Emergency Contacts, Response and Preparedness
Caltech Security is ready to assist you in an emergency on Caltech property. In case of fire, police or medical, please call Caltech Security at extension 5000 from an on-campus phone or 626-395-5000 from your cell phone or land line.
Important Phone Numbers at Caltech: click here
More information about security: the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report and the Campus Security Announcements
REMEMBER THE RULE:
- call 5000 if you are on the Caltech campus
- call 911 if you NOT on the Caltech campus
Call 911 for police, fire or ambulance. You do not need to dial an area code.
Your health insurance provider may require you to use specific facilities. Please review this information with your insurance provider before you have an emergency or a situation that requires a visit to urgent care or the hospital emergency room (ER). Also, ask for the costs of urgent care and ER.
Caltech Student Wellness Services - On Campus
During regular business hours, students may seek help and care at Caltech Student Wellness Services, which offers free, confidential, one on one consultation services.
Urgent Care Center
An urgent care is not a life-threatening medical need. For students, go first to Caltech Student Wellness Services and if it's closed, visit an urgent care center.
Doctors at urgent care centers treat minor cuts, skin rashes, sprains, colds, coughs, fevers, abdominal pain, broken bones and more. But again, it's not life-threatening.
Optum Urgent Care • 797 S. Fair Oaks Avenue, Pasadena
Exer More Than Urgent • 3160 E. Del Mar Avenue, Pasadena
UrgentMed • 600 S. Lake Avenue, Suite 105, Pasadena
QuickStop Urgent Care • 797 S. Arroyo Parkway, Pasadena
Emergency: call 911
If you have a life-threatening medical emergency, call 911 immediately, or go to the nearest hospital emergency room. An ambulance will come and transport you to the nearest hospital: Huntington Hospital • 100 W. California Boulevard, Pasadena (5-minute drive from Caltech)
Mental Health: Caltech Staff, Postdocs & Faculty Consultation Center - On Campus
You may seek and get help and care for mental health at the Caltech Staff and Faculty Consultation Center which offers free, confidential, one on one consultation services. This service is also offered to the spouses.
The Emergency Preparedness and Business Continuity Program at Caltech provides guidance on emergency issues that are likely to arise at the Institute.
At JPL
Emergency management (internal website for JPL employees only) at JPL provides comprehensive guidance on a wide range of possible threats on lab and at home.
Living in Southern California means needing to be prepared for earthquakes and other natural disasters. The Caltech Emergency Management Team and the Earthquake Country Alliance offer advice about how to prepare for an earthquake. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides a real-time map of the earthquakes that occur regularly in the region.
Earthquakes Apps in your smart phone: it's a good idea to download them:
Quakes
ShakeAlertLA
The American Red Cross Prepare SoCal also gives comprehensive information about emergency (earthquake, residential fire, wildfire, landslide, tsunami, flood and biological or chemical threat).
DISCLAIMER: The information provided on this website is for general information only. Caltech does not endorse or recommend any of the organizations listed.