The safety of visitors, volunteers, and employees is our highest priority.

In Case of Emergency...Call 911

Medical Emergency

Call 911 immediately if there is an injury to visitor, employee, or volunteer and provide the following information:

  • Nature of medical emergency
  • Exact location of the emergency (address, building, room number)
  • Main Garden’s physical address: 100 Old Mason Farm Rd, Chapel Hill, NC 27517
  • Your name and phone number from which you are calling.

First Aid, CPR & AED

Certified persons should administer First Aid/CPR if necessary. Consent must be obtained from the victim before administering care. If a victim is unconscious, consent is implied.

A.  First Aid – First Aid supplies are stored throughout the Garden. Please contact a Staff Member by walking to or calling the front desk in the James and Delight Allen Education Center (919-962-0522). The front desk volunteer will be able to direct you to a staff member who can assist you.

B. Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) – Several NCBG employees maintain certification in CPR, First Aid, and Automated External Defibrillator(AED). Certified persons should administer First Aid/CPR if necessary. Consent must be obtained from the victim before administering care. If a victim is unconscious, consent is implied.

C.   Automated External Defibrillator (AED) – An AED is located at the Education Center reception desk in a clearly visible and marked box. Certified persons should administer the AED if necessary. North Carolina law expressly provides immunity from civil liability for those who obtain and maintain AEDs, and those who use such devices to attempt to save a life.

Adverse Weather or Emergency Event

During an adverse weather event, visit the Alert Carolina website to determine the Condition Level. The following are the operations and scheduled event policies of the North Carolina Botanical Garden given the Condition Level posted on the Alert Carolina website:

Condition 1: The Garden is closed to the public at the discretion of the Director. If the Garden is closed, a statement will be added to our website and all scheduled events will be cancelled.

Condition 2: The Garden is closed to the public and all scheduled events are cancelled.

Condition 3: The Garden is closed to the public and all scheduled events are cancelled.

Suspicious Persons

If you encounter a suspicious individual exhibiting threatening or unusual behavior:

  1. Contact a Staff Member: The quickest way to reach a staff member is by walking to or calling the front desk in the James and Delight Allen Education Center (919-962-0522), and the front desk volunteer will be able to direct you to a staff member, who can relieve you of further responsibility.
  2. In more serious situations, contact UNC Public Safety at 919-962-8100 and alert them to the issue. Then contact a staff member as noted in (1) above.
  3. Call 911 if the individual appears to be a threat to themselves or others. Then contact a staff member as noted in (1) above.
If you see a snake...

be cool.

If you encounter a snake you believe is venomous, just keep your cool and alert an NCBG staff person by walking to or calling the front desk in the James and Delight Allen Education Center (919-962-0522). If you can keep eyes on the snake while getting help, even better. Please do not touch or handle snakes in the Garden. Note: black rat snakes like our friend pictured here are not venomous and are commonly seen at the Garden.