If smoke, heat or flame are visible, exit the building. Attempt to clear any personnel from endangered structures; be aware of occupants in the dormitories. The on site page works for most buildings but phones are often muted in the dormitories. Under no circumstances re-enter a burning building.
There are two types of alarm:
1. A soft buzzer indicates there is a trouble in the detection circuit. A trouble indication will come on and the LCD display will indicate what is the trouble. If this occurs, you can open the panel door and press “silence.” This will disable the local buzzer. If trouble persists, notify the staff.
2. A loud buzzer and one or more of the inside or outside horn strobes are activated. If you suspect a false alarm, you can also hit the “silence” button while you investigate. If in fact it is confirmed to be a false alarm then return to the panel and hit “reset.” The alarm indication should extinguish. If it will not reset notify the staff and the fire department upon arrival.
If the alarm company calls for a “tamper alarm” or you need to cancel because of a false alarm, they will ask for an authorization code. Tell them it is 2001.
Extinguishers are located in most rooms and near all building exits. Use them if you feel safe to do so. If fire continues after an attempt with one extinguisher, exit the building.
If a forest fire is spotted, immediately notify the U.S. Forest Service Fire Dispatcher at 437-2286. Provide as much information as possible, especially a general compass heading, size, and slope aspect. If the fire is along APO's drive, also notify the SVFD via 911. Do not fight the fire yourself. If the drive is cutoff by fire, notify the 911 operator and move to the 3.5m enclosure and the concrete cone room if necessary.
Call 911 for all major medical emergencies; minor medical problems can be resolved by using the first aid kits. Ask 911 to page Sunspot EMS. Notify the Site Operations Manager of all medical emergencies or accidents. The closest hospital, Gerald Champion Memorial Hospital (439-2100), is located 45 miles from APO. First aid kits are available in Dorm #4-9, the service area of the Operations building, the Garage/Shop building, and in the Support building, and are only to be used for minor medical care. A defibrillator is located in Operations service area; many APO staff are trained in its use.
If power fails, the generator starts automatically within one minute and takes up the load . If it does not, contact APO staff immediately. Weekly generator maintenance runs occur on Wednesday. If the generator runs at any other time, notify the Site Operations Manager immediately. Our computers are backed up via an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS). All of the computers are robust enough to take a loss of power without damage.
Guide on event of Primary Generator Failure
