EPP Synopsis/Summary Plan

public safety

OVERVIEW

This document provides a management framework for responding to major emergencies or disruptions that may threaten the health and safety of the University community or disrupt its programs and operations.  This plan is based on the below outline situation and assumptions.

Situation

鶹Լ University is a residential liberal arts university located within the corporate limits of the City of Decatur, Illinois.  It covers approximately eighty four (84) acres of land space with nearly one million square feet of building space.  The university operates year round with its peak occupancy and usage following a traditional academic calendar from

Mid-August to late May each year.  During its peak occupancy time period, the University has approximately 2,100 active undergraduate students and 300 faculty and staff on campus.  In both University owned and affiliated (e.g., sorority/fraternity houses) the University has approximately 1,300 residential students during this peak occupancy period.

鶹Լ University recognizes that our institution is exposed to many different hazards, all of which have the potential to threaten the health, safety, and welfare of our students, faculty, staff, and guests.  Because of this wide variety of hazards this Emergency Preparedness Plan is designed to provide the framework for an institutional response to an emergency posed by these hazards. 

Assumptions

鶹Լ University officials recognize that emergency response, rescue, and control duties are outside of their institutions expertise and resource base capabilities.  鶹Լ University also understands that as a residential higher education institution we have a significant responsibility to prepare for any threat to our community and prepare a response to complement the anticipated emergency services response to a campus emergency. 

With these assumptions in mind, this Emergency Preparedness Plan establishes an Emergency Response Team (ERT) that ascertains the scope of an incident and advises the University President.  The Emergency Response Team establishes response strategies and tactics, deploys resources and initiates the emergency recovery process.  The designated ERT leader and “incident commander” is the Director of Public Safety.

ERT emergency response actions are guided by 鶹Լ’s overriding emergency priorities:

  • Protect life safety
  • Secure our critical infrastructure and facilities
  • Effectively communicate the situation and the response effort to our affected populations
  • Resume the teaching program

An emergency event at 鶹Լ may be designated as a Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3 situation:

  • LEVEL 1:      A minor incident that is quickly resolved with internal resources or limited help.
    • The Emergency Plan is not activated.
       
  • LEVEL 2:      A major emergency that impacts sizable portions of the campus and that may affect mission-critical functions or life safety.
    • The Emergency Plan is activated and a subset of the ERT determines the magnitude of the emergency.  The Emergency Operations Center (EOC) may be opened.
       
  • LEVEL 3:      A disaster that involves the entire campus and surrounding community.
    • The Emergency Plan is activated and the entire ERT mobilizes at the EOC.

DEPARTMENT EMERGENCY PLANS are developed and maintained in each 鶹Լ administrative and academic unit.  These documents outline strategies for protecting department personnel and programs and for coordinating with the EOC.  Emergency Plans in specialized service units indicate how they will provide specific emergency aid for the campus – such as safety assessments, search & rescue, repairs, sheltering, counseling and other support. 

 

GENERAL EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PLAN

The 鶹Լ Emergency Preparedness Plan outlines the University’s procedures for managing major emergencies that may threaten the health and safety of the campus community or disrupt its programs and activities.  The Plan identifies departments and individuals that are directly responsible for emergency response and critical support services, and provides a management structure for coordinating and deploying essential resources. 

Every administrative and academic unit is expected to draft a Department Emergency Plan to protect personnel and programs and to support campus response and recovery actions.  The University maintains a comprehensive emergency preparedness and safety-training program to mitigate potential hazards and to familiarize students, faculty and staff with emergency procedures.

SCOPE

The 鶹Լ Emergency Preparedness Plan guides preparedness, response and recovery actions.  It applies to a broad range of emergency incidents and may be activated during:

  • Earthquakes
  • Hazardous material releases
  • Floods
  • Tornado
  • Fire or explosions
  • Extended power outages
  • Mass casualty events
  • Medical Epidemics
  • Significant disruption due to cyberthreats

The Emergency Plan may also be activated when a complete or partial campus evacuation is required or during a crowd situation.  The plan may be used during major emergencies that occur adjacent to campus, but do not necessarily impact our physical facilities, to coordinate emergency information and support services.  (Examples:  a major toxic spill on an adjacent roadway or railroad, tornado in the surrounding neighborhood).  鶹Լ University maintains that a major emergency in the community that affects our students, faculty and staff is a University emergency.

GENERAL EMERGENCY PLAN

  1. Identification of the emergency
  2. Immediate actions and notifications
    1. Provide assistance to injured persons
    2. Take action to minimize property damage
    3. Notify Emergency Response Team if level 2 or 3 emergency exists
  3. Assessment and Priorities
    1. ERT Leader, in conjunction with the President determines the level of emergency and notifies ERT personnel as necessary.
    2. ERT personnel assemble and coordinate the overall response to the emergency.
  4. Organizational Recovery
    1. Detailed discussion of damage; what was done; what needs to be done.
    2. Plan for and implement resumption of operations and the teaching program
    3. Documentation – videos, pictures, lists, records of damage and recovery.
    4. Debriefing and review
    5. Critique

 

IDENTIFICATION OF EMERGENCY and IMMEDIATE ACTIONS

At 鶹Լ University, emergency incidents are classified according to their severity and potential impact so that emergency response operations can be calibrated for actual conditions.

LEVEL 1:

A minor, localized department or building incident that is quickly resolved with existing University resources or limited outside help.  A Level 1 emergency has little or no impact on personnel or normal operations outside the locally affected area. Level 1 incidents do not require activation of the University Emergency Preparedness Plan.  Impacted personnel or departments coordinate directly with the Facilities Department and the Department of Public Safety or other campus groups to resolve Level 1 conditions.  In some incidents, Marketing and Media Relations will be asked to activate public information systems to provide necessary bulletins.

Examples:  Odor complaints, localized chemical spill, plumbing failure or water leak.

LEVEL 2:

A major emergency that disrupts sizable portions of the campus community.  Level 2 emergencies may require assistance from external organizations.  These events may escalate quickly and have serious consequences for mission-critical functions or may threaten life safety.  The ERT Leader receives reports from responding operational departments, determines plan activation and may convene an assessment team drawn from ERT membership.  The team evaluates the scope of the incident, coordinates essential services, and provides emergency information.  Members of this assessment team may include:

  • Vice Presidents
  • Director of Public Safety
  • Director of Facilities
  • Assistant Director of Public Safety
  • Manager - Maintenance and Grounds

Examples: Building fire, major chemical spill, extensive power or utility outage, severe flooding or an existing or imminent external emergency that may affect MU personnel or operations.

LEVEL 3:

A disaster involving the entire campus and surrounding community.  Normal University operations are suspended.  The effects of the emergency are wide-ranging and complex.  A timely resolution of disaster conditions requires University-wide cooperation and extensive coordination with external jurisdictions. 

The Emergency Plan is automatically activated and all Emergency Response Team members report to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

Examples:  Tornado hits campus, major earthquake

IMPORTANT NOTES

  • This University Emergency Plan pertains to Level 2 and Level 3 emergencies only.
  • The designation of a major incident’s emergency level is made by the ERT Leader in consultation with the President.
  • The designated level for an incident may change as conditions intensify or ease.
  • Evacuations or campus closures are authorized by the Emergency Response Team and are announced from the EOC. 

 

ASSESSMENT and PRIORITIES

EMERGENCY RESPONSE PRIORITIES

In an emergency situation, 鶹Լ University’s overriding mission is to:

  • Protect life safety 
  • Secure our critical infrastructure and facilities
  • Effectively communicate the situation and the response effort to our affected populations
  • Resume the teaching program

General emergency response priorities follow from these goals.  Naturally, the contextual characteristics of a particular emergency event (such as the time or day when an incident occurs) may require some adjustments within the following priority categories:

RESPONSE PRIORITIES

  • Buildings used by dependent populations
  • Residences
  • Occupied classrooms, auditoriums, work areas
  • Occupied arenas, special event venues
  • Buildings critical to health and safety
  • Potential shelters, food supplies
  • Sites containing potential hazards
  • Facilities that sustain the emergency response
  • Energy systems
  • Computer installations
  • Communications services
  • Transportation systems
  • Classroom and research buildings
  • Administrative buildings


EMERGENCY RESPONSE LEADERSHIP

A 鶹Լ Emergency Response Team (ERT), drawn from the University’s senior administrative and academic management, coordinates the campus response to major incidents.  The President provides executive supervision for the entire emergency response process.  If the President is unavailable during a campus emergency to act as executive head of the institution, the succession order is: Provost, Vice President of Finance and Business Affairs, Vice President of Enrollment, and the Vice President of Alumni and Development. 

The Director of Public Safety is responsible for the operational direction of the response and serves as the Emergency Response Team Leader and Incident Commander.  If the Director of Public Safety is unavailable, the succession order for the position of Emergency Response Team Leader and Incident Commander is: Vice President for Finance and Business Affairs, Provost, Vice President Enrollment, and Vice President Alumni and Development. 

The ERT Leader determines whether to activate the emergency plan and whether to convene all or part of the ERT after emergency conditions have been verified by the Department of Public Safety and/or Facilities, and if necessary, after consulting with the President. 

The ERT Leader alerts the team and informs them that a mobilization is required. 

When the Emergency Response Team assembles, its responsibilities are to:

  • Determine the scope and impact of the incident
  • Make appropriate emergency notifications
  • Prioritize emergency actions
  • Deploy resources and equipment
  • Communicate information and instructions
  • Monitor and re-evaluate conditions
  • Contact and coordinate response with local Emergency Management Agency

When emergency conditions abate, the ERT Leader and the University President determine the appropriate time to de-active the Emergency Plan.


THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER (EOC)

Emergency Response Team members report to a central Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to coordinate decisions and resources.

            Primary EOC location:            Department of Public Safety

            Alternate EOC sites:               Alumni & Development Center

                                                            ADM-Scovill Hall, MBA Classroom 207 

EOC equipment and supplies are maintained and stored by the Department of Public Safety

The Department of Public Safety is responsible for the planning and general management of the EOC facility and its resources.  They will assemble appropriate data, equipment and supplies.  They will prepare an EOC Resources Directory, containing critical internal and external contact information and emergency action checklists.  Copies are kept at the EOC and are available for relocation to an alternative site. 

As soon as possible, the Department of Public Safety is responsible for providing a scribe to record incident events the order is as follows:

  • Public Safety Dispatcher
  • Facilities Administrative Assistants
  • Public Safety Administrative Assistant
  • Business Office Clerks and Admin
     

ORGANIZATIONAL RECOVERY

As the incident begins to stabilize, efforts towards beginning Organizational Recovery will become the focus of the ERT.  If deemed necessary, the President will appoint a recovery task force, led by the Vice President of Business and Financial Affairs.  This task force will be responsible for organizing the resumption of normal business operations to quickly support the resumption of the academic mission.  It will also be responsible to thoroughly document the incurred institutional costs due to infrastructure damage and response/recovery expenses. 

The task force will be comprised of the following departments:

  • Fiscal Office
  • Facilities
  • Information Technology

Depending on the breadth of the damage, representatives from Academic Affairs, Student Development (Residence Life), Human Resources, or other departments may be added to the task force to assist in the recovery effort.

All departments should be prepared to assist the recovery task force in their mission.  They can assist greatly by retaining all documentation related to the incident.  This documentation will be vital in recovering costs associated with the incident.  Some examples of pertinent records are listed here:

RECOVERY DOCUMENTATION

  • Lists of damaged and destroyed equipment
  • Equipment usage records
  • Vendor purchase orders, invoices and payments
  • Materials usage records
  • Contractor contracts, invoices and payments
  • Overtime expense documentation
  • Insurance information/settlements
  • Police, Fire, EMS, and Public Safety response logs and reports
  • University scribe/historian report

When emergency conditions are stabilized and normal University operations resume, the Emergency Plan will be de-activated by the Emergency Response Team Leader and Incident Commander.  A formal announcement will be disseminated using all emergency information and notification systems.

If the nature of the incident requires an extension of some emergency services, special work groups may be appointed to coordinate those continuing activities.  These groups may need to consider:

  • Academic or administrative space reallocations
  • Support services for impacted students, faculty or staff
  • Community relief assistance

PLAN EVALUATION

A written “After-Action Report” will be presented to the President by the Incident Commander/ERT team leader for the incident.  This report should be submitted within seven days of the incident.

A follow up survey of the ERT members, departments, and the general campus community will be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the response effort.  This review will be led by Vice President of Business and Finance Affairs with the assistance of the Coordinator of Institutional Research. This survey should be conducted within 2-4 weeks of the incident and the results of the survey and the After Action Report will be shared with the entire ERT for review to help determine whether areas of the Emergency Plan should be modified to better prepare ourselves.