| Created/edited: | 4/09/2008 |
| Reviewed/approved: | 5/8/2007 |
Concept:
Emergency Planning for the San Antonio Campus will consists of three components: An Emergency Planning Committee, a Crisis Management Team, and a Notification Team.
Emergency Planning Committee:
The committee will consist of six (6) members; the Dean, Assistant Dean, Director of Information, Director of Institutional Advancement, Director of Professional Development, and Director of Nursing. Adaptation and changes to the Emergency Preparedness Plan will be approved by committee vote. At least two-thirds of the committee must be present during the vote and cast a vote. Absentia will not count as part of the voting number required and proxy votes are not permitted. A simple majority will decide the outcome of any vote by the committee. The Emergency Planning Meeting will meet at the discretion of the Dean who also serves as the Committee Chair, but will not meet less than once per calendar year. At least two-thirds of the committee must be present for the committee to be deemed as having met in fulfillment of this requirement.
Crisis Management Team:
The Crisis Management Team will consist of thirteen (13) members; all members of the Emergency Planning Committee plus the Managers of Financial Services, Bookstore, and Academic Records, plus the head of each faculty department including Education, Business, Religion, and Nursing as appointed by the Assistant Dean of the San Antonio Campus. The Crisis Management Team is responsible for making necessary decisions regarding any crisis as delegated in this plan and for ensuring the proper notification of students, staff and faculty in the event of a situation. The Crisis Management Team will meet for training no less than once a calendar year, the time and date to be determined by the Dean; and when a new member is appointed that member will receive training on his or her duties within thirty (30) days following appointment of the position.
The seniority of the team members for decisions will be as follows:
The seniority list may be rearranged at the discretion of the Dean or by vote of the Emergency Preparedness Committee.
The primary functions of the Crisis Management Team are:
Notification Team:
The Notification Team will consist of a varying number of employees and faculty, each of which will be assigned specific duties by the Crisis Management Team. The Chief of the Notification Team will be the Director of Institutional Advance acting in the role of Public Relations.
On-site notification will consist primarily of two actions: evacuate the building or remain in place or move to a safe location within the building. The decision will be made by the senior member of the Crisis Management Team available on site at the time the situation develops. Once a decision is made, the Notification Team will sound the alert throughout the building. The first step should be to use the telephone intercom announcement system if it is working. To use this system, from any land-line phone instrument in the building press Intercom #30 and make the announcement. It will be broadcast through all phone instruments only. This will not reach everyone in the building. The second step should be to physically go to each room in the building making the announcement, all the while considering that it may not be possible to reach every room in some situations. Examples of when on-site notification may be necessary are an approaching tornado, flash flooding, or a train derailment or accident on Interstate 35.
Off site notification requires the telephonic notification of staff and faculty. The Notification Team upon being directed by the senior member of the Crisis Management Team able to make the decision will begin the alert notification process. The notification follows a process whereby one member calls two who in turn each call two and so forth until everyone is reached. Each member of the Crisis Management Team will develop the alert plan used by his or her section or department and provide a written copy of that plan to Emergency Preparedness Committee. Attached to this plan is a phone contact listing of all staff and faculty contact numbers. It is incumbent on every employee to keep his or her supervisor informed of any change in contact information. Examples of when off-site notification may be necessary are winter storms and ice, approaching hurricane or tropical storm, intense heat wave, power failure, heat or cooling failure, or heavy rain.
News media notification requires mass notification of the public in general, and is generally best handled by making use of available resources such as our web site, the local television and radio news stations, and possibly even the newspaper. The Notification Team upon being directed by the senior member of the Crisis Management Team able to make the decision will begin this process. The Director of Institution Advancement acting in the role of public relations will maintain a listing of contacts with the local news agencies and provide a written copy of that plan to Emergency Preparedness Committee. Examples of when news media notification may be necessary are almost any natural disaster or hazardous incident in the area.
Communication Logs
All members of the Crisis Management Team and Notification Team must keep an accurate log of all calls received and other contact made during the crisis. Keep all notes, memos, and news releases, which will be useful in evaluating performance and response. These are also useful in the event of lawsuits, therefore, be certain to note names, times, and precise facts to relevant events. Periodically review notes for completeness and accuracy as the event unfolds.