Emergency Management Plan for Colleges & Universitites: A Continuity of Operations Plan, by Douglas M. Henderson

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES
A CONTINUITY OF OPERATIONS PLAN (COOP) ON CD-ROM
by Douglas M. Henderson

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Published by Rothstein Associates Inc.
ISBN 1-931332-16-9
In stock for immediate shipment.
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This plan is designed to function as a Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP). Included is a
management team and emergency response structure that will enable your organization to
maintain or rapidly restore critical services.

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THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES is designed
to address the institution-wide disaster preparation and response steps to an emergency
situation.

THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES contains the
following on CD-ROM, which can be edited and adapted to the licensee’s organization using
any standard word processing program:
- A comprehensive Executive Summary
- Planning & Response Team Responsibilities and Membership
- Plan Activation
- Requirements of all Organizational Sub-Plans or “Unit” Plans
- A Template for Developing the Unit Plans
- Glossary of Terms Designed for an Academic Environment
- Checklists to Respond to Specific Disaster Situations
- An Incident Response Plan for Initial Responders

The Plan is specifically designed for use by Colleges & Universities. It is intended for use by
senior level executives responsible for the institution’s plan and for management personnel
assigned to respond to an emergency situation.

In an emergency situation quick decisions regarding the appropriate response measures are
necessary but a rigid organizational structure necessary to properly execute quick decisions
is not normally found within the educational community. THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
PLAN FOR COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES utilizes a high-level committee approach to
develop the plan and to make strategic decisions. At the same time the Plan utilizes a formal
incident command system to execute a response to a disaster and to make tactical
decisions.

THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES - Continuity
of Operations Plan (COOP) is based on concepts specified in professional organizations
(Disaster Recovery Institute International and The Business Continuity Institute) and the
Incident Command System (ICS) that is utilized by FEMA. After years of consulting with
several Colleges & Universities, these concepts have been adapted to an academic
environment.

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EXCERPT FROM THE INTRODUCTION

“There are important differences between the manner in which a university or other academic
institution conducts its operations and the manner in which a corporation conducts its
business. The entire purpose of operations, the presence of large numbers of students, the
style of management, and etc. are all greatly different between an academic institution and a
typical business. These differences are not particularly well addressed in the existing
literature for emergency plans.

PLAN DEVELOPMENT
“Emergency plans for academic institutions are generally developed by certain key
operations (the Facilities Department, the Security or Police Department, Public Relations,
etc.) creating emergency response type plans. Plans are developed individually under a “silo
approach” rather than under an enterprise-wide approach. Under this silo approach the
resulting plans vary widely in terms of organization and detail. It is not uncommon to find
some departments with excellent plans and other departments without any formal plan in
place.

“This University Emergency Management Plan - Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) refers
to the various departments, schools, and etc. plans as “Unit Plans.” Unit Plans are assigned
specific responsibilities and a standardized organizational format.

PLAN ORGANIZATION
“Frequently only very general guidelines coordinate these Unit Plans. University emergency
plans involve a large number of individuals from different areas. Many of these individuals do
not work together on a day-to-day basis. In an actual emergency situation many individuals
have important areas of responsibilities and must be able to coordinate their efforts.

“Rigid organizational structures are not normally found within the educational community. A
typical approach utilized by educational institutions to address a problem is to establish a
committee to analyze the facts and make recommendations. This group or committee
management style approach assembles a large range of ideas and generally produces
satisfactory results over a fairly long period of time. In developing an emergency plan this
approach is acceptable but in executing an emergency plan the approach will not work
effectively.
In an emergency situation quick decisions regarding the appropriate response measures are
necessary. There is frequently not time to gather and analyze various opinions. Also a
single
individual must be in charge and if that individual is not present a "chain-of-command" must
be utilized. This type of management structure is not common in a university community.

“This University Emergency Management Plan designates an Incident Response Team that
utilizes the Incident Command System for responding to emergency situations. This is a
recognized, effective management approach utilized by FEMA to make tactical decisions
during an actual emergency. Together with the Incident Response Team we have identified
an Emergency Management Team to determine the institution's policy (strategic decisions).
This Emergency Management Team is structured in a committee style consistent with
typical
academic institutional practices. The overall management structure couples an effective
mechanism for handling an emergency with a management style compatible with practices in
an educational setting.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE
“Current Initial Response Planning by Universities appears focuses on the action steps to be
taken by Security. This University Emergency Management Plan (COOP) greatly expands
this scope and includes two Attachments for use by the initial responders. One Attachment
is
designed for use by the University Incident Commander to direct the institution's resources.
The other Attachment is designed for use by faculty, staff and others who are the initial
responders to an emergency situation.

TERMINOLOGY
“The emergency management industry grew initially out of the Information Technology area.
These emergency plans were referred to as "Disaster Plans" and this terminology is still
commonly used by Information Technology Departments within both the academic and
business communities. Since the late 1980's and early 1990's the term "Business Continuity
Plan" has become the standard corporate term for an emergency plan. This term along with
other terms such as "Business Impact Analysis" commonly used in the corporate world are
not generally used in a university environment.

“Although there is no official terminology for emergency plans within an academic institution,
this COOP utilizes terminology that I have found to be commonly used by academic
institutions. The Glossary located in the Appendices provides the user with the suggested
terminology and some alternative terminology.”

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FILES

The files contained on this CD-ROM are:

1. README.DOC
2. University EMP.doc
3. A.UnitPlan.doc
4. B.DisasterResponse.doc
5. C.ContactInformation.doc
6. D.Incident Response Plan.doc

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PLAN OUTLINE

SECTION I EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A. Purpose
B. Scope
C. Mission
D. Assumptions
E. Types of Emergencies
F. Incident Command System
G. Declaration
H. Organization Overview
I. Individual Roles

SECTION II ORGANIZATION
A. Emergency Management Team
B. Incident Response Team
C. Unit Plans
D. Members with Critical Responsibilities

SECTION III PLAN ACTIVATION OPERATION
Level of Response
Notification & Activation
Command Centers
Campus Recovery

SECTION IV ROLE OF ORGANIZATIONAL UNITS
A. Requirements of All Units
B. Special & Critical Unit Responsibilities

Appendix A University Incident Commander Checklist

Appendix B Glossary

Attachment A Unit Plan Template

Attachment B Incident Commander Action Steps

Attachment C Emergency Response Plan - Faculty & Staff

Attachment D Contact Information

Attachment E Family Disaster Planning

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EXCERPT:

BOMB THREAT OR SUSPICIOUS PACKAGE

- If a suspicious package is discovered on the campus, the individual making the
discovery shall immediately contact the Security and provide as much information as
possible. At a minimum, the individual should provide a description of the suspicious
package and any specific characteristics.
- If a telephone call or information is received stating a bomb is somewhere on the
campus:
- Recipient will write down the call as precisely as possible, noting time of call,
length of call, any distinguishing characteristics of the caller's voice, to include male/female,
accent, age, etc., and the possible location. (Note: Use the attached checklist for bomb
threats.)
- Recipient does not hang up the phone when the call is completed. Keep the line
open or place it on "hold".
- Recipient immediately contacts the Security and advises them of the call, and
provides a detailed written text.
- In addition to contacting the University Incident Commander, Security will call 911
advising local emergency services authorities of the situation about the bomb threat or
suspicious package, and request local emergency services assistance. Local emergency
services authorities should receive updated information upon their arrival.
- Security will be posted to ensure no one enters the building(s) until emergency
personnel arrive and the area is determined to be safe.
- All students, faculty, and staff will vacate the affected buildings, and move to a safe
location as designated by officials on site, staying at least 300 feet from the nearest building.
- Once local emergency service authorities arrive, the University Incident
Commander will coordinate any information or assistance with them. Only trained personnel
should attempt to perform a methodical search of the buildings.
- The local emergency services authorities will notify the University Incident
Commander when reentry to the building can be made. There is no specified time limit for
when students and faculty will be permitted back into the isolated area. This will depend
solely upon the information received and the results of the findings of the local authorities.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DOUGLAS M. HENDERSON, FSA, CBCP, President of Disaster Management, Inc., has 30
years of experience in the management and human resources fields with national consulting
firms, including nine years as a consultant in a major accounting firm.

In August of 1992, Doug was the key associate of the Emergency Response Team for a
consulting firm located in South Miami-Dade County. Inspired by the real life business
experience with Hurricane Andrew and the lack of preparation within the business and
academic community, Doug founded Disaster Management, Inc.

Doug has a B. S. Degree from the University of Arizona and is a Fellow, Society of Actuaries.
Doug is a Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP), a member of FEPA (Florida
Emergency Preparedness Association), the editor of DisasterALERT!, and the author of the
book Is Your Business Ready for the Next Disaster? Doug has also made presentations at
the National Hurricane Conference, the Florida Governor's Conference, and to numerous
other organizations.

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Published by Rothstein Associates Inc.
ISBN 1-931332-16-9
In stock for immediate shipment.
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2005, CD-ROM. 104 pages. Order #DR664
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